Battle-tested Madison heads to Top 28 tourney|[3/7/06]
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, March 7, 2006
After 38 years on the bench, hundreds of wins, and two state championships, Mitchell Riggs has been around the game of basketball long enough to know the flow of the game.
So when it’s suggested that his Madison Parish Jaguars are living a charmed life in this year’s Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class 2A state tournament, he denies it.
The way Riggs sees it, the Jaguars have just gotten the hard part out of the way early.
“It’s a five-game series. One, sometimes two games, you’re going to blow somebody away. Once, you’re going to have a close game,” Riggs said. “We’ve done that. The way I look at it, we’re due.”
That’s bad news for Ville Platte, the next team in the Jaguars’ sights.
Madison heads to Lafayette on Wednesday for the LHSAA Top 28 tournament, Louisiana’s Final Four in each class, on the heels of two one-point victories. After blowing out Farmerville in the opening round, Madison squeaked by St. Thomas Aquinas 70-69 and then survived a 96-95 overtime nailbiter against top-ranked Jonesboro-Hodge.
In the latter victory, Madison escaped after having four starters foul out in regulation, blowing a four-point lead in the final minute and falling behind in overtime. Cody Atkins hit two free throws with four-tenths of a second left to win it for Madison.
Riggs said that win will pay more dividends than simply living to fight another day.
“To win it with bench players, against number one in overtime, it builds character,” Riggs said. “I always tell the kids that they need to prepare like a starter, and I’ve won many games with a sub off the bench. That proves it.”
Madison may need every player it can get against Ville Platte, simply from a conditioning standpoint.
Ville Platte (18-8) has scored 80 or more points in each of its three state tournament games, and has surpassed that mark in six of its last eight games.
Keeping up shouldn’t be a problem for Madison (25-6), though. Other than the win over St. Thomas Aquinas, it has scored at least 78 points in each of its last 11 games. Six times in that span, the Jaguars have scored at least 90.
“It’s just street ball,” Riggs said of Ville Platte’s style. “They just keep coming after you. So I’m going to tell the guys that no lead is safe.”
Although this is Madison’s first official trip to the Top 28 tournament, its players and coach are no stranger to the Cajundome. Madison Parish High School was formed over the summer when Tallulah and McCall merged. Riggs, along with most of his players, came from the McCall program.
McCall, where the team still practices and plays until a new school can be built, made six trips to the state semifinals in eight seasons and last won a state title in 2001. Riggs also led McCall to a title in 1993.
And after all that time, Riggs isn’t too stuck in his ways to learn a few new tricks. Last year, McCall reached the semifinals only to lose to West St. John. Riggs blames that loss on the immaturity of his players, who stayed up late in the hotel and focused more on fun than basketball.
This time around, both the players and coach are a year older and wiser. Riggs plans to leave Tallulah early Wednesday morning to make the five-hour trip to Lafayette, leaving little time for distractions before the 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
Once they arrive, however, the game Madison shows on the court should look awfully familiar.
“Some of them get lost. They don’t know who Madison is. They’re looking for McCall,” Riggs said with a laugh. “This is our first time as Madison. But it’s the same flavor as McCall.”