by Hank Brockett
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Swish ... swish ... swish ...
Soon after their team season came to an abrupt end against Bishop McNamara in the regional final, two Lady Comets found themselves behind the arc and in the state finals.
Both Jackie Koehn and Val Yarbrough rode a hot streak from the regionals to the sectionals and finally to the state finals at Illinois State University. After all the shots found rebounders, Koehn found herself named the fifth best three-point shooter in Class A.
Not bad for players respectfully known for their passing and rebounding prowess. And not bad for two players without a made three-pointer in the regular season.
Three, as the Schoolhouse Rock song confirms, is the magic number. On the hardwood, the presence of the three-point arc serves as the great equalizer. Even overmatched teams can make up large deficits with a hot hand from long range.
In advancing through each round, Koehn and Yarbrough found alternate lyrics to the catchy song. “Every three-threat has good form/ And every three-threat can endure the rest.” That all started with a foundation of Coach Ken Scott’s teams - conditioning.
“They work hard. They have to,” said Scott. “And that’s why they went this far.”
At first glance, the connection between 15 uncontested shots and the dreaded “suicide” endurance drills is thinner than the difference between a swish and a clank. But as the Lady Comets ran up and down the Reed-Custer gym eight minutes at a time in practice, their legs grew stronger and more used to the strain. By the time the three-point contests arrived, they thrived in the waning seconds while others shot blanks.
Even with conditioning, Koehn and Yarbrough were surprising contestants. After less than 10 attempts between the two all season, they won a shoot-off to join fellow Comets Casey Hadley and Ashley Bohac in action concurrent to the playoffs. And while others fretted, they just shot.
“I went into each competition thinking ‘If I make it, I make it and if I don’t, I don’t,’” said Yarbrough, a senior forward whose experience served as the capper on a four-year varsity career. “I didn’t worry about it.”
Each contestant shoots five shots from three points on the court - the imaginary meeting points of the free throw line and the three-point arc and from the top of the key - with a 45-second time limit.
As they advanced, some aspects grew clearer. Observers noticed the Lady Comets’ fine form, going straight up while using the legs to complete a rhythmic jump shot. After each shot, both Koehn and Yarbrough left one hand bent as a reminder of the touch-granting follow-through.
“Once we started advancing is when we started practicing,” said Yarbrough. “We weren’t a big outside shooting team. I think it came as a surprise to everyone that we did as well as we did.”
The confines of ISU’s large Redbird Arena provided a whole new backdrop for Koehn and Yarbrough, especially compared to their first tastes of basketball. Koehn spent recess after recess learning the game on the blacktop in grade school. And Yarbrough recalls many unorganized pick-up games with her dad in the driveway, the quintessential hoop attached to the garage.
While waiting for their group (the third of eight eight-person groups who qualified for state), both shooters remembered to keep their minds clear.
“You just have to focus on the back of the rim and make sure you have arc on the ball,” said Yarbrough.
And while Yarbrough hit 6 of 15, the quiet Koehn nailed 10. That put her in a 10-ball tiebreaker, in which she hit four. While the honor of fifth place came only with the permission to boast, Coach Scott said he believes the experience established confidence in the sharpshooting junior for the 2003-04 season.
“This opens my eyes a little bit,” he said of next year’s team, which also returns the long-range bombers Hadley and Bohac.
For now, that confidence appears more on the court. In conversation, she lets the older Yarbrough do most of the talking.
“I personally would have traded [the three-point contest] experience any day for the team to be there,” said Yarbrough.
For now, there isn’t much time to dwell. Both girls moved straight from the court to the diamond and another sports season filled with high hopes. That means no bragging about who really holds the title as the best-shooting Comet.
“It doesn’t matter who makes the shots as long as ...” started Yarbrough.
“....they go in,” finished Koehn.
In their description, the art of the shot still holds mystery, even if their success does not. Adding up their uniform numbers (2+1 and 1+2) both result in a magical number with an equally sweet sound.
Three.