The next time she touched the ball, Holdsclaw dribbled to her left and pulled up for an 18-footer that looked like it came out of a textbook. Basket -- and game.
Yes, Tennessee has some weaknesses. The Volunteers are not great outside shooters, and they do not have a superior inside game. But if the jump shots are falling, there's nothing anyone this side of the Columbus Quest can do anything about.
It's simple, and fitting. The best team won.
* * *
`Click!'
That was the sound of millions of TVs switching away from ESPN as Tennessee ran away and hid early. That sound, unfortunately, was a rerun from Friday when two other routs -- neither of them at all well-played -- were on the nation's premier sports network.
Arkansas getting thumped by Tennessee was no surprise, but there were hopes that North Carolina State would give Louisiana Tech a run, but no such luck. Wide margins plus sloppy play equals changing channels, and women's basketball didn't win this weekend.
* * *
For all those point guards out there, who pass the ball to the people who get the headlines, it was sweet indeed to see Kellie Jolly earn some ink. She drilled four three-pointers, handled the pressure from the oh-so-quick LaTech backcourt and finished with a career-high 20 points.
You don't have to be flashy to have a game, and Jolly gave the nation a sample of hers Sunday night.
* * *
To take nothing away from Immaculata and Delta State, it's good for the game to have a modern team as the record-setter in most consecutive championships. In baseball, it's always frustrating to have some 1907 pitcher hold a record just because the eras don't compare.
Immaculata and Delta State were great teams, the queens of their day, but it was a much different day. This Tennessee team is a model for the future, and one that could well win another national title -- or two or three -- before someone finally breaks the spell.
* * *
Another Holdsclaw note: Sure, she's a great scorer and rebounder, but how much do you recall about Amanda Wilson's game? You know, LaTech's leading scorer?
That's right, Holdsclaw is also a part-time magician because Sunday night she made Amanda Wilson disappear.
3/28/98
