Roy Backus Quotations

We very easily could have won the regional, but there's not a whole lot of difference in between No. 1 and No. 4 at this level. We got hot in mid-January and have been playing real well since then. From there we've been real consistent.

Jasmine really stepped us for us tonight. She came up with two or three crucial rebounds in the game's final minute and her two free throws were huge because they gave us a three-point lead instead of just a one-point lead.

We played Dumas and lost to them (61-57) in the regional. We're just glad to get to play another day.

We really should do some great things in the next three years. I know I'm excited about the prospects, especially after that first year I had here as a coach. That's something I don't ever want to go through again.

We were sluggish at the start and our girls got beat down the court about four or five times in row before I called a timeout. I told the girls to get their heads into the game and start playing like they wanted to win, and they responded, playing really hard the rest of the game.

We didn't double team her because we wanted to make sure they didn't beat us with their guards, who are also pretty special. We knew if we sagged back on her, they could wear us out with their 3-point shooting. But as it turns out, it was six of one and half dozen of another. We were in a tough spot no matter what we did.

We didn't really change much but we did put a little more emphasis on defense at that point. We've really focused on our zone defense down the stretch and I think that's what pushed us across the line from being a good team to a very good team.

We got so fatigued because of the hectic pace we played in the first half that they were able to make a run at us when the fourth quarter started. We ended up having to make free throws to win it.

We had several key plays in the game's final minutes, and it was really an overall team effort. The girls played hard like they have all season long, and it's still paying off for us.

This is where we wanted to get to all season. So you can bet we're going to give it our best shot. We're going try and play them like we played De Queen because when De Queen is on, they're a team a lot like CAC.

It's an honor that I certainly appreciate. A young coach like myself appreciates any honor, but coaching honors come because you have good players and that's what did it for us this season.

They'll be a typical North Arkansas team, well-coached and fundamentally sound. I did hear they have a 5-7 guard who can really shoot the eyes out of it.

I really figured we were a year away. But at the same time I knew the talent we had could get us to this point if things fell just right.