Published: May 16, 2009 11:56 pm      

Column: Game 3 is nothing new for West

PEARL — After Saturday night’s loss to East Central in the MHSAA Class 4A state championship series’ second game, the West Lauderdale Knights are in a familiar position.

After all, last week the Knights found themselves in the same predicament in the North State championship series.

So is there any reason to think that Monday’s Game 3 won’t end with the same dogpile as the third game of the New Hope series?

Not if you look at the Knights’ history:

• West Lauderdale won the first game of the New Hope series 11-4, which is a difference of seven runs ... the same margin of victory in Friday’s 9-2 win against East Central.

• In Game 2 of last week’s series with New Hope, the Trojans scored eight runs in the victory. East Central also scored eight in the second game of the state title series.

• The Knights have now lost only eight games this season, but since losing three straight to drop their record at 3-3, West has not lost back-to-back games.

• There was a lightning delay of 11 minutes in Saturday’s game against the Hornets. The last time the Knights took home a state championship in 2007, the second game of the series was halted for 17 minutes due to rain.

• West has been a state finalist 14 times in school history. In 11 of those attempts of taking home a state crown, the Knights have been successful, including each of the past 10.

Of course, the Knights will have to rely on more than just a bunch of numbers Monday as East Central proved that it won’t go away without a fight.

However, West also has a lineup full of fighters. This is a team, after all, that very few people could have predicted as one that would still be playing in mid-May.

The Knights have won games they shouldn’t have won and are still in prime position to take home a state crown. It was Darren Farmer that said after Friday’s game that “We have just as much of a chance to win as they do.”

On Monday, one of these two teams will take that advantage of that chance and will take home that familiar state championship trophy as East Central is looking for its second straight, while West is going for its second in three years.