Story and Photo by Rusty Ellis
The York Institute Dragonettes have had their fair share of battles to fight this season, both on the court and off.
All of those battles paid off on Saturday night, as the Dragonettes toppled Community on the road 32-31 to reach the Class AA State Tournament. For head coach Michael Green, it’s the completion of the main goal he had for his team the year, and it felt pretty sweet.
“We battled the whole game, with calls going against us, and we didn’t let it affect us,” Green said. “We battled for four quarters. It wasn’t pretty, but the main thing was getting out of here and getting to the (Murfreesboro), and we did that.”
It took overcoming an early burst in the third quarter from the Viqueens, though Green was quick to tell his girls that they just had to keep fighting.
“We’re not losing this game,” Green said regarding what he told his girls. “It doesn’t matter, turn around and keep your head up…keep getting it back. We just had to keep battling.”
Overcoming that early run was nothing for the Dragonettes or Green, as just days into the season the head coach had to step away to deal with some off-court events. This led to a 70-day tenure for assistant coach Mike Johnson, who did wonders to keep the team afloat during that stretch.
“The main thing was, we lost six games and five of them were mine, but at that point, it really wasn’t about winning at that time,” Johnson said. “It was about keeping coach’s program even. We ran his plays and never changed anything because I knew he was coming back…the girls were fantastic and the parents have been great.”
After having his own daughter and current Lee University Lady Flame Haylee Johnson play for York and seeing where the program was before Green took over, Johnson says this is an accomplishment for all the alumni just as much as it is for the players.
“I think in 2015-2016 combined, York girls won six games in two years,” Johnson said. “This is for them too…it’s just awesome to see how far its come.”
The Dragonettes closed the regular season out with a 19-5 record and an undefeated mark in district play. They then took down Monterey to win the district tournament and played fellow qualifier Westmoreland tough before falling 33-26 in the region championship.
And while he may not talk a lot about himself, Green has all the words you would need to hear about the job Johnson did manning the ship.
“Being gone from basketball for 70 days, Coach Johnson stepped in, and if not for him, we aren’t here,” Green said. “I told him we’ve overcome so much, we’re going to win no matter what…he did a great job and that circumstance is unheard of. We’ve coached together for a long time, and we didn’t miss a beat. I’m just thankful to be able to get here with him.”
Green still says that it doesn’t seem real yet that his team will be competing in the Class AA State Tournament, but one thing is clear: the girls may be celebrating, but he and Johnson are right back at it preparing for what’s next.
And that means a date with Gibson County in the Glass House.
“It’s not real, it just doesn’t seem real,” Green said. “They can enjoy it, but Coach Johnson and I will be watching film for a long time to get prepared for Gibson County.”
That game will take place on Tuesday at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro at 11:30 A.M.