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Waiting gameFree Access

Hounds, fans await decision on title game

NEW ADDITION TO GREYHOUND FAMILY – Roy and Melissa McCasland attended Thursday’s Class A semifinal with their newborn son Rhett. The state tournament was suspended by the UIL Thursday after Slidell’s win over Jayton. Messenger Photo by Micah McCartney

Two days after the birth of their son Rhett, Roy and Melissa McCasland packed up the family for the early morning drive to San Antonio Thursday.

Leaving around 1:30 a.m., the couple along with the newborn made it into the Alamodome shortly after 8 a.m., a few hours before the Slidell Greyhounds’ Class A semifinal game against Jayton.

“No, not at all,” Roy McCasland said about any thoughts on skipping the Greyhounds’ second straight state appearance.

McCasland watched as his cousin Jerl turned in a suffocating defensive effort to beat Jayton 45-28 in the state semifinal. But the Greyhounds’ shot at a second straight state title is up in the air. Not long after the Greyhounds celebrated the semifinal win, the UIL announced the suspension of the boys basketball championships as part of a growing effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus).

“After much consultation with government and health officials, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the remainder of the UIL State Basketball Tournament,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “Our No. 1 priority remains the well-being of our student-athletes and spectators, and we are taking every possible precaution to keep them safe.”

The suspension of the tournament was disappointing news for the Greyhounds, who were hoping to win the school’s second straight state title after ending a 75-year wait last year.

“I understand that there’s a lot of larger things at stake with this decision other than a high school game,” said Pierce. “For our guys and our staff to get to this point and it be uncertain what will become of it is a little bit of a hard pill to swallow right now.”

VOCAL SUPPORT – Slidell fans cheer for the Greyhounds during the Class A semifinal Thursday. After the Greyhounds’ win, the UIL suspended the tournament amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Messenger Photo by Micah McCartney

Slidell ISD Superintendent Taylor Williams said Friday there is no definitive plan from the UIL, if and when the state title game would be played.

“It’s an unclosed book,” she said. “This morning it started to settle in for our players and our seniors that this could have been their last game.”

Instead of preparing for the title game, the team was planning to return to Slidell Friday.

Fans that rushed to buy tickets at the conclusion of Thursday’s game for the final were refunded their money, according to Williams.

Before the Greyhounds’ game Thursday, Slidell fans got the hint the tournament would be altered. The UIL issued a press release at 8 a.m. Thursday limiting the number of fans allowed to attend the state tournament. Only fans with pre-purchased tickets would be allowed into the game and only 500 fans per school.

Williams said most of the school’s fans were able to get in after making the trip to San Antonio.

“For our fans, there was not a huge level of concern,” Williams said. “We’ll follow the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the UIL guidelines of what to expect and get that information out as soon as possible.”

Former Slidell girls coach and father of Slidell guard Easton Vanover, Cody Vanover noted that some fans, including the son of a late Slidell coach, did not make it in Thursday.

“Dennis Stroud’s son was not able to make it in. I even asked if I could buy a ticket for him. They are also not honoring tournament passes,” Vanover said.

Slidell teachers Beth Dill and Keisha Cope arrived in San Antonio Thursday morning, driving in after the cancellation of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Wednesday.

“We were able to finish the sheep and goat show,” Cope said.

Williams said nine fans actually drove in from Houston after the cancellation of the stock show.

In Thursday’s postgame press conference, Pierce was not surprised by the extraordinary efforts Slidell fans made to attend the game.

“There could’ve been a lot of things going on down here and Slidell’s still coming to the state tournament. My kids felt the same way,” Pierce said.

Sports editor Micah McCartney contributed to this story.

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