Anderson blocks out past troubles

ROB KEYS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Celia Anderson is back where she belongs.
Anderson was nearly unstoppable in Arkansas' Red-White game Thursday night, scoring a team-high 25 points, mostly on a variety of post moves.
Anderson also led all Lady Razorbacks with 12 rebounds as the Red team won 76-63, although players moved from team to team because of having only 10 scholarship players available.
"I kind of went back to what I was good at," said Anderson, a junior from Little Rock who has shed approximately 20 pounds since last season. "I think last year I was kind of worried about, 'Oh, I can't run and jump. I can't shoot the jumper.'
"This year I got back on the block. That's my game."
Anderson dominated the game in the first half, scoring 19 points in 19 minutes.
At halftime, Arkansas Coach Gary Blair decided to guard Anderson with fellow junior Lonniya Bragg, who played most of the first half on the perimeter.
"We had to put Lonni on her so she wouldn't score 40 and then I wouldn't be able to get her head through the door," Blair said with a laugh.
Anderson has been little more than a bit player in her first two seasons but showed up for preseason camp with a reshaped body and attitude.
"I think Celia has learned while she sat [on the bench] and has gone out and got herself better," Blair said. "I was happy for her to see that all the hard work has paid off."
Moving Bragg inside also paid off for her offensively as she scored 17 of her 23 points after halftime. Bragg also had 11 rebounds.
Junior Wendi Willits scored 22 points, including 4 of 8 three-pointers.
Freshman Dana Cherry continued her impressive preseason run, scoring 14 points and playing relentless defense despite being one of five players to play all 40 minutes.
"This was a new experience for me," Cherry said. "I got tired. I really got tired, and I wanted a sub really bad. But he [Blair] said I had to keep playing, so therefore I had to suck it up. And that's what a competitor has to do, suck it up."
Another player who continues to "suck it up" is senior forward Karyn Karlin, who is coming off anterior cruciate ligament surgery last March. Karlin struggled noticeably moving up, down and around the court, finishing with only two points and two rebounds in 20 minutes.
But Blair said Karlin is improving gradually and will continue to practice on a limited basis until she is closer to 100 percent. Blair hopes that will be sometime in December.
"She did what we wanted her to do, which was get a taste of going up and down the court," Blair said. "Coming off knee surgery there's going to be pain, whether you're playing a year from now or whether you're playing now.
"It's just a gradual thing that you've got to work with and get out."
Senior Brandi Whitehead sat out with a foot injury, and freshman India Lewis played only 12 minutes after aggravating a shin splint. Lewis will be re-examined today.
Arkansas returns to action Nov. 6 when it plays host to the Norrkoping Proderm Flamingos, a professional team from Sweden. Tipoff has been moved from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Anderson said she is looking forward to playing a real opponent after spending the past two weeks battling her teammates in practice.
"I'm tired of drills," Anderson said. "I'm ready to play."
The Flamingos won't have to look far to find Anderson. She'll be on the block.

This article was published on Friday, October 29, 1999

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