Grapeland eliminates Tenaha again, 49-37
night against Grapeland. The Lady Tigers fell from the playoffs,
49-37. (Photo by John Krueger)
RUSK -- Looking for revenge from last year's Area setback to Grapeland, the Tenaha Lady Tigers got off to a slow start and couldn't overcome a scoring drought of 9:18 over two quarters and the rebounding advantage that the Sandiettes held. THS saw its season come to a crashing end here in Eagle Coliseum in the Class 1A Div. I Area round with a 49-37 setback to Grapeland.
Grapeland also controlled the boards, which allowed the Sandiettes to overcome 21 turnovers, while Tenaha finished with only 11. The Sandiettes scored 32 of their 49 points in the paint, with many of them coming on second-chance shots.
The District 22-1A champion Lady Tigers, who will lose only Amber Evans to graduation this season, had a balanced offensive attack as Evans, juniors Jasmine Ivy and Okievia Bratchett and sophomore Whitney Jackson each scored eight points. Freshman Ashlee Ray added five points.
Grapeland's inside tandem of Jalla Johnson and Jalesia Walker combined for 30 points, with Johnson throwing in 16 and Walker 14. Ashley Brown threw in nine points and Katherine Walker finished with eight.
Tenaha forced an 8-8 tie when Jackson took a pass from Bratchett and scored a layup with 4:51 left in the opening period.
From that point on, the Sandiettes shut down the Lady Tigers, outscoring Tenaha 8-0 over the final 3:59 of the opening period and 9-0 over the first 4:27 of second quarter to move out to a 25-8 lead with 3:57 left before intermission.
"I think the fact that it was a playoff game had some effect on us, and it took us a little while to get going," said Tenaha Head Coach Laura Walker-Thorne. "I think once we 'woke up' we were alright, we just had trouble overcoming their hard work on the boards."
After their scoring drought of more than one quarter, Tenaha used pressure defense to create numerous turnovers and finish the first half with a 14-8 run over the final 3:33 and pull to within 27-22 at the break.
Evans scored eight points during the run, with three of the points coming on a shot behind the 3-point arc. The Sandiettes finished the second quarter with six turnovers, while Tenaha committed only two.
"When we settled down and started playing the kind of basketball we're capable of, we did alright and cut into their lead," Walker-Thorne explained. "That's when we cut into their lead and cut it to five at the half. I thought when we did that we'd come out and play pretty well."
But instead, Grapeland continued to control the boards, getting numerous second-chance opportunities and stretching the lead to 40-29 heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite hitting only 11-of-27 free throws (40.7%) for the game, the Sandies iced the contest by hitting 5-of-12 in the fourth quarter, while holding the Lady Tigers to just eight points in the 8-minute period.
Grapeland will move on to play Cayuga in the Regional Quarterfinals early next week.
STATS AT A GLANCE
Scoring by Quarters
Tenaha 08 14 07 08 = 37
Grapeland 16 11 13 09 = 49
Individual Scorers: Tenaha - Amber Evans 8; Whitney Jackson 8; Okievia Bratchett 8; Jasmine Ivy 8; Ashlee Ray 5. Grapeland - Jalla Johnson 16; Jalesia Walker 14; Ashley Brown 9; Katherine Walker 8; Barekia Davis 2.
Turnovers: Tenaha 11; Grapeland 21.
Free Throws: Tenaha 3-of-13 (23.0%); Grapeland 11-of-27 (40.7%).
Records: Tenaha 18-12; Grapeland 14-10.
Up Next: The game ends the season for Tenaha. Grapeland will take on Cayuga in the Regional Quarterfinals. That game will be played early next week.