BASK: Mustangs' shatter Tigers' title run, 55-42
against Martin's Mill Friday in SFA's William R. Johnson Coliseum. The
Tigers lost the game, 55-42. (Photo by John Krueger)
NACOGDOCHES -- All the hype of a rematch between last season's Class 1A Division I Region III finalists didn't come to fruition as the No.8-ranked Tenaha Tigers were outplayed by No. 14-ranked Martin's Mill in the Semi-finals here in the William R. Johnson Coliseum Friday afternoon as the Tigers saw their attempt to make a return trip to Austin come to an end with a 55-42 setback.
The Mustangs will now take on No.1-ranked Cayuga on Saturday at 12-noon in Johnson Coliseum for the Region III title and a trip to Austin next week. The Wildcats (19-2) destroyed Avery (25-8) 83-46 in the other Division I Semi-final.
No.12 Laneville will take on No.1-ranked Slocum in the Division II title game at 10 a.m.
Martin's Mill (27-8) won the contest with crisp passing, solid defense and hitting free throws, making 22-of-24 (91.7%) at one point in the game and an impressive 27-of-33 (81.8%) for the contest to overcome 23 turnovers - along with the Tigers.
"They just outplayed us and outhustled us," said an exhausted Tenaha Head Coach Todd Bodden after the contest. "They're a great ballclub and they had a good gameplan against us. They kept us from doing the things we do well and beat us on the boards. Our kids worked hard and hustled, they just outplayed us."
Bodden said the Tigers' cold shooting from the field, in addition to his squad's foul trouble throughout the contest was a factor in the game as well.
"They did a great job keeping us from penetrating to the basket, and when we couldn't hit the outside shots we got frustrated," Bodden explained. "We normally penetrate to the basket and either create things on the inside or pass it back out for the open shot, but they didn't allow us to do that and it caused problems."
Bodden said he didn't know if the fact that his squad was 'penciled' into the championship game was a factor in the way his team played.
One factor in the outcome of the game that couldn't be disputed was the free throw shooting. The Mustangs' Cody Kight made all of his points at the line, hitting 10-of-12, while teammate Boot Brantley did the same, converting 9-of-12.
In the fourth quarter alone, Martin's Mill hit its first 12 charity shots and 19-of-24 in the period as the Mustangs outscored the Tigers 21-13 to hold off a Tiger coming back with only one field goal.
David Fox was an unstoppable force as the 6-2 junior forward scored 33 points.
Tenaha players seemed to be out of sync for most of the contest. Jamon Moore led the Tigers (23-6) with 15 points. Cobi Steadman threw in 11 points, Reginald Davis was held well below his average with only eight, Victor Johnson was silent with only six and Shaquille Mitchell pitched in two points.
After taking a 7-2 lead with 4:48 left in the opening period, Martin's Mill outscored the Tigers 8-1 to end the quarter to break on top 10-8.
Tenaha only scored six second-quarter points and fell behind 24-14 at the break.
The Tigers appeared to come alive in the third quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 15-10 to cut the lead to 34-29 heading into the final period. Moore scored eight of his points in the period to help the Tenaha run.
But the five-point deficit is as close as Tenaha would come as Martin's Mill quickly stretched the lead to 40-29 by scoring the first six points of the final quarter to build a double-digit lead with 6:42 remaining and the Mustangs won the game at the line.
STATS AT A GLANCE
Scoring by Quarters
Tenaha 08 06 15 13 = 42
Martin's Mill 10 14 10 21 = 55
Individual Scoring: Tenaha - Jamon Moore 15; Cobi Steadman 11; Reginald Davis 8; Victor Johnson 6; Shaquille Mitchell 2. Martin's Mill - David Fox 33; Wil Schneider 13; Dalton Flowers 11; Cody Kight 10; Boot Brantley 9; Dez Juan Jones 2.
Free Throws: Tenaha 7-of-15 (46.7%); Martin's Mill 27-of-33 (81.8%).
Turnovers: Tenaha - 18; Martin's Mill 23.
Records: Tenaha 23-6; Martin's Mill 27-8