WBB: Lady Tigers bump 'Cats to league opener
recent season action. Thomas scored six points Friday night to
help the Lady Tigers to a 37-28 win over Beckville in the SEC.
(Photo by John Krueger)
With the District 22-1A girls basketball race expected to be a dogfight with several evenly-matched teams from the six-team chase, each game is magnified this season. Defending district champion Tenaha showed Friday night in the TISD Special Events Center that the Lady Tigers aren't about to give their 2010-11 title up easily as they overcame first and second-half deficits before outlasting Beckville, 37-28.
In other league openers on Friday, Garrison surprised Timpson at home, 37-24, and Shelbyville went on the road to knock off Gary, 46-31.
Tenaha (9-11), Shelbyville (13-5) and Garrison (4-9) are now tied atop the 22-1A standings with 1-0 marks, while Beckville (8-12), Timpson (4-9) and Gary (3-16) are sitting at 0-1.
In Tuesday's games, Beckville will host Timpson in another key game early in the league chase. Gary will travel to Tenaha and Shelbyville will be at home to host Garrison in a battle of unbeatens.
Ashlee Ray led the offensive charge for Tenaha against Beckville on Friday, scoring 11 points. Eboni Moore dropped in eight points, Whitney Jackson scored seven points, Tia Thomas pitched in six, Jalysa Steadman scored three and Shantivia Gray chipped in two points.
Beckville struggled in the shooting department, hitting only 18% (10-of-55) from the field and 8-of-22 (36%) from the charity stripe.
No Ladycat players scored in double figures, with Rieke Ivy leading the BHS attack with nine points, despite hitting only 3-of-19 field goals. Maya Bradford added eight points, T'Ouja Adams scored four, Cheyenne Haynes pitched in three and Devin Woodall scored two.
Beckville finished the game with 44 rebounds. Rieke topped the squad with 12, with three of them coming on the offensive end. Adams chipped in 11 boards, Haynes added 10 and Bradford pitched in six.
Adams led Beckville in steals with five, Rieke posted two blocked shots and Haynes had three assists.
The Ladycats looked as if they were going to give the Lady Tigers fits early on, building an 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Tenaha showed that it's not how you start, but how you finish as the Lady Tigers battled back to a 17-17 tie at intermission.
Beckville once again moved ahead in the third quarter, outscoring Tenaha 9-5 to hold a 26-22 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.
But the Ladycats could only manage two points in the final eight minutes, while Tenaha scored 14 to overcome the deficit and take the league-opening victory.