MBB: No.4-ranked Tigers brush off 'Cats
traffic during Tuesday night's District 22-1A D-I game against
Beckville in Bearcat Gymnasium. The No.4-ranked Tigers won the
game, 88-12. (Photo by John Krueger)
BECKVILLE, Tx -- Even without all-state senior guard Reginald Davis, the Tenaha Tigers look like a team of destiny once again in 2012. After last year's squad made up of all underclassmen advanced to the Class 1A D-II state championship game, this year's team could be the one to claim the second state title for the school in 2011-12.
No.4-ranked Tenaha rolled to their 11th win in 14 games this season when the Tigers went into Beckville and secured their fourth straight win against District 22-1A D-II opponents in a convincing 88-12 win over the 'Cats here in Bearcat Gymnasium.
The Tigers, who are averaging 82 points a game against district opponents, while giving up just 30.3, remained in a first-place tie with Gary (14-9) in the league race as both squads have identical 4-0 records. The two squads will square off Friday night at 8 p.m. in Bobcat Gymnasium with sole possession of first place on the line as the teams approach the midpoint of the district race.
In other District 22-1A games on Tuesday, Timpson won a key game against Garrison, 46-43, in overtime, while Gary knocked off Shelbyville, 48-33.
While Tenaha and Gary share the top spot, Timpson (6-15) is in sole possession of third place at 2-2, with Shelbyville (4-13) and Garrison (2-6) tied for fourth place at 1-3. Beckville (1-15), which dropped its 12th straight with the setback to Tenaha, sits at 0-4.
In league matchups on Friday night, Beckville will visit Timpson in a 8 p.m. matchup, while Garrison hosts Shelbyville.
Six different Tenaha players scored in double figures against the Bearcats. With Davis continuing to sit held out as a precautionary measure because a knee injury he suffered back in the nondistrict schedule of football season, Octavius Griffith took up the slack, dropping in five three-point field goals and leading all scorers - and the entire Beckville team - with 23 points. All of Griffith's points came in the first three quarters.
Chavis Gregory knocked down 14 first-half points and finished with 17 for the Tigers, with J.R. Hill scoring 11 and Shaquille Mitchell, Demon Horton and Keontas Davis each pouring in 10 points. LaDarren Cooks, DeAaron Roland and Jakelvin Cooper each scored two.
Rain Rieke had an off-night shooting for the Bearcats, finishing with six points. Will Watson added four and Jesse Sipes chipped in two points.
Tenaha's pressure defense caused the same problems with Beckville that it has all season long, forcing 38 turnovers. The Tigers had 17 turnovers offensively, but controlled the tempo of the game with its trapping defense.
Gregory got into the scoring swing early for Tenaha, knocking down the team's first six points and helping the Tigers to a 12-0 lead with 3:05 gone in the contest.
Griffith also found his range early on, hitting a trey and finishing the first quarter with seven points as Tenaha cruised to a 20-3 lead.
Tenaha's trapping defense then caused 12 second-quarter turnovers while Griffith added eight more points and Hill and Gregory scored five apiece as THS scored 23 points and eased out to a 43-7 lead at the break and never looked back.