The Mansfield Jr High Tigers had a rough go at it in Monday nights match-up with the Charleston Tigers with each squad bringing home a loss. But the final scores don’t do any justice for what actually transpired on the court. Offensively and defensively the Lady Tigers were on top of their game not once allowing Charleston to intimidate them. They played as hard as they could, doing everything to the best of their abilities but when their time was up, the score read 42-40 Charleston.
They’ve got a few rough edges that can be filed off but we’re getting where I want them to be quicker than anticipated,” explained Head Coach, Joshua Bryan. Freshman, Skylynn Harris led her team in scoring and rebounds with a total of 14 points and nine rebounds. She also grabbed four steals. Kynslee Ward followed with nine points and Harlie Fuller made eight. Both girls also snagged six steals each. Natalie Allison got six points under her belt along with Alyson Edwards with three. Seven Sanderson also added three rebounds to the nights’ final totals. “Right now, shot selection and scoring opportunities is our main focus at this time.”
The Mansfield Tigers, unfortunately, saw the same fate as their counterparts. “We had a tough road loss Monday night at Charleston,” states Head Coach, Keith Stovall. “We did everything right except consistently put the ball in the hole. The boys had a solid defense, strong rebounding, executed and ran our offense well, got good shots, and limited turnovers. We just could not buy a layup or block a shot all night.”
Freshman, Clint Stovall, led in scoring with 16 points. Braxton Byers added four points. And Tyler Turnipseed and Drew Elmore chipped in three and two points respectively. “We had a chance to win and maintained the lead until the fourth quarter. We are super proud of our defense and rebounding which is exactly what Coach Dake and I always emphasize. Even on bad shooting nights, solid defense keeps you in the game and gives you a chance to win. Other than shooting, the only other negative I can find was late in the game as Charleston got the lead, we got a little antsy with our offense and shot more three’s than we had previously in the game.” The Jr High Tigers get no time to rest as they turn around to prepare for the Arvest Invitational taking place this week until Saturday. The Lady Tigers will start tournament play first at 5 p.m. tonight in Waldron against the Lady Bulldogs. Boys play at 6:15 p.m.
