Only two schools reside in one of the state’s largest counties, Scott County. So needless to say, when Mansfield and Waldron collide, sports fans are sure to be in for a treat. On Thursday, December 19, the Tigers and the Bulldogs clashed for some showstopping spotlight Jr High basketball.
The Lady Tigers kicked things off with an edge of your seat game filled with awesomesauce in a 52-22 victory. Both teams spent the entire first half jockeying for position as each team was determined to be the queens of the county. Going into the half, the highly touted crown was anyone’s to wear with a 28-13 score. The Lady Tigers gave it their all on both sides of the court but just couldn’t separate from the Lady Bulldogs. Whatever Coach Joshua Bryan put in his teams’ halftime water worked though as the Lady Tigers demolished Waldron in the second half.
The Mansfield Lady Tigers shut off the lights to Waldron’s side of the scoreboard with a defensive performance that even the US Department of Defense took notice of. Mansfield only gave up nine points in the second half of the game. The Lady Tigers had an astounding 27 steals in the game coupled with 23 rebounds off the boards. Offensively, the Lady Tigers hung up 24 points after halftime with some selfless total team basketball as they threw up 16 assists on the stat sheets. Skylynn Harris had the nets smoking as she led the team with 18 points on the night. Harlie Fuller “Bulldogged” her way into 13 points while Alyson Edwards and Kynslee Ward combined for 11 points in the game. Seven Sanderson and Natalie Allison threw up five points each in the game as well.
The Tigers boys’ squad stepped foot on the court knowing that Waldron was a well-rounded formidable opponent. But that didn’t stop the Tigers from jumping into the mix and giving the Bulldogs all they could handle. Only being up 20-13 against Mansfield at the half was not what Waldron expected. For the Tigers, on the other hand, to hold a high-powered scoring offense to merely a seven-point lead gave them a much needed mental boost. The Tigers clawed their way through the game giving every ounce of effort in their tank. The game was anyone’s up to the beginning of the fourth quarter which was where the Bulldogs overpowered Mansfield as the Tigers fell 49-27.
Coming off the bench, Peyton Martin led the team with eight points in the game followed up by Tyler Turnipseed and Austin Quinalty who had five points each. Drew Elmore tacked on four points while Clint Stovall and Darton Hoopengarner had two points apiece. Rounding out the Tigers scoring was Travis Tobey with a one-point free throw in the game. The Tigers defense stood strong throughout much of the game getting Tiger fans on their feet with massive stuffs and great battles for rebounds. The Jr High Tigers will be back on their feet at Lavaca on January 9 at 4:30 p.m.
