Pictured is #35 Azlynn Stover
The Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers had quite a mixed week last week. The Lady Tigers started off with a humbling 36-25 loss to Trinity giving them their first blemish of the season. Such a loss could drag most teams down in the dumps giving the next opponent on the schedule an opportunity to jump in for a quick win. But the Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers aren’t most teams though as they were not only ready for their next opponent, Magazine, but they were begging to play.
During their non-conference snag against the Lady Buffaloes, Alyson Edwards (12) Kaylee Ward (8) and Kynslee Ward (5) were the three offensive amigos during the match who made more baskets fall than an earthquake hitting Hobby Lobby. Edwards also earned 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 4 deflections, Kaylee scored 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, and 2 deflections, and Kynslee netted 7 rebounds, 2 deflections, 2 steals, and 1 assist.
Defensively, Harlie Fuller, Raine Hecox, Shelbie Fuller, and Ambria Whittaker were like a tigress stalking an unsuspecting buffalo as they meticulously followed each player in blue before snaggin’, draggin’, and baggin’ the ball the entire match. Harlie picked up 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 deflection, Raine made 1 assist and 1 steal, and Shelbie and Ambria scored 1 rebound each.
For Friday’s conference face-off, it didn’t take long for the Lady Tigers to dig their claws into the Lady Rattlers home court as they jumped to an early 21-0 first-quarter lead then turned around and tacked on ten more points before going into the locker room with a commanding 31-1 halftime score. Starters Kynslee Ward, Kaylee Ward, Whittaker, Harlie Fuller, and Edwards made sure that they did their part to redeem every part of their loss earlier in the week with massive stats against their conference opponent. Even though the Jr Lady Tigers had the lead, every team member in this ambush got to feast and feast they did.
Rolling into the second half, head coach, Joshua Bryan, opened the gates of the Jungle and released every team member onto the court. This gave those who didn’t get to play very much in their match against Trinity the chance to get their feet moving and the ball shooting. Success was produced no matter what the combination of five players was on the court. The game was quick, clean, and concise which was just what the Lady Tigers needed to close out a rough first half week. Leading the ambush was Harlie Fuller and Kynslee Ward who each secured 11 points followed by Kaylee Ward with 10, Shelbie Fuller with 7, Edwards with 5, and Whittaker with 3. The Jr Lady Tigers hit double digits in the rebounds, assists, and steals departments with 29, 11, and 22 respectively.
Taking charge with 8 rebounds was Kaylee trailed by Edwards with 7, Harlie with 5, Cole Smith with 2, and at 1 apiece was Kynslee, Whittaker, Shelbie, Azlynn Stover, Meghan Emery, Ellie Welch, and Kaylie Lowery. The Lady Tigers also earned 5 blocks all acquired by Kaylee, and 9 deflections established by Kynslee, Kaylee, and Harlie with 2 each and Whittaker, Shelbie, and Raine Hecox with 1 apiece. To kick off the week, the (7-1) Jr Lady Tigers will attempt to keep ahold of their 2-0 undefeated conference title when they host the Mountainburg Lady Dragons on Monday, January 11, and then travel to JC Westside to face the Lady Rebels on Thursday, January 14.
