There’s something about big cats that always tend to leave onlookers in awe. Lions, leopards, jaguars, and mountain lions just seem to have that majestic yet powerful aura about them. When two big cats get into a tussle though, it can create a primal fear that rattles your stomach. The Mansfield Lady Tigers have seen their fair share of big cat conference battles over the years with classic rivalries against teams like the Charleston Tigers and Acorn Tigers. But when the latest conference shakeup came around, there were no big cats to be found. Instead, Mansfield saw something a little bit on the “wilder” side. The Hector Lady Wildcats.
Each program lit up the scene in the regular season with Mansfield winning the opening game at home while Hector thumped the Lady Tigers on the road. At the end of the regular season, Hector and Mansfield shared the conference title but the Lady Wildcats earned the right to hold the 1Seed going into the District Tournament due to the points spread of their previous matchups. The Lady Wildcats did exactly what a 1Seed should do and flew through Western Yell in the semifinals to earn a shot at the District Title while Mansfield edged past Lavaca to reach the Championship game. This set up a third matchup between Mansfield and Hector that not only both teams wanted, but fans as well. This time though it would be for the 2A-4 District Championship.
The Lady Tigers struck first with a Seven Sanderson board bucket, but Hector would not be denied as they dropped in two points on the other side of the court to tie the game up early. Mansfield then went on a 6-0 run with Kynslee and Kaylee Ward leading the way to force the Lady Wildcats to call a time-out at the 3:43 mark. Once the break was over, Kynslee Ward extended Mansfield’s lead with a long-range three-point shot but again, Hector answered with a three-pointer of their own to set the game at an 11-5 score. As with the first two meetings between the programs, both teams were very aggressive and the foul tally in the first quarter stood with each team holding three fouls each. Alyson Edwards drew a foul and put in one of her two free throws to close out the scoring of the first quarter as the Lady Tigers heard the buzzer sound while holding a 12-5 lead.
While the first quarter may have seemed as if the defenses would hold the game hostage, the second quarter was all offense. Natalie Allison put the Lady Tigers up 14-5 right off the bat with an offensive rebound and putback. Hector went on a 4-0 streak against the Lady Tigers by putting defensive pressure on Mansfield which created turnovers that led to points for the Lady Wildcats. That’s when Mansfield decided to set the nets on fire. Seven Sanderson snagged the first points of the Lady Tigers run with a hook shot which was followed by Kynslee Ward and Natalie Allison putting up a couple of three-pointers of their own. Hector called a time-out to regroup after the Lady Tigers stretched their lead to 22-11 with 4:02 left in the second quarter. Although the Lady Wildcats hit a three-pointer after the break, Natalie Allison doubled down and sank two three-pointers in retaliation and was followed by Skylynn Harris with another three-pointer to boot. Points were not a problem as each team seemed to be scoring at will while both defenses were racking up fouls as Mansfield committed ten fouls and Hector held seven. Kaylee Ward showed her defensive prowess though as she ended the half with a blocked shot sending Mansfield into halftime ahead of the Lady Wildcats, 36-20.
With an all-defensive first quarter and an all-offensive second quarter, it was a coin toss as to what would be in store for the teams in the second half. This time it was the Lady Wildcats who came out to score first with a nothing but net three pointer. Kynslee Ward hit a three-pointer to match Hector, but the Lady Wildcats began to put a lockdown defense on Mansfield which caused the Lady Tigers to begin to make mental mistakes. With the Lady Tigers offense nailed down, Hector soaked up all of the momenta of the game with an 11-0 run on Mansfield making the Lady Tigers call a time-out with 3:35 left in the quarter. The time-out only worked for a slight second though as a Kynslee Ward layup was overshadowed by another Hector streak. The Lady Wildcats owned Mansfield in the third quarter as they outscored Mansfield 24-7 and closed the quarter out with a 44-43 lead. Although Mansfield and Hector split wins in the regular season and shared the conference title, there could only be one District Champion at the end of the night. The Lady Tigers and Hector traded heavyweight blows for three quarters and a mere point was all that separated them as the fourth and final quarter began. And…..here…..we…..go!
Alyson Edwards regained the lead for Mansfield with a quick offensive rebound and a putback, but a Hector three-pointer gave the Lady Wildcats the one-point lead back. Kaylee Ward tied the game up at 47-47, but the excitement was short-lived as Mansfield had their first payer foul out shortly after. The Lady Wildcats took the lead again with free throws until Seven Sanderson tied them again and Kynlsee Ward stole the lead back with a three-point shot setting the score at 52-49. Another Mansfield player fouled out at the 5:50 mark which allowed Hector to close the gap to a 52-51 lead. With two starters out and half a quarter left, it could have been over for Mansfield. But that wasn’t the case as the depth of talent on the Lady Tigers bench kicked in. Skylynn Harris drained a three-point shot and then gave a smooth assist to Natalie Allison for a layup. Hector had a player foul out on a Kynslee Ward reverse layup which caused the Lady Wildcats to call a timeout with just 4:51 left in the game. Everything went in twos from there as Hector would lose two more players to fouls while Kynslee Ward and Natalie Allison sank three-point shots. Kaylee Ward put the nail in the coffin with a free throw as the Mansfield Lady Tigers defeated the Hector Lady Wildcats 66-53 to become the 2A-4 District Champions.
That’s it, right? Wrong. The Mansfield versus Hector saga is far from over. Mansfield beat the Lady Wildcats at Mansfield in the regular season and at the 2A-4 District Tournament. Hector beat the Lady Tigers at Hector and will now host the 2A West Regional Tournament. The Lady Wildcats were the 1Seed in the District Tournament while Mansfield was the 2Seed. Now the Lady Tigers will be the 1Seed in the Regional Tournament and Hector will be a 2Seed. If you’re superstitious, then your mind is probably going nuts right now thinking of the outcome of these two top-tier teams meeting up again at Regionals. First, though, both teams have to get to the Regional Championship by facing teams from the 2A-1 Conference. Mansfield will play their Round1 game of the 2A West Regional Tournament against the Ozark Mountain Lady Bears on Wednesday, February 22nd at 4:00 pm in Hector.
