Pictured is Kaylee Ward
It’s amazing what a humbling experience can do to a program. The Jr Lady Tigers suffered their first loss of the season against Trinity a week ago and had a choice to make. They could either hang their heads and cry about it or they could buck up and keep on truckin’. Beating Magazine last week was a start, but were the Lady Tigers back for real? Well on Monday night, Mansfield flattened the Mountainburg Lady Dragons 50-5 to prove that not only are they back, but they’re also better than ever.
This game wasn’t a game where the starters padded points either. Head Coach, Joshua Bryan, cleared the benches after halftime showing fans the true depth of the Lady Tigers program. With Mountainburg being considered a solid basketball school, the Lady Tigers bench went to work earning honor roll status against the Jr Lady Dragons. Mansfield held Mountainburg to a goose egg until the final minutes of the match when the Jr Lady Dragons put up five points. 7th-Grader, Kaylee Ward came out on top with 12 points in the game. Captain, Alyson Edwards, secured 11 points. Kynslee Ward earned her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 steals. Harlie Fuller snagged 9 points. Raine Hecox netted 4. And at 2 each was Cole Smith and Laney Wood.
The Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers are sitting undefeated in conference play and 8-1 overall. That doesn’t mean that they are going to cruise through the rest of the season though. The second part of their schedule is starting which means teams they have already faced will be coming back around with a vengeance. And you can bet your bottom dollar that those programs have learned a thing or two about the Jr Lady Tigers since their first matchups. Mansfield knows the road ahead of them isn’t going to be easy but won’t let any detours slow them down in their pursuit of 2A dominance. Next up will be the Lady Rebels of JC Westside on Thursday, January 14th.
