This past week, the Mansfield Jr High Lady Tigers kept themselves busy participating in the 2019 Arvest Basketball Invitational held at Waldron. The Lady Tigers started gameplay on Wednesday, December 11 against the Waldron Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Tigers wanted to start the tournament off with a dominant victory and that’s just what they did pummeling Waldron 48-23. Skylynn Harris was on fire as she led the ambush with not one, not two, but four nothing but net 3-point shots and ending with a grand total of 20 points.
Also helping the scoreboard light up was Kynslee Ward and Harlie Fuller with 10 points each. Natalie Allison, Alyson Edwards, and Seven Sanderson combined for the remaining eight points. And Harris and Serenity Brunson each snagged six rebounds. The Lady Tigers should have worn ski masks to the game as they brought in a total of 19 steals also.
The next night on December 12, the Lady Tigers were chomping at the bit to square up against a much larger Ozark Lady Hillbillies squad. The matchup wound up being a walk in the park for Mansfield as they were firing on all cylinders to take their second victory of the tournament 41-13. The Lady Tigers defensively owned the Lady Hillbillies as the team racked up 22 rebounds, seven assists, and 23 steals. Offensively, Allison and Edwards mopped the floor with the Hillbillies and led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 10 points apiece. It was a breakout game for Sanderson as she made her presence known by powering her way to eight points along with multiple rebounds.
Fuller secured five buckets for the Lady Tigers while Ward, Harris, and Raine Hecox combined for eight. The final day of the Invitational came on Saturday, December 14 and the Lady Tigers were slated to play the Acorn Lady Tigers in the championship round. Both teams were in this spot for a reason. They were equally matched in skill and determination. Getting the win was going to come down to who could achieve the final push.
The entirety of the game was back and forth hardwood madness. Both Lady Tiger teams delivered incredible speed offensively and pure grit defensively. Scoring was a team effort in this one as Mansfield had seven different players making buckets. Harris started out strong with nine points, but Acorn forced foul trouble on the Tigers star to keep her in check. That’s where teamwork made the dream work for Mansfield. Natalie Allison led the team with 11 points. Ward and Edwards combined for four points each. And Sanderson, Fuller, and Brunson combined for 12 points on the game.
In the end, Mansfield was able to pull ahead and take the win 37-30 along with the championship. Natalie Allison racked up a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the game. Allison was also named girls MVP of the 2019 Arvest Invitational. Next up for the Jr High Lady Tigers will be the Lady Wolves at Lincoln on Tuesday, December 17 starting at 4 p.m.
