Pictured is #10 Zach Hayslip and #13 Dakota Langford
The Mansfield Jr Tigers record may look like a dribbling basketball, but that dribble is beginning to turn into shots. One of the Tigers’ downward dribbles in the early season was a 42-35 loss to the Lavaca Golden Arrows in Lavaca. Put the past in the past though because on Tuesday, January 26th, the Tigers laid out the welcome mat for the Golden Arrows to step into The Jungle and get a taste of their own medicine. This was one of those Looney Toons welcome mats though as the Golden Arrows fell through Mansfield’s floor giving the Tigers a 30-20 victory.
The Tigers were swift with their goal of vengeance as they swatted down the Golden Arrows shots to gain the upper hand with a slim 12-7 lead in the first quarter. Lavaca wouldn’t go down that easy though. The Golden Arrows slowed Mansfield’s offense down to merely 6 points in the second quarter. The Tigers defense on the other hand was a hair better holding Lavaca to 5 points. The defensive struggle closed the half out with an edge of the seat 18-12 Mansfield lead.
When the game resumed, the Tigers game plan was evident…..burn time offensively and let the defense continue doing the heavy work. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Mansfield stuffed the Golden Arrows creating pressure and chaos to the point where Lavaca’s offense was left quivering with only 2 points in the entire third quarter. It’s great when a plan comes together because the defense’s success led to their offense putting points on the board. The Tigers focused, took aim, and struck a fatal blow to Lavaca with a 30-20 final score.
Defense was the name of the game but the Tiger’s offense did its part just right. Mansfield was able to pass the ball around to spread out the Golden Arrows on the floor. Space creates holes and holes equal points and the Tigers took advantage of that. Tyler Turnipseed burnt the Golden Arrows for 10 points in the game. Peyton Martin whipped past Lavaca with 8 points. And the rebound king, Dakota Langford hung up 7 points while Zach Hayslip and Winston Allison closed out the points book by hitting 2 free throws apiece to total a combined 4 points in the game.
The victory brings the Jr Tigers even with a 6-6 overall record and 3-1 in conference play. The dribble is back in the hands of Mansfield and they know just what to do with it. No more fancy hot dog dribbling though. It’s time to shoot the ball for a winning record. The Jr Tigers will see JC Westside for the first time this Friday, January 29 as they face the Rebels on the road.
