Pictured from L to R: Kanon Fisher, Joseph Carter, Ethan Martin, and Cooper Edwards
The Mansfield 7th Grade Tigers season has been a year of growth. After Monday night, the Tigers sit at a 3-4 overall record but not everything is seen with just a record. Where you really see the growth in the 7th Grade Tigers is who they’ve played. One of those growth games was this past Saturday when the Tigers fell in a close 21-19 game to 4A Mena.
The Tigers hung with the Bearcats for most of the game but couldn’t seem to close in offensively. That is until the 4th quarter came around. Going into the final quarter of the game, Mansfield was down 19-8. In a move of pure effort, the Tigers closed the gap by scoring 11 points and held Mena to only 3 points in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, time ran out for Mansfield with a 21-19 final score favoring the Bearcats. The Tigers were able to play a B Game afterward where they successfully pinned Mena for a 3-0 win.
Most teams have also been playing 7th and 8th Grade squads due to low numbers. Mansfield faced that situation again against Mountainburg Monday, January 18 as they lost 36-14 to the Dragons. Mountainburg jumped to an early lead with pure speed and precise 3 point shooting. Going into the half, the Tigers were down 21-7 and all seemed to be in the negative. What wasn’t negative was their push and determination to finish. Coming into the second half, the Tigers got their bearings as Mansfield hit the floor with more intensity. The Tigers were able to hit a few more open shots and defensively held the dragons to 15 fewer points than the first half. In the end though, Mountainburg prevailed.
Playing without their leading scorer, Traevin Copeland, the team had to fill a void on the scoreboard. Ethan Martin was “Mr. Go To” for the Tigers scoring 7 points along with multiple offensive and defensive rebounds in the game. Joey Fildes sank a 3 from the downtown district to help light up the Tigers scoreboard. Quick moving Cooper Edwards and the elusive Joseph Carter rounded out Mansfield’s scoring by raking in 2 points apiece. To show the true depth of talent in the Tigers program, the Tigers pulled off their B Game victory for the second week in a row with a 7-2 win over the fiery Dragons. Powerhouse Kanon Fisher put up 4 points and Cooper Edwards jumped in the mix for the final 3 points in the game.
