The Mansfield Sr Lady Tigers wrapped up regular season play on Tuesday, February 9 with a victory over the Lady Rebels of JC Westside. The Lady Tigers were guaranteed a high seed in their District Tournament and an appearance in the Regional Tournament win or lose against JC Westside. The Lady Rebels on the other hand were aiming for a major upset on their senior night. It was the Lady Rebels who were left though upset as Mansfield finished up their conference slate with a 47-37 win over JC Westside.
The Lady Tigers hit the court in a typical high-speed super aggressive manner which jumped them to an early 15-5 lead over the Lady Rebels. Normally, Mansfield would pull away and cash in on steals, fast breaks, and smooth shooting at that point in the game but that was not the case this time. JC Westside was on par and kept the Lady Tigers on their heels and even outscored Mansfield in the second quarter as they hung up 14 points to the Lady Tigers 13 points. Going into the half, the Tigers still held the 28-19 lead, but JC Westside held the momentum.
Mansfield’s woes continued after the half as JC Westside jumped all over the Lady Tigers who seemed extremely out of touch on the court. Mental mistakes and frustration began to take a toll on the Lady Tigers which lead to fouls and missed opportunities to score. Even so, they weren’t about to lose their final regular season game. If JC Westside wanted a battle, they’d for sure get one as the Lady Tigers scrapped their way to a 35-28 third quarter lead. Back and forth the game went with neither team taking a shot without giving back a shot of their own. In the end, though, the Lady Tigers were just too much for JC Westside to handle and the dream of Lady Tigers basketball being a premiere program finally started to feel real as Mansfield won with a 47-37 victory.
Although playing a tough game and running into some foul trouble, the Lady Tigers were still able to put up the points. Senior, Chloe Creekmore, kept her shoes on fire by leading the team again in scoring, this time with 14 points against the Lady Rebels. Senior, Makayla Strutton, and sophomore, Natalie Allison, paired up for 8 hard-fought points apiece. Senior, Danielle Lillie, sank 6 points while sophomore, Skylynn Harris, got back in her scoring groove and knocked down 5 points in the game. Fellow senior, Brook Wright, was able to get 4 points against JC Westside. And closing out the points but opening up her overall game was junior, Kiara Thomas, who rounded up 2 points.
The win was a monumental achievement for the Lady Tigers giving them an amazing 11-1 conference record and an 18-4 overall record so far in the season. It also sets the Sr Lady Tigers up for good positioning in their upcoming District Tournament and Regional Tournament. These Lady Tigers are on track to beat the best team in decades at Mansfield and have already broken multiple school records this season. With all of these achievements that Mansfield has completed this season, it’s safe to say that Mansfield Lady Tiger Basketball is back and better than ever. The Lady Tigers will have a first-round bye to gain some much needed weeks rest before they start their District Tournament next week.
