Lady Tigers travel to East Central, clamping down defensively for the win.

In the first meeting between these teams this season, the Lady Cardinals were able to connect on a bunch of threes. Shutting down the perimeter game seemed to be the game plan for Coach David Qualls, and the Lady Tigers were able to implement the plan by holding East Central, 1-23 shooting from three for four percent. The Lady Tigers defeated the Lady Cardinals, 53-19.

Early in the game, it was Jadyn Buttery’s show as she scored the game’s first nine points. The Lady Cardinals were able to connect on two shots in the first half, going 2-15 from the field. In contrast, the Lady Tigers went 13-26 for a 36-7 lead going to the second half.

Coming out of the break, the Lady Cardinals seemed determined to get the ball to the rim, shooting 21 shots and getting five shots from the free-throw line. They were only able to hit five from the field and went 1-5 from the charity stripe.

As the season has progressed, it appears the Lady Tigers have developed a defensive mindset and take pride in forcing opposing teams to struggle. In the previous seven games, opposing teams are averaging 34 points, which is four points below opponent’s season average and eight points lower than the 2022-2023 season.  

The Lady Tigers were 19-53 from the field for 35 percent and 10-18 from the free-throw line for 55 percent. East Central was 7-36 from the field for 11 percent and 4-9 from the free-throw line for 44 percent.

Congratulations to Talyn Dick, who scored a career-high 18 points. Buttery had 17, Kori Rainwater had nine and 11 rebounds as well as five assists and five blocks. Jersey Retzloff had two points, Lauren Stephens had two points and six rebounds. Lakyn Adams and Rylie Dotson had two, and Carsyn Gilbert rounded out the scoring with 1.

What’s next

The Lady Tigers travel to Bishop Kelley Friday, Feb. 9. In the first matchup the Lady Tigers won a low scoring game 42-32.