Tigers sweep Savages on second day at Mother Road Classic

The Tahlequah Tigers tipped off the early game against the Tecumseh Savages at the Mother Road Classic in Verdigris, looking for redemption for the let down on day 1.

Early in the game, the Tigers did their best to run away from the Savages taking a 18-2 lead in the first. Shooting woes for the Tigers in the second quarter brought Tecumseh closer, going into the half with the score 23-18.

The Savages took the lead with five minutes to go in the third, 27-25, but the Tigers battled back taking the lead into the fourth quarter with 42-35. The final stanza was back and forth but the Savages weren’t able to get any closer, falling to the Tigers 56-48.

The wake-up call for the Tigers came in the third quarter when the Savages took the lead. From that moment on saw Tahlequah shoot 11-15 from the field and pick up nine from the charity stripe outscoring Tecumseh 31-21.

Donovan Smith paced the Tigers with 17 points and eight boards. Cole Robertson had a career high 14 points to go with nine rebounds. Cash McAlvain followed a 21-point performance against Kiefer with 13.  Senior Brycen Smith had a great game falling just short of a triple double with 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to go with three steals and possibly more impressive only 1 turnover.

The Lady Tigers led from wire to wire by ratcheting up the defensive intensity in their win over the Lady Savages.

Seniors Jadyn Buttery and Kori Rainwater accounted for the first 22 points for the Lady Tigers. It took the first three of the year from Paisley Qualls to get another Lady Tiger on the board with a buzzer beater to go in at the half, 25-12.

The third quarter was fairly even with Tahlequah scoring 10 and Tecumseh notching nine. The fourth quarter saw the Lady Tigers put the game away, outscoring the Lady Savages 13-5. It wasn’t the best performance shooting the ball for the Lady Tigers, going 18-47 from the field and 7-14 from the free throw-line, so they picked a great time to demonstrate their ability to defend.

Buttery led the team with 15 points followed by Rainwater with 12, she also led the team in assists and blocks with four a piece. Jersey Retzloff had four points as well as five rebounds. Talyn Dick and Madi Mathews both contributed four points. The biggest smiles of the day were reserved for Sophomore Haley Wilson, knocking down her first varsity three.

What's next

The Tigers will play for the consolation championship at 1:30 p.m. while the Lady Tigers will play for the tournament championship at 6:30 p.m.