It was obvious Friday night’s game meant something special — a little more than a win or a loss. The air in the gym was as thick as the fog that was forming outside.
The Lady Rebels and the Lady Tigers hit the court hard and while the Rebels opened it up with an early lead, the Lady Tigers were not about to end the battle early.
The Rebels started the scoring with two three-point shots, making it 6-0. By the end of the first period, they stretched their lead to 10 points (20-10).
The Rebels were dominating the rebounds, giving them several second-shot attempts. They battled for the ball and extended their lead by 12.
The Lady Tigers started a rally just before the half, led by Jammie McLemore, Camille Jackson and Quintunya Chapman that closed the scoring gap. The half ended with the Lady Tigers behind by four points (32-28).
In the third period, the lady Tigers continued to establish a better defense and brought the game within two points (42-40). The two teams battled it out defensively and the third period ended at a 46-46 tie.
Jasmine Alonso and Brytnii Speight came into the fourth quarter with renewed energy and helped the team come within two points after falling behind by seven. But the Rebels defense proved to be stronger and they were able to open up the gap with some rebounds that let them hold onto the six-point lead and a win over the Lady Tigers (65-59).
For the Lady Tigers. it was a difficult defeat as the Rebels were their first regional opponents for this season.
Lady Tiger head coach Faye Baker and assistant coach Dana King spoke with the team after their loss in order to help the Lady Tigers move forward in their season.
“We told them to keep their heads up and learn from their mistakes,” King said. “As long as they learn from their mistakes they’ll be all right. We just try to instill in them to work hard because if you work hard the rest will take care of itself.
“This was the important game. This was a region game,” Baker said. “The one thing about it is that it is still early in the season. This was only our third game and I think we will get better. And after the game, we talked about learning from our mistakes,” she said.
Baker said her team did not seem to be cohesive and played sporadically, points she discussed with her players.
“We talked about stepping up our intensity level,” Baker said. “I felt, throughout the game, we played in spurts. We really didn’t play a complete game. We turned the ball over 31 times. We had 39 turnovers against Brunswick and won but you can’t have that many turnovers against teams like Groves,” she said. “I knew if we turned the ball over too many times that the outcome would be different against a team like Groves. We also gave them too many second shot opportunities by not grabbing the rebounds.”
The Lady Tigers are 2-1 overall and 0-1 in 3-AAAAA region.
But there was no time for reflection as the Ladies faced Wayne County at home yesterday afternoon.
The scores for the game will be in Wednesday’s Coastal Courier.
The Lady Rebels and the Lady Tigers hit the court hard and while the Rebels opened it up with an early lead, the Lady Tigers were not about to end the battle early.
The Rebels started the scoring with two three-point shots, making it 6-0. By the end of the first period, they stretched their lead to 10 points (20-10).
The Rebels were dominating the rebounds, giving them several second-shot attempts. They battled for the ball and extended their lead by 12.
The Lady Tigers started a rally just before the half, led by Jammie McLemore, Camille Jackson and Quintunya Chapman that closed the scoring gap. The half ended with the Lady Tigers behind by four points (32-28).
In the third period, the lady Tigers continued to establish a better defense and brought the game within two points (42-40). The two teams battled it out defensively and the third period ended at a 46-46 tie.
Jasmine Alonso and Brytnii Speight came into the fourth quarter with renewed energy and helped the team come within two points after falling behind by seven. But the Rebels defense proved to be stronger and they were able to open up the gap with some rebounds that let them hold onto the six-point lead and a win over the Lady Tigers (65-59).
For the Lady Tigers. it was a difficult defeat as the Rebels were their first regional opponents for this season.
Lady Tiger head coach Faye Baker and assistant coach Dana King spoke with the team after their loss in order to help the Lady Tigers move forward in their season.
“We told them to keep their heads up and learn from their mistakes,” King said. “As long as they learn from their mistakes they’ll be all right. We just try to instill in them to work hard because if you work hard the rest will take care of itself.
“This was the important game. This was a region game,” Baker said. “The one thing about it is that it is still early in the season. This was only our third game and I think we will get better. And after the game, we talked about learning from our mistakes,” she said.
Baker said her team did not seem to be cohesive and played sporadically, points she discussed with her players.
“We talked about stepping up our intensity level,” Baker said. “I felt, throughout the game, we played in spurts. We really didn’t play a complete game. We turned the ball over 31 times. We had 39 turnovers against Brunswick and won but you can’t have that many turnovers against teams like Groves,” she said. “I knew if we turned the ball over too many times that the outcome would be different against a team like Groves. We also gave them too many second shot opportunities by not grabbing the rebounds.”
The Lady Tigers are 2-1 overall and 0-1 in 3-AAAAA region.
But there was no time for reflection as the Ladies faced Wayne County at home yesterday afternoon.
The scores for the game will be in Wednesday’s Coastal Courier.