A nearly two-hour delay held up the start of Tahlequah basketball hosting Durant.
A mix up with referees left the Lady Tigers and Lady Lions warming up for an extended period of time before taking the court, Thursday, Dec. 11.
Advertisement
Once they did take the court, the Lady Lions ended up with the narrow, 38-36, win.
“We lost another close one to a good opponent, it’s frustrating,” THS coach David Qualls said. “We’ll keep chopping away and figure out how to get it done.”
Once on the court, the Lady Tigers and Lady Lions didn’t have much rust. In fact, the first quarter was the highest scoring of the game, with THS taking a 14-8 lead.
Steals from the Lady Tigers were key in setting up the early lead. Lauren Stephens, Raylee McCarter and Lakyn Adams each recorded a steal in the quarter.
Going into the second quarter, Durant slowed the game down and the pace worked to its advantage. After taking over the pace of the game, the Lady Lions tied the score 18-18 going into halftime.
Advertisement
“This was a game we knew would be played at a slower pace,” Qualls said. “Durant is an extremely patient team that isn’t going to force anything.”
In the third quarter, each team kept inching above the other, taking a one-possession lead. Eventually, the Lady Lions took a 27-26 lead to head into the final frame.
In the fourth, the Lady Lions stretched out the most since the first half at 5 points.
With the Lady Lions leading 32-27, the Lady Tigers started pushing.
Lauren Stephens retook the lead with a 3-pointer.
It didn’t last long as DHS retook the lead and didn’t give it back. THS had a chance after Stephens cut the lead to one with a free throw, but time ran out on the comeback attempt to give DHS the win.
Stephens led the Lady Tigers with 15 points, and Carsyn Gilbert was next in line with 13.
