VERDIGRIS — Tahlequah girls basketball worked past an offensive hiccup in the second quarter for one of its highest-scoring games of the season.
The Lady Tigers won 53-28 in the opening round of the Mother Road Classic despite, despite scoring no points in the second quarter. Even though the Lady Tigers got shut out in the period, coming out of the locker room, THS posted 22 points en route to a win over the host Verdigris Lady Cardinals, Thursday, Jan. 8.
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“Great bounceback win for us. It’s always tough to beat the tournament host on their floor so credit to our kids,” THS coach Matt Qualls said. “I hope it give us quite a bit of confidence. Our kids have been putting quite a bit of pressure on themselves. It’s good to see their work pay off.”
In the first quarter, the Lady Tigers were dominating the Lady Cardinals and quickly extended their lead. THS quickly picked up 22 points with most of the starters getting in on the scoring.
“We got some great looks early on off of our press,” Qualls said. “We were able to force some turnovers early and get a few easy buckets to get us going.”
Then the second quarter hit, and the offense went cold. However, the defense didn’t, and the Lady Tigers still held onto a 22-8 lead going into halftime.
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“In the second quarter, we lost Lakyn Adams and Lauren Stephens to foul trouble,” Qualls said. “They are two of our leading scorers, so they hurt us a bit offensively. We also had some good looks and chip shots that we didn’t convert in that quarter.”
In the third quarter, it looked like the shutout in the previous period never happened. Out of the gate, the Lady Tigers were shooting lights out with Carsyn Gilbert, Raylee McCarter, Moe Wilson and Lakyn Adams all making a 3-pointer.
Qualls said the deep game was the defining factor for the Lady Tigers.
“That’s the X-factor for us,” Qualls said. “We haven’t come close to shooting what we’re capable of from the perimeter. It was nice seeing those go in today. I hope that it can carry over.”
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In the final period, the Lady Tigers extended the lead to 53-28. This is the second time the Lady Tigers have scored over 50 points and the second-highest point total this season after posting 58 on opening day.
Gilbert led the Lady Tigers with 21 points and Adams added 13.
With the win, the Lady Tigers move to the winner’s bracket in the Mother Road Classic. They are set to play at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9 vs. the winner of Kiefer vs. Jay.
