Consistency: Tigercats on a mission, in search of balanced performance

The Tigercats struggle to find consistency after losing a close game with St. John-Endicott and then winning the next night against Tekoa-Oakesdale. Head coach Mike Jones is focusing on finding a way for his team to remain consistent for the second half of the season.

“We were within three points and had 30 seconds to go, but turned the ball over when we had the chance to tie. We had a lot of opportunities during the game, but we didn’t capitalize on those opportunities,” said Jones.

The Tigercats lost with a final score of 60-55 against the St. John-Endicott Eagles on Friday, Jan. 6. Jed Zimmer led the team with a total of 13 points while Justin Wargo scored 10 points in the game.

Darcy Stamper and Jake Aune both scored nine points in the game while Austin Summers scored a total of six points. Matt Stubbs ended the game with three points and Sam Harder earned two points in the game.

“St. John-Endicott is one of the better teams in the league. They’re a fast team and we have to learn how to control the speed,” said Jones. “But we’re doing a good job rebounding and we’re starting to take care of the ball.”

After falling behind by nine points at halftime, the Tigercats battled back to be within three points of the Eagles. The Tigercats have faced issues with turnovers and missed free throws in the past, but improved drastically by being able to focus and be calm on the court.

“It just comes down to consistency; with every trip down the court, constantly doing their jobs. We have lots of good players, but not just one player will take over the game. We need to work together and do the little things right,” said Jones.

The Tigercats next battled against the Nighthawks from Tekoa-Oakesdale and walked away with the win and a final score of 49-39 on Saturday, Jan. 7. The leading scorer for the game, Wargo, scored 11 points closely followed by Zimmer who scored 10 points.

Stamper again scored nine points for the Tigercats and Aune earned eight points. Both Alec Fleming and Harder scored four points each and Summers scored three points in the game.

“We started the game out a little flat, we were still feeling the effects of the night before. But by the third quarter, we got up by 13 points,” said Jones.

At halftime, the Tigercats led the Nighthawks 24-16 and had few turnovers, but a high foul count. During the second half, the Tigercats struggled to keep their feet still, leading to multiple traveling calls because of a slight toe drag.

“The turnovers kept coming because we’re looking to the right spot, we just happened to drag that foot. Overall, the turnovers were less. The kids worked hard and did what they needed to do,” said Jones. “We had some good looks, and if those fall, it’s a 20-point game. We need to get the shots converted and it will help us be consistent on the offensive end.”

The Tigercats maintained the lead and in the fourth quarter, managed to keep control of the game and won by 10 points. The Tigercats continue to focus on not making unforced errors, playing strong defense and converting shots.

This week, the Tigercats face Odessa/Harrington at Washtucna in a rescheduled game on Jan. 10, followed by the match-up against Rosalia on Friday, Jan. 13. The Tigercats have not played Rosalia yet this season and Jones says he is “interested to see them play.”

After playing Rosalia, the Tigercats play Garfield-Palouse on Saturday, Jan. 14. Both the Rosalia game and the Gar-Pal game are to be played in LaCrosse.

“Win or lose, the kids are playing hard and playing aggressive. We just have a couple things we need to work out. Their effort is amazing, and hopefully that effort will be rewarding in itself,” said Jones.