Injuries hinder Lady Tigercats on hardwood

The Lady Tigercats had two tough weekend games against Tekoa-Oakesdale and Liberty Christian, but the team lost more than the games, they also lost athletes. Head coach Don Kemper said the team has to postpone, and potentially eliminate, the girl’s junior varsity games because there are not enough athletes to play.

Two athletes, Chelsie Kneale and Amber Dainty, did not see playing time on Friday and Saturday night in the varsity games. Dainty injured her knee during the junior varsity game on Friday afternoon and is currently walking with crutches.

The injuries prevented Kemper from looking to his bench for substitutes, but he said the game against TO was a clear mix-match. The Lady Tigercats fell to the TO team with a final score of 9-63.

“They (TO) are a very solid team. They’re a good group of girls that play a lot of basketball together,” Kemper explained. “They were much more athletic than us.”

Even though the league game resulted in a loss for the Lady Tigercats, Kemper was impressed by the determination and effort the team put into the game. The Lady Tigercats trailed 5-33 at halftime.

“The main part was, and the best thing was, the kids didn’t quit. They hustled and did everything we practiced,” Kemper said.

Kemper said only six athletes played during the entire Friday night game against TO, and the team was lead by freshman point guard, Ashtyn Aune. Aune scored four points for the team and helped start the offense each time down the court. TO did a full court press for the first half of the game, and Aune was a key into breaking down the defense.

Lindsey Miller tacked three points on the board and LeAnne Blauert scored the final points.

The Lady Tigercats played in the first home game of the season against Liberty Christian and the game proved to be more successful for the team than the previous night. The Lady Tigercats eventually lost to Liberty Christian with a final score of 21-47.

“Saturday was a better day for us,” Kemper said. “The shots didn’t fall, but the kids played hard and didn’t give up.

“The kids are still trying to figure each other out, and each others tendencies,” Kemper continued. “I’m asking them to play hard from tip off to the final horn. They’re working at it and wanting to get better.”

The game started out slow for the Lady Tigercats when they couldn’t get a shot to fall in the first quarter. Aune eventually hit a three to put points at the board, but the team remained stuck at three points until late in the second quarter.

The Lady Tigercats trailed 5-24 at halftime, but came out reenergized and determined after the midgame break. Aune continued to lead the team in scoring, eventually racking up a total of nine points during the night.

Brooklynn Hostetler, who is also battling an injury, contributed six points to the Lady Tigercats score. Blauert, Jessica Guske and Lindsey Miller each earned two points.

“We’re figuring out what our strength is,” Kemper said. “We watched film on Monday because the kids need to see what it looks like from a different perspective. They had good comments and picked up on some things.”

The Lady Tigercats are focusing on the weekend’s games against St. John-Endicott and Touchet. Kemper said the St. John team has an extreme height advantage over the Lady Tigercats, and the team needs to focus on blocking out against the taller athletes.

The girls continue to focus on conditioning in practice, which will help lead to more hustle on the court during games and improve the transitioning of the team.

“We’re just trying to teach basic skills, like moving the ball and finding the open shot, and posting up,” Kemper said. “Playing as a team and working together as a team is our main emphasis.

The Lady Tigercats take on St. John-Endicott on Friday, Dec. 14, in Washtucna beginning at 6 p.m., and match up against Touchet on Saturday in LaCrosse, with game time at 5 p.m.