Tigercats successful with 3-0 record

 

Last updated 12/13/2012 at Noon



The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Tigercats went on the road Friday evening to battle Tekoa-Oakesdale, and returned home with the first league win of the season. The Tigercats swept the court and earned a 70-43 win.

Head coach Mike Jones is extremely pleased with the early season success and said the team is continually improving during each game. The Tigercats got into foul trouble late in the TO game, but Jones was able to rely on his bench to bring home a win.

“It was really physical inside, and just a physical game over all. Tekoa-Oakesdale is a young team,” Jones explained.

TO relies heavily on the 6-foot-8-inch post player Max Mueller, a veteran for the TO team. Jones said the Tigercats doubled teamed Mueller to force the ball into different areas on the court and prevent the inside shot.

Jones said the team was 36 percent from the field, but only 10 of 19 from the free throw line. Free throws have posed a problem for the Tigercat team, and Jones said it will continue to be a main focus during weekly practices.

The leading scorer for the Tigercats team, Justin Wargo, was six of 14 from the field for the night.

Jones said Wargo had a good night, playing well on both ends of the court and helping boost the Tigercats lead with 17 points.

The Tigercats kept a solid scoring balance with almost every player contributing points to the team’s success. Darcy Stamper and Alec Fleming each added 16 points to the books. Jed Zimmer, who fouled out late in the third quarter, tacked 12 points on to the scoreboard.

“We had a really balanced scoring attack, with four kids in double digits,” Jones said. “We did a real good job sharing and moving the ball.”

Coming off of the first league win, the Tigercats then matched up against Liberty Christian on Saturday, a team the Tigercats hasn’t seen on the basketball court in about five years. Liberty Christian switched back into the league this year, and the Tigercats were not sure what to expect during Saturday’s game.

The Tigercats came out strong against the Liberty Christian team, and took an early lead.

By the end of the first quarter, the Tigercats led 19-3, and they would continue to outscore their opponent, ending the game with a score of 58-28.

The Tigercats had an extreme height advantage, which contributed to many easy buckets in the paint, mostly by Zimmer. Zimmer ended the night with 19 points, and earned many of the baskets off of put-back points.

“We outrebounded them significantly because we had the height advantage,” Jones said. “Jed was nine of 18 from the field, and a lot of those were point-blank shots.

“Justin was three of six, but he didn’t have to shoot a whole lot. He’s been shooting the ball really well and being aggressive at the basket,” Jones added.

Stamper scored 17 points in the game and blocked multiple shots during the game. Jones said Stamper is one of the most naturally athletic players on the team, and uses that ability to be effective on both ends of the court. Jones said there are many, long and athletic players on the team, and this attribute allows the team to challenge almost every shot the opposing team takes.

“The kids are bigger, thicker kids than last year and have an understanding of the game,” Jones said. “We’re seeing the kids play together, and better, because of maturation.”

For Jones, the success of the season is based on teamwork and said, “As long as they keep having fun and working together, it’ll be a good season.”

Jones said the back-to-back games gave the team a good benchmark of expectations and improvements to make for upcoming games.

The Tigercats have more weekend games when they match up against St. John-Endicott on Friday and Touchet on Saturday.

“St. John is always a difficult game. They have some good guards, shooting guards, they have the ability to shoot out front,” Jones said of the upcoming game. “We need to put pressure on them.”

Tip-off for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Washtucna, and Saturday’s game begins at 6:30 p.m. in LaCrosse.

 

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