Lady T-cats begin league play in hoops

The Lady Tigercats took to the hardwood for the first time this season to battle against Tekoa-Oakesdale on Friday night. The team had a packed week, playing two league games over the weekend and competing in a nonleague game on Monday.

The opening game proved to be a rough beginning to the season, but head coach Pete Schweiger explained that while the girls approached the game timidly, they gained confidence that helped them in the later games. The Lady Tigercats hosted Tekoa-Oakesdale and were defeated 62-10 on Friday night.

Tekoa-Oakesdale pressed in the beginning of the game, which posed problems for the Lady Tigercats to get their offense started. Schweiger said the girls had a hard time remaining calm with the pressure, and it resulted in multiple turnovers for the team.

The Lady Tigercats were unable to score in the first quarter, but a short jump shot by LeAnne Blauert in the second quarter finally put the team on the scoreboard. The Lady Tigercats went into halftime trailing Tekoa-Oakesdale 43-2.

Schweiger explained that after Tekoa-Oakesdale put in players from the bench in the second half, the Lady Tigercats had an opportunity to settle down and run their offense. The regrouping effort led to the Lady Tigercats putting up six points in the third quarter, and two in the fourth quarter.

Scoring on Friday night were Blauert, Jessica Guske, Brittany Gordon, Lindsey Miller and Kadie Whinery, all with two points.

The following evening, the Lady Tigercats went on the road to battle Liberty Christian and faced another tough match up on the hardwood, resulting in a 52-19 loss to the Lady Patriots. As the second game of season, the Lady Tigercats made improvements at both end of the court, but Schweiger said they still struggled to maintain control and composure throughout the game.

Schweiger said while the Lady Tigercats struggled to break Liberty Christian’s press in the first half, the girls gained confidence and put up more shots in the second half, creating a balanced scoring attack from the team. The Lady Tigercats played a zone defense, and Schweiger said the team is making a few changes to the defense before matching up with Liberty Christian again because of two of their perimeter shooters.

Miller led the Lady Tigercats’ scoring attack with seven points, while eighth grade athlete Jazzmyn Gordon contributed six points. Jazlynn Webb had three points, Blauert added two and Whinery sank a free throw.

On Monday, the Lady Tigercats hosted Walla Walla Valley Academy’s junior varsity team and earned the first win of the season, 45-21. The rescheduled nonleague game helped provide the team with a needed boost in morale and confidence, Schweiger said.

“We got off to a good start, we shot much better,” Schweiger said. “They (Lady Tigercats) were more relaxed and played with more confidence.”

The win helped boost the team’s morale and Schweiger said after not winning a game last season, the girls just needed to get at least one win this year. While it was a nonleague win, Schweiger said it helped the team realize what they need to improve on and that playing with confidence helps win games.

During the game, the Lady Tigercats put up more shots than they had in previous games, and the attempts converted to points. The Lady Tigercats shot 50 percent in the second half.

Jazzmyn Gordon led the scoring drive for the Lady Tigercats with 12 points. Whinery contributed 10 points. Blauert put up seven points, and Miller and Guske each had five. Brittany Gordon, Nicole Harder and Webb all ended the night with two points.

The Lady Tigercats are now preparing to continue league competition against St. John-Endicott and Touchet this week. Schweiger said the team is focusing on the fundamentals of the game, and while the girls are strong on the defensive end of the court, the team is continuing to work towards improving on blocking out and rebounding.

Schweiger said the key to the game is to rebound on both ends of the court and to continue to shoot the ball. The best strength the team has, Schweiger said, is that the athletes are not selfish and play as a team.