Tigercats battle against Oakesdale in league contest

The final score Saturday night did not portray the intensity and back-and-forth battle that occurred in Washtucna between the LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Tigercats and the Oakesdale Nighthawks. The Tigercats faced defeat at the hands of Oakesdale with a final score of 45-26.

LWK Head Coach Seth Weekes said the game showed tremendous improvement for the Tigercats, and he truly believed his team should have earned the league win. The Tigercats remained competitive in scoring on Saturday, before the fourth quarter went heavily in favor of Oakesdale.

The first quarter remained low scoring for both teams as the defensive pressure limited the amount of open looks at the hoop. Both team slowly chipped away with scoring based primarily on put-back points.

Rebounding proved to be instrumental in the game, with the Nighthawks ultimately out rebounding the Tigercats. The extra boards proved to be the difference of the game, as the Tigercats struggled to contain the Nighthawks when boxing out.

The teams ended the first quarter tied at 11 points, with the Nighthawks gaining a slight scoring advantage by halftime. The Tigercats trailed 14-17 at halftime.

The second half proved to be a battle for both teams, as the strong defensive pressure continued on both ends of the court. The Tigercats hit the boards hard, earning more points off of rebounds than the previous quarters.

The two teams match up well together, relying heavily on quickness and agility to make plays on both ends of the court. With limited height on either team, rebounding became the battle of the evening.

The Tigercats ended the third quarter only behind by four points, but the fourth quarter proved detrimental as the LWK team only scored two points. The Nighthawks quickly broke away in scoring by forcing turnovers against the Tigercats and earning fast break points.

Weekes said overall, the first three quarters against Oakesdale were the best quarters the team has played all season. The team showed tremendous improvement by working together and communicating, and now the focus is making those fundamentals and skills span a whole game, Weekes said.

The fourth quarter fell apart for the team because of mental exhaustion, Weekes said. While the team is in great physical shape, the mental aspects of the game and remaining competitive has been something the team needs to focus on, Weekes added.

Terrell Webb and Cameron Ellis led the Tigercats in scoring with six points each. Cole Evans had five points, Weston Miller scored four points, Jacob Johnson added three and Chance Rice had two points.

Weekes added Johnson stepped up for the team this week, earning around 12 rebounds for the Tigercats. Weekes said Webb played a consistent game for the team and continues to remain a leader every week on the hardwood.

The Tigercats are reevaluating and returning to the basics this week in practice, Weekes said. It is key the team remembers the fundamentals and keeps mentally sharp throughout a full game.

The team has a busy week, matching up against Liberty Christian last Tuesday, before moving on to face Pomeroy on Friday and Touchet on Saturday. As the best team in the league, Pomeroy proves to be the largest challenge for the team this week, Weekes said.

But the team is looking to be competitive with Pomeroy on Friday because of their focus this week on breaking down the full court press. While the LWK had moments of hardship breaking the Oakesdale press on Saturday, Weekes said the team is determined to break the Pomeroy press. Weekes said being successful with the press break on Friday will be crucial experience for the Tigercats.