Lady Tigercats struggle in league

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats faced tough competition Friday and Saturday when they battled against St. John-Endicott and Touchet in league games. The Lady Tigercats first matched up against SJE in Washtucna on Friday, Dec. 14, and the game ended in defeat with a final score of 16-57.

SJE began the game in a full court press and the Lady Tigercats struggled to move the ball down the court against the defensive pressure. The first quarter proved difficult for the Lady Tigercats to start their offense, and resulted in the team trailed 4-19 at the end of the first.

The Lady Tigercats gained composure and attacked against the press in the second quarter, but again faced tough defensive pressure from the SJE team. The Lady Eagles also had a significant height advantage over the Lady Tigercats with two 6-foot athletes.

The Lady Tigercats fought against the full court press until halftime when they trailed the Lady Eagles, 6-28. Head coach Don Kemper said the defensive pressure combined with the Lady Eagles’ balanced shooting attack, proved detrimental to the outcome of the game.

The Lady Tigercats are still fighting against injuries and the inability to have a deep bench to look too during moments of necessity in the game are causing issues. Kemper explained the Lady Eagles were able to use players off their bench to play when starting athletes needed a break.

Freshman point guard, Ashtyn Aune, continued to lead the Lady Tigercats’ team offensively by moving the ball down the court and breaking through the full court press. Aune and Brooklynn Hostetler had the most looks at the basket, and continuously took shots during the game, but Kemper said the shots would not fall.

Aune ended the night with two points, while Hostetler contributed four points. Lindsey Miller led the team in scoring with six points and LeAnne Blauert added four points to the scoreboard. The Lady Tigercats eventually fell to the Lady Eagles with a final score of 16-57.

Following the league loss to SJE, the Lady Tigercats matched up against Touchet the following night in LaCrosse. The game began slowly for the Lady Tigercats, as they remained scoreless in the first quarter.

Kemper explained Touchet had a freshman athlete who is a fantastic ball player, and the girls focused on preventing her from earning open shots. The Lady Tigercats remained in a box and one defense for the majority of the game and were able to reduce her scoring to 17 points, compared to the 35 points she had scored the night before against Pomeroy.

The Lady Tigercats were able to compete during the first half when they held the Lady Indians to 15 points, and went into halftime 5-15. During the third quarter, the Lady Indians were able to score on breakaway points to further their lead.

The Lady Tigercats balanced the scoring during the game and steadily increased points per quarter. Aune led the team with seven points, while Miller and Kadie Whinery added four points each. Hostetler scored three points and Breaze Wolfe earned two points.

The Lady Tigercats lost to the Lady Indians with a final score of 26-45, and now move on to face Rosalia on Friday, Dec. 21, in Rosalia.