Tigercats on top of league standings

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Tigercats won two critical games against league rivals, Colton and Garfield-Palouse, over the weekend. The team suffered its first season loss on Tuesday, Jan. 8, to the Pomeroy Pirates, leaving the team with a record of 11-1 this season. The two league victories earlier in the week, helped secure the number one position for the Tigercats in the Southeast 1B league.

Ranked second in league, the Colton match up was expected to be the toughest league game for the Tigercats. After trailing for the majority of the game, the Tigercats proved triumphant in the fourth quarter to outscore the Wildcats, 41-39.

“Both teams were playing very aggressive and were working extremely hard,” head coach Mike Jones explained. “I was pleased and proud of the boys for how they came out and played defensively.”

The Tigercats trailed Colton 4-8 at the end of the first quarter, and slowly closed the gap, going into halftime with a score of 10-12. By the end of the third quarter, the Tigercats trailed Colton by only one point.

Two Colton athletes caused trouble for the Tigercats, Jake Straughan and Dalton Patchen, who collectively scored 34 of Colton’s 39 points. Jones said Straughan averages around 25 points a game, and the Tigercats held him to 23 points.

“Everything he (Straughan) was shooting was contested,” Jones said. “Our second point of emphasis was rebounding. A lot of Dalton Patchen’s points come on rebounds. We had to keep him off the boards.”

The team had a successful night with rebounds, limited Patchen to only 11 points during the game, five of which were free throws.

During the fourth quarter, the Tigercats chipped away at Colton to eventually go up by six points with around 30 seconds left in the game. Even with the limited amount of time on the clock, Colton was able to bring the game within two points.

Jones said the Tigercats had a couple of miscues in the last 30 seconds that eventually converted to points for the Wildcats. In the final seconds of the game, Colton had a solid look at the basket and took the shot, but Jones said the ball rolled out of the rim, giving the Tigercats the win.

Stamper ended the night with 17 points, followed by Jed Zimmer who had 10 points. Justin Wargo contributed seven, Fleming had six and Austin Summers made one free throw.

“It’s always nice to go to Colton, pick up the win and come home,” Jones said. “We’ve had some decent games with Colton in the last years. Towards the end of last year, we were making strides and catching up to Colton, who has been the powerhouse of the league the last few years.”

On Saturday night, the Tigercats battled against Gar-Pal in a home match up, and ended the game with a 52-39 victory over the Vikings. The game started rocky for the Tigercats with two consecutive turnovers, leading to conversion points by the Vikings.

The first three times down the court, the Vikings sank three consecutive three-point shots to give them the early lead over the Tigercats. Led by Darcy Stamper, the Tigercats were able to tie the game at the end of the first quarter with a score of 17.

At halftime, the Tigercats trailed by three points but came out in the second half with energy and determination. The team was able to lead the game by the end of the third quarter, 40-36, before running away with the win during the fourth quarter.

“The kids do a real good job at making adjustments at halftime. They recognize what we’re talking about and make those adjustments,” Jones said about the second half success. “They’re a senior group, a veteran group, and they understand that they’re tired, but they have to maintain the same effort for four quarters.”

Stamper led the team in scoring with 20 points, followed by Summers who had 11 points. Fleming had seven points, Zimmer ended the night with six and Wargo had five points. Joey Guske and Riley Roberts each scored two points for the Tigercats.

The Tigercats traveled to Pomeroy on Tuesday for a league game against the Pirates, falling to Pomeroy 40-42. Due to a school closure on Monday because of snow, the Tigercats did not have the opportunity to practice in between the Gar-Pal and Pomeroy game.

Wargo led the Tigercats in scoring with eight points, followed by Fleming and Summers, each with seven points. Stamper and Zimmer had six points apiece, Roberts contributed four points and Matt Stubbs had two points.

The Tigercats face Liberty Christian for the second time this season on Friday at Liberty Christian, before matching up against Tekoa-Oakesdale on Saturday, Jan. 12, in LaCrosse.