Lady Tigercats return to the hardwood to face Oakesdale

The Lady Tigercats returned from winter break to face Oakesdale in a league competition on Saturday, Jan. 3, in Washtucna. The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus team were handed a 66-19 loss by the Lady Nighthawks during the match up.

The first quarter proved detrimental to the Lady Tigercats as they struggled on breaking Oakesdale’s full court press. During the press break attempts, Oakesdale forced repetitive turnovers and severely limited the Lady Tigercats’ opportunities to set up the offense.

The LWK team remained competitive under the hoop, boxing out opponents on both ends of the court and allowing the opportunity for put-back points on offense.

Jazzmyn Gordon led the team with rebounding, which helped add to her 11-point scoring night for the Lady Tigercats.

In the first quarter, the Lady Tigercats rushed the offensive plays in an attempt to secure a good look at the basket.

With tough defense being applied by Oakesdale, the LWK team only took 23 shots in the first half. Oakesdale held the Lady Tigercats scoreless in the first quarter, and ended the first half with a 40-9 advantage over LWK.

On the other end of the court, the Lady Nighthawks spread the floor to keep the LWK team on their toes. Oakesdale had three athletes scoring in double digits during the game, and proved to be a tough match up for the Lady Tigercats.

Offensively, Jazlynn Webb and Nicole Harder worked to bring the ball up the court, running into issues early in the game against Oakesdale’s full court press. The team reevaluated the press break during time outs called by head coach Trisha Bennett and began gaining confidence against the press during the second quarter.

While the two point guards had low scoring nights, Gordon stepped up again to lead the team under the hoop. With the Oakesdale team also not having a lot of height, Gordon used her agility and aggressiveness to battle for the ball and score eight of her points under the hoop. She also hit a three-point shot for the LWK team midway through the second quarter.

Jessica Guske also stepped up to have a consistent shooting night for the Lady Tigercats, scoring six points for the team and earning solid looks at the hoop. Harder rounded out the scoring with two points.

The Lady Tigercats remain focused on setting up the offense and taking quality shots at the hoop. With the need to show more patience offensively, the team will continue to develop those skills during upcoming league games.

With the return game in the new year, the LWK team relied on their bench to provide support and rest for the starting athletes. As the Lady Tigercats work towards the midway point of the season, the younger athletes will be asked to step up more to provide more depth to the team.

The Lady Tigercats have a young team, providing the athletes with a quality experience to earn varsity time and develop their skills on the court. While the team has only earned one win this season, the Lady Tigercats continue to grow and improve on both ends of the court.

The Lady Tigercats face Pomeroy Friday, before hosting Touchet in Kahlotus on Saturday.