The Dripping Springs Lady Tigers secured a dominant 58-18 win over the Medina Valley Panthers Jan. 9 as they began the second half of district play.
The Lady Tigers started the match strong on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers were only allowed two points from the Lady Tigers’ defense in the first quarter.
David Norris, Lady Tiger head coach, said getting off to a strong start is something the team has been working on and has had some success in that.
Dripping Springs’ senior Annie Hudson drives to the basket for a layup last Tuesday night against the visiting Medina Valley Panthers. The Lady Tigers improved their record to 20-8 overall and 5-1 in 5A District 26 with the 58-18 win. The Lady Tigers travel to Marble Falls on Friday, Jan. 12 for a 6:30 p.m. tip off. (photo by Wayland D. Clark, wfotos.com)
Norris said his team needs to put more pressure on their opponent.
“I just wanted a quick start because we have been starting a little slow lately, so I really wanted to get a quick start and get a lot of pressure on them,” Norris said.
The team came out and put full court pressure on the Panthers throughout the game.
However, Norris wasn’t pleased with his defense reaching out with their hands instead of their feet, and thinks his team can do a little better at scoring.
“We are leaving points on the floor by not scoring the first time,” Norris said. “We might get fouled the second time, but we need more interior scoring.”
The Lady Tigers dominated offensively taking shots with every chance they had. Dripping Springs allowed five more points in the second frame, which helped them build a commanding 25-point lead at halftime.
Defensively, the Lady Tigers held their own as they shutout the Panthers in the third frame.
Lady Tiger senior Annie Hudson said she was proud of her team, and thought they played well.
“I think we executed really well tonight offensively,” Hudson said. “The big thing was our aggressive defense. We have always done a really good job at playing defense, but tonight it was just a lot of teamwork.”
In the fourth quarter the Panthers began to take every opportunity they had to get some points on the board.
Medina Valley scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Although they matched the Lady Tigers in points in the fourth, they were too far behind to put a dent in the score.
With 10 seniors on the team, the Lady Tigers are motivated to end their last season on a high note, Norris said.
“They’re motivated because they’ve got goals,” Norris said. “We want to win district. We are one game out depending on what happened tonight, and we have our goals of district then getting into the playoffs and keep going and that’s what’s motivating them.”
