First Game of the Season

In the first home game of their season the young Tigers came in with very little fear or nerves. Their excitement led to solid defense in the first half with Ruth Boehler jumping the passing lanes for fast break steals and leading the tiger’s offensive charge. This put early pressure on St Cecilia offensively and defensively. Then Zoe Russell and newcomer Bria Prince cleaned up the glass with consistent, strong box outs and rebounds. USN went into the half proud and ready for St. Cecilia to make aggressive adjustments. 

Into the second half St. Cecilia became more comfortable with their 1-2-2 zone and showed a greater sense of urgency. This pressure left the Tigers more flustered and the easy passing from earlier turned into some rushed turnovers. By the end of the 4th quarter St. Cecilia played like they had nothing to lose as the Tigers did their best to keep up their energy after a long fast paced game with limited subs. In an amazing turn of events Charlotte Kehler had an opportunity to tie the game when she was fouled on a three point attempt. She was able to make 1, which meant the Tigers would need to get the rebound and put the ball up for a buzzer beater. St. Cecilia was able to keep the Tigers off the glass for the final few seconds for the hard fought win. 

While the loss was not the outcome the Tigers were hoping for, the game showed how much each player has grown just in 2 weeks. So many different defensive highlights, backdoor cuts, great transition passes, and more from different players! It will be so exciting to see this team grow together as they build their chemistry and learn new basketball skills in the next few months. Keep up the great work Tigers!