Lady Elks Take Down Lady Tigers, 31-25
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
ELKHART – In an early season matchup, the Latexo Lady Tigers traveled north on US Highway 287 to take on the Elkhart Lady Elks in a game of basketball.
It was the Lady Elks first game of the season while the Lady Tigers had opened their season last week with a loss to the Normangee Lady Panthers. Both teams were a little ragged but both showed some real tenacity as Elkhart outlasted Latexo by a final score of 31-26.
Elkhart got off to a good start as they dropped 11 points on the Lady Tigers in the first quarter. Brandi Cain and Kassidy Thomas netted four points apiece while Haley Stiff drained a three.
Maggie Gibbins paced Latexo with four while Sydney Craven knocked down a pair of free throws and Charlee Biano made one of two from the line to make the score 11-7 after the first eight minutes of play.
The second quarter saw the Lady Elks use the three-ball to extend their lead. Haleigh Chapin got on the board with a three-pointer to go along with a short jumper for two. Stiff hit her second three of the game while Presley Estes drained a shot from behind the arc to help Elkhart take a 24-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Lady Tigers second period points came from Gibbins who hit a three of her own while Craven was two-for-two from the line and Shelby Ebert chipped in one.
As the second half got underway, the Lady Tigers began to whittle away at the Lady Elks’ lead. Gibbins netted four while Biano and Craven had two apiece. Ebert added another free throw as Latexo cut Elkhart’s lead to six after three periods of play.
Following the break, the Lady Elks went ice cold from the floor. Thomas went for three points while Cain made one of two from the line to help Elkhart cling to a 28-22 lead.
Cold-shooting and tight defense highlighted the fourth quarter as neither team could find an offensive rhythm. Cain made three of four from the line for the Lady Elks while Gibbins drained a three for Latexo.
That was it for the fourth quarter scoring as Elkhart hung on to win by a final score of 31-25. The Lady Elks were paced by Kassidy Thomas with nine points and Brandi Cain with eight. Haley Stiff added six, Haleigh Chapin had five and Presley Estes chipped in three.
Maggie Gibbins had a game-high 14 points to lead the Lady Tigers in scoring. Sydney Craven netted six Charlee Biano had three and Shelby Ebert added two to close out the Latexo scoring.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
