Carsyn Gilbert had a career game to lead the Tahlequah girls basketball team to a competitive win over East Central.
The senior guard opened the Lady Tigers’ scoring with back-to-back points in the paint and by the end of the game, she was hitting deep 3-pointers for a career-high 34 points. The huge game from Gilbert gave the Lady Tigers a 58-50 win at home, Thursday, Jan. 15.
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Gilbert’s scoring day started with 7 of THS’ 9 points in the first quarter, 9 in the second, 7 in the third and 11 in the final frame. Seven of her shots came from the inside, while also hitting four 3-pointers and going 8-8 from the free throw line.
“She was balanced, she didn’t settle for the outside shot but also mixed it in,” THS head coach David Qualls said. “She did a good job leading us tonight and played a great game.”
Early on, East Central was going to make the game a 3-point affair. In the first quarter, the Lady Cardinals only hit three shots, but they were all from deep for a 9-9 tie after the first period.
The pace of the game sped up in the second quarter. With a 19-16 lead with about three minutes on the clock, both teams were flying up and down the court, trading shots with some success.
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However, the Lady Tigers got the edge and went into halftime leading 29-23.
A quick start from the Lady Cardinals in the third period resulted in a hot potato of the lead. Heading into the fourth quarter with a 41-40 lead, Gilbert had her strongest quarter to lead the Lady Tigers to the win.
The offense was strong, but the defense was just as strong for THS. Over the first four minutes in the fourth, the Lady Tigers didn’t give up a point.
“Really good win for us, that is a talented team,” Qualls said. “For us to come out and really just get good shots all night and take a good job of taking care of the ball at the end. We iced the game at the free-throw line, good job from our squad.”
The Lady Tigers are back in action Friday, Jan. 16 at Glenpool at 6 p.m.
