Jan. 28—After a quick start, Tahlequah girls basketball fell to Coweta at home.
The Lady Tigers limited a strong CHS team through the first and second quarters, but couldn’t stop the State Tournament contender after halftime. THS lost 47-35.
The Lady Tigers showed improvement after losing to CHS by over 30 points on the road earlier this season.
“We really competed well, but we really just wanted to see the improvement and I was proud of how we came out,” THS head coach David Qualls said. “They’re 15-1 and won 12 in a row, and I thought we had them on the ropes in the first half. We just couldn’t get anything going in the third quarter.”
In the first half, the Lady Tigers’ defense was playing a clean game. In the first quarter, the Lady Tigers hit a trio of three-pointers to move their way to a 9-5 lead.
In the second quarter, both offenses were experiencing a down period, with only two baskets through the first several minutes. A timeout from CHS’ bench sparked a back-and-forth affair that saw four buckets between the teams.
Going into halftime, the Lady Tigers were up 25-20. Afterward, it was a different story. CHS found their footing and hit three quick field goals to take a one-point lead.
THS responded with a three-ball from Carsyn Gilbert to retake the lead, once again followed by a bucket from CHS. That bucket from Gilbert was the only made shot in the third by THS, and the last time the Lady Tigers held the lead.
“We used this game as a measuring stick,” Qualls said. “We played a good first quarter and then we couldn’t stop them. I thought we were ready to play and we defended well in the first quarter.”
From there on out, CHS showed their strengths and took the 12-point win.
Gilbert led the way with 14 points, while Moe Wilson’s 11 marked a season high.
The Lady Tigers return to court at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30 against Will Rogers.
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