The Thrall Tigers posted a 2-1 record at the Florence tournament over the weekend, which was good enough to capture the consolation bracket. They also improved their season record to 5-6 on the season.
In the opening round, the Tigers ran into a tough Troy Trojans team. The Trojans, who won the tournament, jumped out to a 31-8 lead at the half and never looked back, cruising to a 60-40 win. Reed Ketcham hit six shots from behind the threepoint arch on his way to a game-high 28 points for the Trojans. Tanner Blaylock added 10 in the win.
The Tigers played a much better second half, outscoring the Trojans 31-29, but could not overcome the halftime deficit. Breken Proctor led the Tigers with 18 points, including four treys.
“They pressed us hard and the game was called pretty loose,” said Thrall Coach Charles Tindol. “Once we figured out how the game was going to be called, we played much better.”
On Friday, every Tiger scored in a 63-30 rout of the Johnson City Eagles. Cason Sledge led the Tigers with a dozen points, while Ethan Dahl added 10 and Proctor tallied nine. The balanced attack was too much for the Eagles. Thrall led 27-15 at the half and a 21-9 scoring edge in the third quarter put the game out of reach.
In the consolation final, the Tigers took on a scrappy Dime Box team. Thrall had four players score in double figures and the Tigers picked up a 68-46 win over the Longhorns.
Dahl led the Tigers with 16 points. Proctor added 13, Steven Walker had 12, and Jacob Jackson scored 11. Thrall led 42-24 at the half and were never seriously challenged in coasting to the win. The Tigers hit nine threepointers in the game. Proctor and Jackson each had three.
“I thought, overall, we played a pretty good tournament,” Tindol said. “We’ve still go some work to do, but I think we’re getting better every game.”
The Tigers are off Tuesday night, but will travel back to Florence to face the Buffalloes on Friday. Thrall will open District 27-2A play next Tuesday when they host the Granger Lions.
