MILANO – CeCe Walker led three Thrall Tigerettes in doublefigure scoring, and the Tigerettes (19-10 overall, 4-2 District 27-2A) outscored the Milano Lady Eagles 35-7 in the second half in route to a 53-23 crushing of Milano Friday night.
While the game was close at the half, the Tigerettes led throughout the contest. Shots from Walker and Neveah Irvin in the opening seconds of the first quarter staked Thrall to a 5-0 lead. Milano, playing tough defense, stayed close, trailing just 18-16 at the half. But, once the second half got underway, the pace of the game was solely dictated by the Tigerettes.
Thrall got points from seven different players in the third quarter on their way to a 15-4 scoring edge. Irvin, who finished the night with 10 points, led the way with four, while Kinley Hoffman, who was held in check throughout the first half, found her range from behind the threepoint arch in the third. The scoring burst gave the Tigerettes a 33-20 lead going into the final period.
It was more of the same in the fourth quarter. Thrall outscored Milano 20-3 over the final eight minutes. Hoffman added another three and scored eight in the quarter, while Ashlyn Jarosek, who missed the first half of the season following shoulder surgery, hit her first trey of the season and added three shots from the free-throw line.
Walker led all scorers with 12 points, followed by Hoffman’s 11 and Irvin’s 10.
Thrall dominated in every aspect of the game. The Tigerettes had arguably their best shooting night of the season. While most of the season, Thrall has put up 60 or more shots per game, Friday night they shot just 38 times from the field, but it was a case of quality over quantity as they hit 40 percent from the field and 55 percent from three-point range. They also connected on 17 of 26 shots from the charity stripe for 65 percent.
The Tigerettes swarming defense caused 25 Milano turnovers as well. Thrall was able to convert those into 25 points, which helped them pull away.
Thrall had Tuesday night off, but will begin the second half of district play on Friday when they travel to Thorndale. The Lady Dogs edged the Tigerettes 45-44 in their first meeting. Thrall is currently in third place in the district standings, two games back of district-leading Hearne (22-8, 6-0), and one game back of Thorndale (17-8, 5-1).
Tigerettes freshman Nevaeh Irvin running up the court on a fast break.
Photo by Larry Pelchat
