LULING – Ashlyn Jarosek came off the bench to score a gamehigh 20 points, and a swarming Tigerettes defense held Ganado to five field goals, as Thrall (25-11) captured the bi-district title with a 52-29 Tuesday night in Luling.
Jarosek, who missed most of the early part of the season following shoulder surgery, has been a force in recent weeks. Fresh off a 17-point performance in the Tigerettes’ regular season finale last Friday, Jarosek took advantage of multiple steals by the Thrall defense and converted those opportunities into points in the second quarter. She scored 11 of her points in the second.
Both teams got off to a slow start, but Thrall broke the ice with a pair of Neveah Irvin free throws. Ganado finally got on the board at the midway point of the first quarter hitting one of two shots from the free-throw line, but the Tigerettes answered with a Kassi Jackson layup for a 4-1 lead.
The Maidens’ Ja’Lai Foster connected on a three-pointer from the top of the arch with 2:55 to play in the opening period, knotting the game at four. The Tigerettes responded with a three-pointer and a lay-up from Kinley Hoffman that gave Thrall a 9-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
It was Jarosek’s second- quarter burst that helped the Tigerettes put distance between themselves and the Maidens. Thrall put together a 10-0 run over the first five minutes of the second period and built a 19-4 advantage. Ganado finally got on the board in second hitting four of seven shots from the line, but the Tigerettes with a 5-2 scoring edge over the closing minute and led 24-10 at the half.
Jarosek continued to assault the Maiden defense in the third quarter. She hit three, three-point jumpers over a two-minute span of the third that gave the Tigerettes a 39-13 lead with 55 seconds on the clock. Ganado scored the final four points of the period, but trailed 39-17 entering the final stanza.
In the final quarter, the teams traded baskets. Thrall was content on running the clock. CeCe Walker scored a pair of baskets in the fourth, and the Tigerettes hit five of eight shots from the free-throw line to seal the win.
Jarosek led all scorers with her 20-point effort, while Hoffman finished the night with 11 points. Hoffman also led the team in rebounds with nine. Foster led the Maidens with 10 points before fouling out late in the game.
The Tigerettes advance past the bi-district round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-2014 season, when they earned a spot in the regional quarterfinals. The win sent Thrall into the area round Friday when they were scheduled to play the Mumford Lady Mustangs at Caldwell High School.
