CASEY GEORG Special to the Press
FRANKLIN — Steven Walker and Breken Proctor each scored 21 points, and the Thrall Tigers ran their season record to 7-0 with a 66-45 win over the Franklin Lions, Tuesday night.
The Lions were able to keep the game close through the first quarter, trailing just 12-8 after the first eight minutes of play, but in the second period, the Tigers’ offense got on track and began to pull away.
Proctor scored eight points in the second period, and Ethan Dahl, who finished the night with 10 points, scored six in the quarter. The scoring surge gave the Tigers a 30-18 lead at the half.
Thrall’s offense continued to fire on all cylinders as the second half finished. Proctor dropped another nine points in the third period for the Tigers, while Walker scored seven in the quarter. The Tigers led by as many as 19 in the period before settling for a 47-30 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Tigers continued to pull away in the final period. Their balanced scoring, which has been a key to their hot start this season, continued to stifle the Lions.
Walker and Proctor scored six and five points respectively, while Dahl and Payton Gillmore each had four over the final eight minutes.
When the Lions slowed one Tiger shooter, Thrall would simply change shooters and continue to put points on the board.
Thrall is off to its best start in recent memory. Only once in the past five years, have the Tigers had a winning record at this point of the season.
Their 73 points-per-game average is far above any previous season and they are equally dominant at the defensive end of the floor, surrendering just under 39 points per outing. Individually, Proctor, Walker, Dawson Meiske and Dahl are all averaging double figures in scoring, with Proctor leading the way with just under 20 points per game. The Tigers were playing in the Florence tournament this weekend. They will face Holland, Rosebud-Lott and Killeen Chaparral’s JV in pool play on Thursday and Friday.
The results of those games will determine if they reach bracket play on Saturday.
