CASEY GEORG Special to the Press
FLORENCE — A year ago, the Thrall Tigers won just 11 games.
On Saturday, barely a month into the 2023-24 season, they picked up their 12th win with zero losses and captured their second tournament championship of the season after posting a 5-0 record at the Florence High School Tournament.
“We’ve really improved our defense this year,” said Thrall Coach Charles Tindol.
“Our kids have bought into being a good defensive team. This helps us to jumpstart our offense.”
The Tigers opened the tournament against District 27-2A rival Holland. Playing without Dawson Meiske, the Tigers didn’t control the paint as much as they had leading up to that game, but Thrall was still able to dominate the Hornets, 54-35.
Breken Proctor led the Tigers with 17 points, followed by Steven Walker, who hit for a dozen.
Their next opponent was the Killeen Chaparral JV. Once again, the Tigers proved to be too tough, and Thrall bested the Bobcats 62-26. The Tigers led 21-9 after one quarter, and the Bobcats trailed 36-19 at the half, but the second half saw Thrall’s defense shut down the Bobcat offense. Chaparral managed just seven points in the final two periods. Proctor led all scorers with 24 points, while Meiske dropped in a dozen.
On the tournament’s second day, the Tigers faced the Johnson City Eagles. Ethan Dahl scored a season-high 23 points to help lead the Tigers to a 70-50 win.
Thrall held a 29-8 lead after one period and coasted to their third win and a sweep of their pool. Proctor complimented Dahl’s efforts with an 18-point performance, and Walker added 10 for the Tigers.
Saturday was bracket play for the Tigers.
Their semifinal opponents were the host Florence Buffaloes.
The Tigers had little trouble dispatching the Buffaloes, rolling to a 54-21 win.
The Tigers balanced offensive output, which has served them well all season, complimented their defensive efforts in the win. The Tigers held a 30-7 halftime lead and continued to pull away in the second half. Walker led the Tigers’ offensive output with 18 points, while Meiske and Proctor scored 13 and 10, respectively.
In the finals, Thrall faced a familiar foe in the Holland Hornets. And, while the Hornets were able to keep the game close through the first period, once the Tigers’ offense got on a roll, the outcome of the game was no longer in question.
Thrall held a 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter but outscored the Hornets 20-10 in the second period, and took a 37-25 lead into the half. The teams matched each other point-for-point in the third period, so the Tigers held a 50-38 lead going into the final stanza. The Tigers’ offense exploded for 22 fourth-quarter points, while the defense held the Hornets to nine, to secure the win.
“The kids are really working together on both ends of the floor and playing very teamoriented basketball,” Tindol said. “I’ve been impressed with our efforts” Thrall traveled to Georgetown on Tuesday night to face off with the Eagles’ junior varsity and will host Florence on Friday, before beginning district play next Tuesday at Granger.
