CASEY GEORG Special to the Press
BROWNWOOD — The Thrall Tigers traveled north to Brownwood for the TexasBank Holiday Classic tournament over the Christmas break. Despite suffering their first loss of the season the Tigers finished second in the three-day event, posting a 3-1 record.
“I think we got what we needed to out of the tournament,” said Thrall Coach Tindol. “We struggled from the field, but I think we handled it well.
I’m proud of how the guys responded to some adversity.”
Thrall opened the tournament with a convincing 55-19 rout of the Gorman Panthers (3-11). Dawson Meiske led the Tigers with 15 points and nine rebounds. Breken Proctor added 10 for the Tigers, while Steven Walker scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.
In their second game of the tournament, the Tigers fell behind San Saba 19-14 after one quarter but outscored the Armadillos (12-9) 23-5 in the second period to take the lead for good.
Once again, the Tigers dominated the paint. Thrall out-rebounded the Armadillos 54-28 and held a 36-20 scoring edge in the lane. Ethan Dahl led the Tigers with 17 points, while Meiske dropped in a dozen. Walker and Proctor added 10 points each to balance out the Tigers’ scoring.
Meiske added 15 rebounds, while Dahl chipped in 12.
Against Waco Meyer (4-8) in the third game of the tournament, the Ravens gave the Tigers a challenge throughout the game but the Tigers won 58-44. Proctor went off for 20 points to pace the Tigers, while Dahl scored 15. Walker finished the night with 10 points. Dahl, Walker and Meiske each pulled down 14 rebounds for Thrall.
The win sent the Tigers into the championship game against the Wellington Skyrockets (9-6). The Skyrockets are currently ranked No.
25 in the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll. Despite a solid second half, the Tigers dropped their first game of the season, 48-45.
Wellington got off to a quick start and led the Tigers 16-10 after one quarter. They were able to extend that lead to 25-16 by halftime, as Thrall struggled from the field.
“We didn’t shoot very well in the first half,” said Tindol. “We struggled to find the range. And, when Wellington had the ball, they were very patient, and made some open shots.”
Dahl drained a three-point jumper from the top of the key to start the fourth quarter and gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 38-36.
Meiske completed a three-point play with just over a minute to play that gave the Tigers their final lead of the game, 45-44. Wellington answered with a three-pointer and added a free throw for the final score. “We’re ready to get back into district play,” Tindol said. “It was good to get this last tournament in, and have some success there, but now it’s time to get down to business.”
Thrall was back on the court Tuesday, hosting the Bartlett Bulldogs. They will travel to Holland on Friday.
