CASEY GEORG Special to the Press
THRALL — A week after suffering their first loss of the season, the Thrall Tigers (19-1 overall, 2-0 District 27-2A) got back on track with a 60-36 win over the Bartlett Bulldogs (5-11, 1-1) Tuesday night.
Thrall had enjoyed a balanced scoring attack all season and Tuesday was no exception. In the opening period, Ethan Dahl dropped in six points for the Tigers, while Steven Walker scored five and Breken Proctor tallied four. Walker finished the night as the top scorer with 21 points, while Dahl accounted for 18 of the Tigers’ total.
The Tigers took control from the start, building an 11-2 lead in the first three and a half minutes of the opening period. Walker’s three-pointer got the ball rolling and dominant play in the lane kept the momentum on Thrall’s end of the court. By the end of the quarter, the Tigers held a 16-4 advantage.
Bartlett’s offense finally began to hit the mark in the second period. But, the Bulldogs were unable to close the gap on the Tigers. Darien Carter scored six of his eight points on the night, in the second period as Bartlett put 10 on the board, but the Tigers answered with 11, paced by Dawson Meiske’s four. The slight edge gave the Tigers a 27-14 lead at the half.
Thrall’s offense exploded in the third quarter. Dahl scored 10 in the quarter, while Walker chipped in eight, and the Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 24-6 in the period. Thrall hit 44 percent from the field in the quarter, while their defense held Bartlett to just 16 percent.
In addition to Walker and Dahl’s output, Meiske scored nine points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds. Walker and Dahl also contributed on the boards with eight each. The Tigers, who have outrebounded most of their opponents this season, did so again on Tuesday, pulling down 46 boards to Bartlett’s 29.
The Tigers traveled to Holland (12-5, 2-0) on Friday. Thrall topped Holland twice in the Florence tournament last month, but the Hornets typically play better on their home floor.
