CASEY GEORG Special to the Press
NAVASOTA — At the outset, it appeared the Thrall Tigerettes (22-12) were on their way to another easy playoff win, but the West Hardin Lady Oilers (23-6) had other plans and rallied in the second half. The Tigerettes were able to hold off the Lady Oilers and captured the area championship with a 47-43win Thursday night at Navasota High School.
The first half looked much like Thrall’s bi-district win over Bloomington. The Tigerettes raced out to a big first-half lead and appeared to be cruising to victory. In the first quarter, Ashlyn Jarosek, who led all scorers with 20 points, tallied 10 on the strength of a pair of three-point jumpers. Thrall led 12-0 early in the period and held an 18-8 advantage going into the second quarter.
Thrall’s swarming defense kept West Hardin’s offense frazzled well into the second period. Multiple turnovers allowed the Tigerettes to maintain their double-digit advantage at the half. The Tigerettes scored 13 in the second quarter, while the Lady Oilers put six on the board. Thrall took a 31-14 lead into the break.
As the third quarter got underway, there were signs that West Hardin’s offense was waking up. The Lady Oilers, who struggled to find the range throughout the first half, began to strike from behind the three-point arch. Kyndall Schroeder dropped in a pair of three-pointers, and Kymber Dagle added a third to give the Lady Oilers a 13-9 scoring edge in the third period, cutting the lead to 40-27.
West Hardin continued to fire away from three-point range as the fourth quarter began. Kaylei Armstrong hit two shots from behind the arch, while Dagle and A’Lise Mosley each made a shot from the three-point line, and with 30 seconds remaining in the game, the Lady Oilers had cut the lead to 46-43.
Following a rebound, the Tigerettes went back on offense, intent on running out the clock. West Hardin fouled Jarosek, sending her to the line where she made one of two shots to give the Tigerettes a 47-43 lead with 16 seconds to play. West Hardin had one final shot, but it fell short, and the Tigerettes closed out the win.
In addition to Jarosek’s 20-point effort, the Tigerettes secured nine points from Brynn Leschber and seven from Nevaeh Irvin. West Hardin was led by Armstrong’s 15 points.
Thrall now awaits the winner of Shiner and Big Sandy, who played Friday night at Waller High School, in the regional quarterfinals round. That game will be played either Monday or Tuesday at a yetto- be-determined neutral site. Big Sandy eliminated the Tigerettes in the regional semifinals last year, on their way to the final four.
