CASEY GEORG
Special to the Press
LULING — The Thrall Tigers (26-5) accomplished something
Tuesday night that hadn’t been done since 2012: record a playoff victory. The Tigers’ 66-47 win over the Blooming Bobcats (219) ended a seven-game playoff losing streak and sent the Tigers into the area round against the Evadale Pirates (26-12).
As has been the case most of the season, a balanced scoring attack helped the Tigers secure the win.
Steven Walker finished the night with 20 points, along with 11 rebounds to lead all scorers. Breken Proctor scored 16, and Dawson Meiske scored 15 points and led the team in rebounds with 14.
The Tigers trailed just once. Bloomington scored on a short jumper to take a 9-8 lead with 3:59 to play in the opening period, but Steven Walker’s steal and fast-break dunk put Thrall ahead to stay. The Bobcats kept it close, but Payton Gillmore’s running jumper just before time expired gave the Tigers a 22-17 lead after one quarter.
Bloomington went cold from the field in the second quarter, hitting just two of 15 shots. The shooting slump allowed the Tigers to extend their lead, outscoring the Bobcats 15-5 in the period and taking a 37-22 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Bobcats cut into the Thrall lead in the third quarter after a 17-11 scoring edge. But, the Tigers still held a comfortable 48-39 lead entering the final period. Walker scored six in the third quarter for the Tigers, while Proctor dropped in five.
The fourth quarter saw the momentum swing back to the Tigers’ side of the court. Thrall hit eight of 13 shots from the field in the fourth and outscored the Bobcats 18-8 over the game’s final eight minutes.
Thrall shot 44% from the field for the game, while Bloomington hit 33%. The Tigers also enjoyed a 48-32 advantage in rebounding.
Thrall has been playing their best basketball of the season since their loss to Hearne in mid-February. Against Evadale, the Tigers could be facing their toughest competition of the season, to this point. The game was scheduled for Katy Tompkins High School on Friday night. The winner will face Holland or Big Sandy on either Monday or Tuesday.
