Lady Tigers lose opener at Clark Fork

The St. Regis girls ended up losing to Clark Fork in their opening game last Tuesday, but Coach Janelle Pruitt thought that they played a good game.

“We ended up losing, but I thought it went really good. There was just on bad quarter that really hurt us, but other than that the girls did a good job,” she said.

The girls came out strong in the first quarter. They were only outscored by three points.

“We kept up with their scoring and got some good shots at the basket,” Pruitt said.

It was the second quarter that hurt the Lady Tigers, Pruitt said. She said that after the first quarter had ended, the girls came back in the second a little worn down.

“(Clark Fork) had a good run and we were a little slow adjusting to their defensive measures, which hurt us,” Pruitt said. “(Clark Fork) had plenty of subs on the bench and we were worn down a little.”

The St. Regis girls are playing with a small team again this year and so going up against teams with a lot of depth can be a challenge. Pruitt said that the girls handled Clark Fork really well on Tuesday and managed to stay out of foul trouble and kept five players on the floor at all times.

Moving into the third quarter, the teams were evenly matched, and each only scored four points. During the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers were outscored by four points.

“They were a pretty good team, pretty tough, but I think we will see tougher, especially in out conference,” Pruitt said. “But (Clark Fork) had some veteran players.”

Despite the loss, Pruitt noticed several positive things during the game.

“The girls did a great job with their inside defense and protecting the ball on offense,” Pruitt said. “Our post defense has really improved, but needs some work as well as individual offensive skills.”

Pruitt said that overall she though the girls did a good job on Tuesday against Clark Fork.

Next up, is a game against Alberton.

“I think it should be a good game. I haven’t had a chance to watch them play. I know they’re not strong with numbers, which always helps us,” Pruitt said.

The girls have Alberton at home on Thursday and then play Arlee at home on Saturday.

“Arlee will be a tough game,” Pruitt said. “They’re one of the top two teams and they have a lot of girls and play really physical basketball.”

Pruitt said that she hopes that doesn’t get the team into foul trouble or injury trouble.