Tigers lose to Hot Springs
Summer Crosby
The St. Regis Tigers played against Hot Springs Savage Heat on Friday. At tip off, the ball went to the visiting team, who put the first points on the board. The Tigers scored their first two points of the night with a free throw made by Shad Hotchkiss, the score 2-3 at 5:30. However, shooting from the outside, the Savage Heat managed two three-point shots in a row, and then scored a shot from the foul line, putting the Tigers down by eight points halfway through the first quarter.
The Tigers weren’t about to let their opponent pull away from them. The team was playing cautiously, taking shots when they were open and being pressured to ignore the urge to shoot as the crowd cried out from the bleachers. Hotchkiss scored three points with an outside shot, but the Savage Heat closed in and made two more points. James Jennings scored three points in the last minute and the Tigers ended the first quarter down by only four, 8-12.
Things were looking good for the Tigers in the first half of the second quarter. They came out to score the first two points, slowing the game down at the basket, despite the pressure from Hot Springs. Then at 4:30, Jennings scored his second three-point shot and the score was 13-14. However, that would be the last of the points that the Tigers would score and through a combination of layups and free throws, Hot Springs ended the second quarter with a nine point lead over the Tigers, 13-22.
The Tigers would only manage five points in the first quarter of the second half. Jennings scored his third three-point shot from the outside, while a layup gave them two more points. Missed free throws and turnovers would allow the Savage Heat to score ten points on the Tigers, ending the third quarter ahead, 17-32.
The fourth quarter would prove tough for the Tigers. Coming out, the Savage Heat scored the first two points at 6:16, forcing turnovers as they snagged the ball and took it straight down the their basket. The visiting team managed another two points, before Jennings put two points on the board for the Tigers. At 5:00, they were down 20 points, 19-39 and it was going to get worse. The Tigers didn’t manage another point until 2:30 were left in play. Zane Worrall scored a two free throw points, putting the last points on the board for the Tigers. Hot Springs wasn’t finished, however, and they scored another 10 points, beating the Tigers by 25 points, 24-49.
The Tigers struggled with weak rebounding during the fourth quarter and found themselves once again behind significantly halfway through the third quarter, in a position where it was difficult to catch up. However, for the most part, the boys played a pretty good game against the Hot Springs team. The boys didn’t fare so well against Lincoln on Saturday and lost. They managed a total of only nine points, while Lincoln won with 57.
The boys will play against Two Eagle on February 4 at home and then travel on Saturday to play Noxon.