Lady Tigers win district opener, 47-33, over Pine Tree

TEXARKANA, Texas -- Texas High rallied in the second half and won its District 15-5A girls basketball opener.

The Lady Tigers used smothering defense and quick transitions to turn the tide against Pine Tree during THS' 47-33 win Tuesday at Tiger Center.

Down two to start the second half, the Tigers netted the first 12 points of the third quarter to take a double-digit lead with 3:38 left in the third. That margin remained to start the fourth, when Texas High extended its advantage to as many as 17 points, twice.

"We're happy with a win to open district, and we were able to see some of our younger players play the last 3 or 4 minutes of the game," Lady Tiger head coach Shonda Wilson said. "Pine Tree put up a good fight, and we had to go in at halftime, make a few adjustments and play a little better in the second half."

Ashanti Northcross poured in 20 points -- 10 in the final quarter -- to lead the Tiger scorers. Jalyn Golette added eight points, and Ke'Aria Antwine had six.

Northcross and Kemiya Beasley pulled down nine rebounds apiece.

THS shot 46 percent in the second half -- after a 21 percent shooting percentage in the first half. The Tigers finished 22-of-63 for 35 percent from the field.

The Lady PIrates were 11-of-54 for a 20 percent shooting percentage. Mariah Furay scored 10 points for Pine Tree, and Jalen Scroggins and Dasha Sutton had nine rebounds each.

The Pirates held a slight 49-47 advantage in rebounds, but committed 39 turnovers compared to Texas High's 24.

Texas High captured the lead four times in the first half but went into the locker room at intermission down by two (17-15).

The Tigers held the lead at 4-0 before surrendering eight straight points to Pine Tree. In the final 1:10 of the opening quarter, Golette and Northcross each scored on layups to get the score tied at 8 at the first break.

The teams traded the lead six times in the second quarter with two points being the largest deficit either way. Golette and Northcross each had six points for 12 of THS' 15 points in the opening half.

The junior varsity Tigers went on a 21-10 run in the second half to claim a 29-25 win. Spiritual Postlock led the comeback with nine points, and Zoe Vanderhoof scored seven.

Texas High won the freshman game, 30-27. Abbigale Roswell scored nine for the Tigers, and Kate Jones, Calese Finley and Kyndal Lee contributed six points apiece.

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