The Texas High Tigers defeated the Airline High Vikings in second their match-up at the Red River hoopfest on Dec. 3, 2022 extending their record to 1-3. 

The start of the game was slow, with the ball exchanging from both the tigers and the vikings. Several exchanges led to a three-pointer to go on the score of Texas. 

Airline High struggled to get the ball into the paint to score against the Texas defense. Moving the ball around quickly, they managed to score a few points to take the lead and make the score of the game to 8-5 with 3 minutes left. 

The Tigers quickly responded with a three-pointer off of a fast-break by senior guard, Jaylen Goodwin. This shot tied the game, leaving the score tied 8-8 at the end of the first quarter. 

The Vikings came out fast in the second quarter, moving the ball around their side of the court. Ultimately, they were not finishing at the basket to put points on the board against the Tigers. 

Texas also struggled finishing at the rim. Several offensive rebounds in a row turned into points scored for Airline, giving them the momentum. A technical foul called on sophomore David Potter resulted in the Vikings increasing their lead 14-11 with 4 minutes left in the first half. 

The Tigers called a timeout to re-group and returned to the court with intense energy. They knocked down several three-pointers. However, Airline kept the momentum they had before keeping the score tight and capitalizing on Texas’ errors.

Errors and turnovers got the best of the Tigers, giving the Vikings the lead 31-26 at the end of the first half. 

Texas came out ready to play in the start of the second half, scoring almost immediately. This was followed by a three-pointer by freshman Tyris Crowell to place the momentum of the game into Texas’ hands. 

Both teams exchanged errors and possessions, keeping the score tight. 

To end the third quarter, Goodwin was fouled and given a one and one chance at the free-throw line. These free throws brought Airline to a close lead of 48-46. 

The whistle was consistently blown, stopping the clock and interrupting the originally fast-paced start. 

The Vikings were responding to Texas, but slowed down towards the end giving their opponent the chance to extend their score 67-57 with one minute left in the game. 

Several three’s throughout their run of points gave the Tigers the opportunity to retaliate against Airlines early dominance, resulting in Texas winning with a score of 69-61.

The Tigers will next face off against Greenville on Dec. 6,2022.