Tigers overpower Leopards in basketball opener
Five Tigers score in double figures in convincing win
Photo by Rachel Lewis
Guard R.J. Reid drives the lane against a host of DeQueen defenders in the first game of the 2015-2016 basketball season.
November 24, 2015
The Tigers routed the DeQueen Leopards on Nov. 24 at the Tiger Center for their season opener.
“It could have been better,” forward Dominic Hooper said. “We started off slow. Our defense didn’t seem to be where it was at but we picked it up at the end of the game.”
The boys started off the game with by using a full court press to create turnovers. This threw the Leopards into a loop and allowed the Tigers to build a 20-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
“We came out slow,” forward Jacoryon Larry said. “We know we could’ve done better. We weren’t playing to our full potential.”
The Tigers continued to dominate both sides of the ball in the second quarter. Midway through the second quarter, the Leopards gained their footing with a 5-0 run, but was still unable to stop the Tigers offense. By the end of the first half, the score was 48-26. Tiger guard RJ Reid and Leopards guard Tyler Miller both led their respective teams in scoring with nine points apiece.
The game started getting out of it Leopard’s reach in the third quarter. Once the second half started, the Tigers went on an 11-0 run. The Tiger defense clamped down the Leopards, as they surrendered only 10 points in the quarter. As the third quarter drew to a close, the Tigers built a 38 point lead, 74-36.
“I’d say everybody came out way harder,” Reid said. “The intensity was there. We started making more plays on defense. We weren’t fouling as much, and we moved the ball around which got people open shots.”
The Tigers cruised through the fourth quarter after mounting the huge lead. The final score was 94-49.
“Even though we scored 94, it still was a bad game.” Larry said. “We could have done way better.”
Tigers guard Lavon Brown paced the Tigers with 17 points. Guards Stephen Austin and Reid scored 15 and 11 points respectively. Larry and forward Jacobi Brewer added 10 apiece.
The Tigers next play the Northwood Falcons on Dec. 1 at the Tiger Center.
“[We need to work on our] intensity,” Reid said. “Intensity is the number one thing. We got to come out hard.”
