MUMFORD—Things began to look bleak for the Tigers, who led for much of their Wednesday afternoon matchup with North Hopkins, when the Panthers went up 43-42 with about four minutes left in their tournament opener.
Earlier, the Blue-and-Gold opened the game blazing, as junior David Penny scored nine points in the first quarter, helping give his team a double-digit lead.
But their opponent, who started the week as Class 2A’s 11th-ranked team, battled back, making the fourth quarter’s final moments a nail-biter for spectators.
The quarter concluded with RHS senior Rober t Owens bank ing a three-pointer off the glass to tie the game at 51. As the final four seconds ticked off the clock, the Tiger bench roared as they officially headed into overtime.
After the end of regulation, the Blue-and-Gold took control and went on to win, 60-55.
With a morale-boosting win, times eventually got tough later in the day for the Blue-and-Gold. Against Big Sandy, Class 2A’s eighthranked team, the Tigers struggled against a deep Wildcat team that was dominant in the paint, whether they were scoring or rebounding. RHS would fall, 63-44. The next day, Rockdale lost to Class 6A A&M Consolidated’s junior varsity squad, 72-56 but picked up a second tournament victory in Mumford over Brazos Christian School, 47-40.
For head coach Sean Lexima, the tournament was a success.
“Ultimately, I think my guys were able to figure out how to win,” he said. “We went 2-2 against some decent teams and we were able to play some people who have not been getting much playing time.”
Lexima also said that many kids had a chance to develop at different positions, giving them an opportunity to grow even more. “Overall, I think my guys did great dealing with some adverse situations,” he said. “They are turning a corner.” THIS WEEK— The Tigers resumed dist r ict play on Tuesday after press time in McGregor and face fourthranked Lorena on Friday in the RHS Gymnasium.
The Leopards opened district play with a 57-52 road win over McGregor and traveled to the Dallas- Fort Worth Metroplex over the holidays to play in the Allen Tournament. While in the suburbs, Lorena bounced back in the second half to take down Class 5A Liberty Hill, 61-58 and also beat fellow Class 5A program Corsicana, 50-42. The Leopards also went head-to-head with Mexia, the tenth-ranked team in Class 3A. MHS ran away with the victory, 52-51.
RHS has a record of 0-1 in district play after falling in the final seconds to Lexington on Dec. 20, 64-62.
LADY TIGERS— Down in Bastrop, the Blue-and-Gold didn’t get a win in their six games played at the G.M. Blackman tournament. However, every school they faced was either a Class 5A or 6A program.
First-year coach Danielle Froggatt said that she believed her team held their own and did well when being tested against tough competitors.
“I wanted to put them in some difficult situations in order to help them learn how to respond to different situations,” she said. “We were mostly without Ciara Miles for much of the tournament, but it proved to be a great time for the rest of the team to step up.”
The Lady Tigers faced Bastrop, Del Valle, Elgin, Austin-Anderson, Round Rock-McNeil and Austin- LBJ at the tourney.
THIS WEEK— Like the Tigers, the Lady Tigers went to McGregor on Tuesday after this week’s Reporter deadline and host a ranked Lorena squad on Friday evening.
The Lady Leopards have a record of 19-4 and are 14th in the Texas Girls’ Coaches Association poll that was made public Tuesday morning. They are undefeated through their first three district games with wins over Lexington (67-12), Rogers (57-30) and McGregor (5922).
Tip-off between the two schools is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
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