Lady Tigers Take Sixth at La Plata Tourney

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By: Corey Stott

LA PLATA, Mo.- 1/30-2/3/23- The Scotland County Lady Tigers have had a bit of a roller coaster season, and the up and down ride continued last week as they played their way through the La Plata Tournament bracket.

The ride started on Monday night with a tough matchup against the sixth-ranked team in Missouri Class 1 Girls Basketball, the North Shelby Lady Raiders. When the opening round dust had settled, the Lady Raiders had sent the Lady Tigers to the consolation side of the bracket with a 64-28 dominant win that showed why they had earned that state ranking.

Wednesday brought an early tip time for the seventh-seeded Lady Tigers. They had a 4:30 appointment with the sixth-seeded Lady Midgets of Putnam County. They gym was nearly empty and extremely unenergetic, and the play on the floor somewhat reflected that. Both teams seemed flat and got off to slow starts.

In the first quarter, Scotland County got off to an 8-2 lead over the first four minutes of the period. By the time the quarter had ended, the Lady Tigers had outscored Putnam County 14-2. That quarter would prove to be the difference in the game.

The second period featured even scoring, with Scotland County outscoring Putnam County 9-8. They maintained the lead 23-10 over the Lady Midgets at the half.

The third quarter was again pretty even, with Scotland County outscoring Putnam County 11-8. As the period wore on, Putnam County began to attack the rim and get to the free throw line. That resulted in the Lady Tigers battling late foul trouble. The Lady Tigers maintained their advantage 34-18 after three.

The final quarter turned into a free throw contest. Both teams combined shot 21 free throws, with the Lady Tigers going 10 of 15 from the stripe, while the Lady Midgets went 3 of 6. Scotland County closed out the game with a 48-32 win that sent them to the consolation final.

Abby Doster led all scorers with 11 points. Karley Seaton had 10 for Putnam County. Scotland County’s scoring was rounded out by Paige Bishop with 10, Bryn Aylward nine, Emma Harvey eight, Kwyn Hamlin six and Carlee Smith with four points.

The girls’ consolation final tipped off at 5 pm Friday night and featured the Lady Tigers and the Atlanta Lady Hornets. Scotland County controlled the opening tip and got the first bucket on the second possession with a Bishop steal and layin. Atlanta answered 20 seconds later with a three-pointer and led 3-2.

Bishop then tied the game at six with a baseline jumper at the 2:45 mark. Doster tied the game at eight just 30 seconds later. A Kyley Magers layup gave the Lady Hornets a 10-8 lead with 1:30 to go in the first. They closed out the quarter leading 13-8.

Bishop got the second quarter rolling for Scotland County with a running jumper in the paint. Midway through the period, Bishop tied the game at 17 with another jumper from the free throw line. There were three more lead changes or ties in the period. Atlanta led 24-20 at the half.

The third quarter saw both teams’ offenses grind to a virtual standstill. The Lady Tigers didn’t get a bucket until the 3:30 mark of the period. Charlee Holland tied the game at 24 with a layup just seconds later. Those two buckets would be the only points for Scotland County in the third quarter. Magers gave Atlanta a 26-24 lead just 20 seconds after the Holland layup. The Lady Hornets never trailed again. They ended the quarter leading 28-24.

The fourth quarter saw foul trouble again begin to bite the Lady Tigers. Doster fouled out of the game at the 6:16 mark. Atlanta ran off 14 unanswered points over the first five minutes of the quarter. A Bishop jumper from the free throw line broke the Lady Tiger scoring drought. Scotland County had gone 8 ½ minutes without a point. The Lady Hornets outscored the Lady Tigers 16-4 in the final frame and won the consolation trophy 44-28.

Magers led all scorers with 23 points. Bishop led Scotland County with 12 points, Doster had five, Hamlin scored four, Holland had three, and Smith and Harvey had two apiece.