Just as it seemed like Coach April Healy's squad would have something to build on following a strong fourth quarter against fifth-ranked Northeast Nodaway, Worth County's girls were hit with two injuries which set them back. Starters Jessica Garrett and Akaysha Ragan both sprained ankles and were out for the tournament. Consequently, Coach Healy had to go to the bench to try to find someone and begin the process of finding some scoring punch all over again.
Against Jefferson, the Tigers actually put more points on the board than in their previous two meetings combined, but they dropped their third meeting against the third-ranked Eagles 64-18. The Tigers surrendered the ball 36 times against the Jefferson squad. Seeing extended playing time for the first time all year were Rebecca Moore, Carli Jackson, Kacey Smyser, and Victoria Rush as Coach Healy was trying to find someone to step up and fill the void created by the loss of their two starters. The Tigers fell behind 20-2 after one quarter and Jefferson continued to pull away the rest of the game. Ashley Reynolds and Rebecca Moore shared scoring honors for the Tigers, getting four points each.
Mound City was little better as Worth County had even more trouble putting points on the board. Nothing was falling for the Tigers, who fell behind 11-2 after one quarter of play and 30-4 at the half as Mound City routed the Tigers 49-8; it was the third time the Tigers were held to 8 points during the season. The Tigers struggled running their offense as they were getting themselves trapped in the corner and dropping passes as well. They were able to draw contact against the Panthers and get to the free throw line, but they missed a ton of shots from the line. Defensively, the Tigers struggled in transition, giving up some easy layups to Mound City and were getting beat on the boards as well.
Among the few bright spots for the Tigers Wednesday night, Lauren Null and Brooke Gilland each took a charge in the second quarter; Null leads the Tigers in that category for the year. Kacey Smyser showed some aggression and some willingness to attack the basket, getting on the line and sharing scoring honors with Gilland with 3 points. Brooke Gilland provided the lone Tiger field goal in the game, a baseline jumper in the second half. And the best thing that came out of the game was that "we played hard and we didn't quit," said Coach April Healy. And as Tiger guard Lauren Null put it, "We can't quit because we have to finish what we started." The challenge for the winless Tigers is to translate that effort into points on the board. They have only had three games in which they have scored more than 20 points in a game. And the road for Worth County will not get any easier as they will face King City (which beat Mound City in the Stanberry Tournament) and GRC powerhouse Hamilton this week.
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