Jan. 25—Tahlequah girls basketball has started to expand its offensive options.
During the first half of the season, there was some inconsistent play on the offensive side of the ball, as the Lady Tigers struggled to settle in on that side of the ball.
With three straight wins over Tulsa-Edison, Stilwell and Catoosa, it is safe to say THS has figured out its scoring dilemma.
Through those three games, the Lady Tigers have seen a lot of points from Lakyn Adams, Carsyn Gilbert and Lauren Stephens as the three main scoring options.
Over the past three games, the trio has combined for 131 points, good for an average of 43.6 points per game or 14.5 ppg per player.
“Anytime you have multiple scoring threats on a team, that is what helps you stay balanced,” Qualls said.
While those three have been the main scorers for the Lady Tigers, the other members of the roster have settled into their roles well.
“Everyone else plays complementary basketball,” Qualls said. “They defend well; [Stephens] rebounded well and got our break started. Riley [Dotson] and Moe [Wilson] played great on defense.”
Early in the Lady Tigers’ game against Catoosa, the Tahlequah offense wasn’t playing well.
Two big bursts were important in keepomg the Lady Tigers in the game. Gilbert scored nine straight points from the first quarter to the start of the second.
The second burst came from Adams in the second quarter.
With only three points through the first three minutes of the quarter, Adams swarmed CHS to give THS momentum.
After hitting a layup, Adams forced back-to-back turnovers for back-to-back baskets.
A foul shot gave the sophomore seven points in the span of a minute.
Adams has shown her ability to go off for a big stretch of points several times this season.
“She always comes out with energy and does a great job on our press,” Qualls said. “It opens up chances for her to score in transition, and that is where she is best.”
A big sign of the Lady Tigers’ maturity is how they have responded to adversity recently. In all three games, THS had spots where they collapsed earlier this season but held on for wins.
Against CHS, the Lady Tigers didn’t have the best offensive game, posting just 25-of-57 points in the first half.
After halftime, the Lady Tigers’ offense was nearly unstoppable, going for 20 points in the third quarter.
“We didn’t shoot well in the first half as a group,” Qualls said. “We didn’t hit a three in the first half, so we had to remain aggressive and continue to shoot. We took shots; we just couldn’t make them, and then in the second half they were going in.”
The Lady Tigers wrap up the Port City Invite on Saturday, Jan. 25.
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