CLIFTON — The Thrall Tigerettes varsity basketball team opened play at the Clifton Holiday Tournament with a solid 50-38 victory over Mineral Wells before dropping a defensive battle to host Clifton, 34-27, on Monday, Dec. 29.
Mineral Wells
Thrall used a dominant third-quarter performance to pull away from Mineral Wells and secure the double-digit win in its tournament opener, outscoring the Rams 16-5 in the decisive period.
The Tigerettes set the tone early, jumping out to a 17-12 lead after the first quarter. Thrall maintained control in the second quarter, edging Mineral Wells 10-9 to take a 27-21 advantage into halftime.
Senior guard Kinley Hoffman and senior Nevaeh Irvin continued to be key contributors for Thrall, leading the charge during a pivotal 16-5 run in the third quarter that effectively put the game out of reach. The Tigerettes’ defense forced turnovers and limited secondchance opportunities during the stretch, while the offense capitalized in transition.
With the outcome secured, Thrall was able to rotate players in the fourth quarter, gaining valuable experience while closing out the 12-point victory.
Clifton
The Tigerettes were unable to carry that momentum into their second game of the day, as they struggled offensively in a 34-27 loss to Clifton. The 27 points marked Thrall’s secondlowest scoring output of
the season. Thrall opened the game with a layup from Hoffman, but Clifton answered immediately with a 3-pointer to take an early 3-2 lead. The Cubs followed with a 6-1 run to go ahead 9-3 late in the first quarter before Thrall closed the period with a pair of free throws from Irvin to cut the deficit to 9-5.
The second quarter turned into a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to find consistent offense. Junior guard Anistin Procter provided a spark late in the half, knocking down a last-second floater to send Thrall into the break trailing 12-9.
Scoring picked up slightly in the third quarter, but Clifton continued to build separation, using an 11-5 run to extend its lead to 23-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Thrall attempted to mount a comeback in the final period, but the Tigerettes were unable to generate enough offense to close the gap.
Following the split, Thrall moved to 11-9 overall and 0-1 in district play. The Tigerettes closed out tournament action on Tuesday and are scheduled to return to action at Rogers at 6:15 p.m.
