Lady Tigers win at El Dorado Springs

EL DORADO SPRINGS, Mo. -- The Nevada Lady Tigers went into action Friday night for the final game in their toughest week of action so far this season as they attempted to spoil Courtwarming for the Lady Bulldogs of El Dorado Springs.

The Lady Tigers came into the contest on a high from their first overtime contest of the year Thursday night against the Lady Bears of Butler. In that contest, the Lady Tigers needed an extra period to earn their 13th win of the year by a final score of 66-58.

Lauren Klinksick led the offensive effort for Nevada with a career-high 20 points in the contest. For Butler, Breezy McGuire scored more than half of the Lady Bears' points as she led all scorers with 30.

Friday night's contest was just as tough a battle as the Lady Tigers entered their fourth game in five nights, taking on a very young and talented Lady Bulldogs team. With just one senior, head coach Beau Swopes' Lady Bulldogs (9-11) sport a roster that is heavily dominated by a large crop of very athletic underclassmen, but were still able to give the Lady Tigers all they could handle in a 53-47 defeat.

"It was physical. I'll tell you, it was a good Nevada-Eldo matchup," Lady Tigers head coach Brent Bartlett said.

The Lady Bulldogs finished a very busy week of their own Friday night as they were playing their third game in four nights. El Dorado Springs was not able to enjoy the same success as the Lady Tigers throughout the week, however, as they ultimately dropped all three of those contests.

Friday night's contest got off to a very quick start for both sides as the fast-paced offense that the Lady Tigers have become known for was matched and even beaten on a few occasions by the starting five of El Dorado Springs. Both teams seemed content to stay in that fast-paced game and that ultimately resulted in six first-quarter lead changes and three ties. "I was leery to play that way, but our defense did what we had to do to win the game," Bartlett said.

The Lady Tigers eventually gained a measure of control in what was quickly becoming a very physical contest late in the opening period to take a 14-10 lead into the second quarter. The Lady Bulldogs continued to apply pressure on Nevada's defense throughout the remainder of the first half, keeping up one of the more physical contests that Bartlett's Lady Tigers have seen this season.

Turnovers quickly became a major course of issue for the Lady Bulldogs as Nevada's defense continued to keep the pressure on throughout the first half, allowing the Lady Tigers to cling to a slim 24-21 lead at the break. Neither team shot well from the field in the first half as Nevada converted on just eight of their 34 field goal attempts -- 23.5 percent -- to El Dorado Springs' 9-for-23.

Turnovers continued to plague the Lady Bulldogs as the second half began. The Lady Tigers were able to take advantage of two consecutive Lady Bulldog turnovers to start the second half to begin to grab a measure of control in the contest.

The Lady Bulldogs refused to go down without a fight, however, and continued to stay within striking distance until early in the fourth quarter when the Lady Tigers began to pick up from the field. Two consecutive fourth-quarter 3-pointers by Lauren Klinksick and Lexi Johnson eventually allowed the Lady Tigers to open up a double-digit lead late in the game and seemingly seal the victory. "Those were the big plays of the game," Bartlett said.

The Lady Tigers were able to build their lead up to as much as 12 points in the fourth quarter, but struggles at the free-throw line allowed El Dorado Springs to claw their way back into the game before eventually falling short by a final score of 53-47.

Senior Heather Thomas led the offensive effort for the Lady Tigers as she finished the night with 12 points, followed closely by Tiffani Long with 11 and Klinksick with 10.

The Lady Tigers' junior varsity had similar luck on the night as they picked up a 44-26 victory for their 12th win in 13 games this season.

With that win, the Lady Tigers improved their record to 14-5 on the year and are set to be back in action on Monday as they head back out on the road to face Kansas City Renaissance Academy.