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‘We want to make history’: Lady Tigers advance to quarter-finals
Blake Howarth, the Head Coach of the Nevada Lady Tigers, has one goal in mind; break records. After a tough battle against the St. Michael’s Guardians on Tuesday evening, they have a chance to do that once again. The Nevada Lady Tigers advance to the quarter-final rounds after beating the Guardians 49-37.
“I just wanted this for the girls,” stated Howarth after the game. “The girls have worked so hard. They put so much time in, and so the time that they've put in over the last literally four months is paying off. I'm just happy for them. Once again, I said this the other day, I wouldn’t want to spend this time and share this with anybody else. I want to continue to share this. I love it. Super, super happy for them and Nevada as a community.”
“The Lady Tigers went on a 13 point drive, keeping the St. Michael’s Guardians scoreless within the halfway point in the fourth quarter, until St. Michael’s called their first time out to talk things over. They did manage to score four, making it 13-4 at the end of the quarter.
Coming into the second quarter though, the Guardians weren’t missing any shots, as they scored eight unanswered points against Nevada, making it 13-12, with Nevada barely ahead. That was until Nevada scored 11 more points, with Johnson, Phillips, and Majors contributing. That led the Lady Tigers to lead 24-17 into the important halftime break.
Going into the third quarter, the Guardians once again threatened Nevada on scoring, when they were only down by a two point shot (26-24) halfway through the third period. Nevada did gain back momentum, even with several traveling calls. Even though the Lady Tigers never did give up the lead, they were outscored when they scored 11 more points in the quarter as St. Michaels scored 12, with a score of 35-29 with Nevada still in charge.
Fourth time’s a charm, and that's what happened in the fourth and final quarter for the Lady Tigers. They held the Guardians to only two points, as they scored eight unanswered points to take a 10 point lead with two minutes remaining. The Lady Tigers' largest point lead in the evening with 50 seconds left, when they took a 14 point lead over the Guardians. St. Michaels then made their final substitutions of the game. Nevada wins 49-37, and will move on to the State Quarter-finals game.
“The game of basketball is all about momentum,” Haworth commented. “There are swings that happen throughout. So when teams get on that momentum and those runs, you have to be able to weather it.”
Now the Lady Tigers shift their focus to the Benton Lady Cardinals, who are 25-3 on the year, and will play the Lady Tigers on Saturday afternoon in Sedalia, Mo. Coach Howarth explains what the game plan is to get a victory in the quarter-finals.
“I don't know anything about them. I've been taking one game at a time. We'll scout them, prepare ourselves, and just see what happens. At this point, we're making a lot of history and making a lot of noise in Southwest Missouri. We have to continue to do that, and whatever happens - happens. We have to put ourselves in the best position that we can.”