Lady Tigers suffer pair of road defeats upon return from break

With Christmas break in its rearview, the Nevada Lady Tigers returned to the court Monday night as they faced the Butler Lady Bears in a non-conference road contest, falling 58-48.

In its second non-conference road game of the week, the Lady Tigers were defeated by Seneca 53-32 Tuesday, bringing their record to 3-7 overall.

Vs. Butler

The Lady Tigers trailed 8-6 at the conclusion of the first quarter. Nevada then kicked it into another gear, outscoring the Lady Bears 20-13 in the second quarter.

With around three minutes remaining in the half, Lady Tiger freshman point guard Calli Beshore buried a 3-pointer, capping a 12-0 run as Nevada went on top 24-16.

Butler then went on a 5-0 blitz, before Lady Tiger sophomore guard Hailey Jackson drove in for a lay-up just before the buzzer, as Nevada led 26-21 at halftime.

The Lady Tigers were unable to maintain its momentum, as they were outscored 16-5 in the third and 21-17 in the fourth for the final 10-point margin.

"In the second half, we weren't knocking down shots and were turning the ball over," Nevada head coach Brent Bartlett said.

"(During one stretch), we were 2-of-10 from the free throw line. Being up and down ---- it's a sign of youth."

Contributing to Butler's victory was its success on the glass,.

"We need to become a better rebounding team," Bartlett said. "I think Teagan Charles is becoming a rebounding-machine, but we have to have other girls step up and rebound also."

For Nevada, Beshore finished with a game-high 16 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers.

"Calli I thought played a tremendous game," Bartlett said. Bartlett added, that at times other team-members weren't looking to score, as they relied too heavily on Beshore to shoulder the scoring load.

Nevada guard Payge Dahmer added 13 points; Charles, 7; Jackson, 6. Brooke Sargent, Emily Johnson, and Kat Ream chipped in with 2 points apiece.

Bartlett said his squad put it all together in the second quarter, as it was the best eight minutes of play he has seen from his young team this season.

"We had a great second quarter defensively," Bartlett said. "We also took care of the ball and started knocking down shots."

Bartlett said the Lady Tigers are steadily improving.

"We've made some great strides since our last game (before Christmas break)," he said. "We handled the press better, our offense was more organized, and our defense kept Butler off-balance."

Bartlett continued, "We played until the final buzzer. There's no quit in this team ---- that's why I love them."

Bartlett said he is excited about the potential his team holds, as the Lady Tigers showed glimpses of what their capable of, especially in the second quarter. Currently, Nevada's roster is comprised heavily of freshman and sophomores.

"The thing of it is ---- we all want success right now," Bartlett said. "And I do (as well) because I love this team and want them to win right now. But with a young team like this, it's a process and will take some time."

Bartlett added that he continues to be pleased with how hard the Lady Tigers are working to get better.

Vs. Seneca

Tuesday night at Seneca, the Lady Tigers jumped out to a quick start, as center Kat Ream dropped in the first four points of the game, with both buckets assisted by Beshore to hand Nevada a 4-0 advantage.

Seneca's first points of the night came on a Chaney Platner trey, followed by a Dahmer lay-in to put Nevada in front 6-3.

From there, Seneca ripped off a 15-0 extended run, capped a by a Miranda Cooper offensive rebound and put back to give the Lady Indians an 18-6 advantage.

Cooper, who poured in 31 points against the Lady Tigers during their first meeting at the Carl Junction Classic in late November, was held out of the first quarter due to an absence from a recent practice.

Trailing 20-8, Nevada went on a 6-0 mini-run, as an Emily Johnson offensive rebound and lay-in off a missed free throw trimmed its deficit to 20-14.

The Lady Tigers were unable to get any closer, as Seneca closed out the half on a 5-1 spurt to go up 25-15 at the half.

Seneca came out hot in the second half, opening the third quarter on a 10-4, eventually going on top by 17 as the third quarter horn sounded.

A Beshore trey midway through the final frame cut into Seneca's lead as the Lady Tigers trailed 43-27. A Platner old-fashioned 3-point play, however, extended Seneca's lead to 19.

Kayleigh Hancock's triple then gave Seneca its largest lead of the contest at 49-27 with 2:55 remaining in regulation.

For Nevada, Beshore concluded her evening with a game-high 14 points, followed by Dahmer with 11. For Seneca, Platner dropped in a team-high 13 points, while Hancock pitched in with 11.

Junior varsity

The Lady Tigers junior varsity team knocked off Butler 42-36 Monday night. The JV Lady Tigers (7-3 overall) followed up with a 34-31 victory over Seneca on Tuesday, as Lani Coonrod finished with a team-high 12 points.

Up next

The Lady Tigers return to the court Friday for its third road game of the week, as they face Warrneburg in a West Central Conference matchup, with tip off set for approximately 7 p.m.