The Tioga Lady Bulldogs basketball team earned their first win of the season, defeating the S&S Consolidated Lady Rams 37-31 on Tuesday night.
The Lady Bulldogs pounced on their opponents early in the game, forcing multiple turnovers and building a double- digit lead that proved to be more than the Lady Rams could overcome.
“Getting the first win of the season is always a super happy moment,” said Ragan Smith, Tioga head girls basketball coach. “We had one day of practice with our press [defense], and our girls went out there and executed well. Until you get into basketball shape, it’s hard to execute for a full four quarters, but when we had fresh legs, we looked good in our press. We also looked good running our offense and had a lot of open looks at the basket. We have a lot to build on and a lot of growth that we still need to achieve, but overall, I’m really happy with the way we looked tonight.”
Tioga hit the hardwood running and gunning, opening the game with a 9-0 scoring run and holding an 11-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs continued to smother the Lady Rams with stiff defense and poured on the points, outscoring their opponent 14-5 in the second quarter and holding a 24-9 lead at the half.
Despite the fast start, Tioga’s aggressive defense led to foul trouble in the second half, allowing S&S to find its footing and go on a 9-5 run in the third quarter, cutting the Lady Bulldogs’ lead to nine points, 29-18, as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
The two teams continued to trade buckets in the final quarter, with the Lady Rams gaining the scoring edge, closing out the game with a 13-8 run, but the Lady Bulldogs held on to win 37-31.
Junior point guard Ella Norwood credited the win to the team’s preparation.
“We come into practice ready, and we went over a lot of our press break and our pressing the last couple of days, which showed a lot in the game tonight,” she said. “For us only having a day of practice, we went in and executed it well, which highlights that we are a hard-working team and that we can really do anything we put our minds to.”
Junior guard Zoey Hodge echoed her teammates’ sentiments on the win.
“We played well as a team,” she said. “We still have some things to work out, like learning our roles, but overall, I think we’re going to have a great year this year.”
The Lady Bulldogs’ win also marks Smith’s first career win as a head coach, and she shared her appreciation for the moment.
“Ten-year-old me is really proud of 34-yearold me,” she said through tears. “… It’s huge to get my first win. I’ve dreamed of this day, and to be able to do it with this group of kids just means the world to me. I’ve never had a group of kids that I click with like this. I feel like we really get each other, so to be able to have this team be the one to earn that first win for me is special.”
The Lady Bulldogs return to the hardwood to face Dodd City at 5 p.m. Friday in Tioga.
