Smithville Lady Tigers Dominate Luling 60-41

By Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

We did not get a roster with the full names of our Lady Tigers, so for some players we only listed a first initial as their first name. We will update the full names as soon as we get the roster. We apologize for not being prepared. 

The Smithville Lady Tigers basketball team beat the Luling Eagles in a dominant 60-41 win Friday night in Tiger Gym.

Senior point guard Sydnie Brenner led all scorers with 23 points, including two 3-pointers and seven points from the free-throw line. Sophomore Camille Garcia had a strong game with 11 points.

“We're having young ones stepping up and doing things that they're not used to doing, and that just shows that their teammates trust them and builds a little bit of confidence,” head coach Jaimie Kadlecek said after the game. “And that's what's most important in the preseason right now, for them to get comfortable and learn how to play together.”

The Eagles started the game with a full-court press, something they used for much of the game. Kadlecek said they’ve seen that a lot this year as a way to stop Brenner.

“They know that Sid is going to be our go-to person, so they're going to try and shut her down,” Kadlecek said. “We know that's a game plan, so I'm trying to get the other ones more comfortable handling the ball.”

Smithville started the game strong and took an early lead before Luling tied it at 6-6. But the Eagles went on a tear, taking a 10-6 lead before Brenner hit a shot and a free throw to get the lead back.

Garcia had a nice steal she took to the house for a layup to extend the lead to 16-11 and end the first quarter.

In the second quarter the Lady Tigers did a great job of distributing the ball, with five players scoring. The Lady Tigers defense held Luling to just seven points in the second quarter, extending the lead to 28-18.

In the third quarter, the Lady Tigers offense erupted for 20 points. Brenner opened the frame with a bucket and followed up with a four-point play after she was fouled on a 3-pointer.

Senior K. Tiner added six points of her own in the third—including a layup off a steal—and finished the game with eight. She was awarded Bob the Builder, the team mascot, after the game by her teammates in her first game back after taking a few weeks away.

“We're super happy to have her back, and we finally got to see that spark out of her that we haven't seen in a while,” Kadlecek said. “We're really excited she's back, and we're really excited that she had this bust-out game to, you know, start her year back.”

The fourth quarter was close, with the Eagles scoring 10 and the Lady Tigers 12, but it was not enough to come back. With the 60-41 victory, the Lady Tigers improved to 3-1 on the season.

They will take on Yoakum at home Monday, Nov. 24, at 12:30 p.m. in Tiger Gym.