The Straughn Lady Tigers continued their quest for the Final Four with a convincing 54-23 win over the Montgomery Catholic Lady Knights Monday night in Straughn.

 

Janelle Nurse got the Lady Tigers on the board first with a layup, and then put them up 5-1 with a 3-pointer a few moments later. Brentley Armstrong made the score 7-2 with a layup, and moments later hit a 3-pointer to put the Lady Tigers up 10-2. Katelyn Kinsaul was the next Lady Tiger to connect from downtown. Kinsaul’s 3-pointer put the Lady Tigers up 13-5 with a minute left in the opening period. Jacie Williamson added a free throw in the final seconds of the first period, and the Lady Tigers led 14-5 heading into the second period.

 

The Lady Tigers continued to assert their dominance in the second period. Kinsaul got a steal to open up the second period, and passed the ball Paige Taylor who passed it back to Kinsaul for a layup. Williamson got the next 2 points for the Lady Tigers with a perfect 2-for-2 trip to the free throw line to give the Lady Tigers an 18-5 advantage early in the second. Emily Wood then stretched the lead to 21-7 with a 3-pointer at the five-minute mark. Wood got a steal on the ensuing possession, and was fouled sending her to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. Wood connected on the front end of the one-and-one, but missed the second shot. Taylor had a beautiful assist on a bounce pass through traffic that found Armstrong alone under the net for an easy basket. The Lady Tigers led 25-9 with just over one minute left in the second period. Kinsaul added the final four points of the period for the Lady Tigers with a 2-for-2 trip to the free throw line, and then put up a buzzer beater to give them a 29-9 lead at halftime.

 

Taylor started the third period off with another assist. This time it was to Williamson to give the Lady Tigers a 31-9 lead. Kinsaul added a layup off a steal seconds later. Kinsaul then got an assist with a dish to Williamson to put the Lady Tigers up 35-9. Bailey Wilson got her first points of the game with a 3-pointer to give them a 40-12 lead. The Lady Knights added 2 more points at the end of the period, and trailed the Lady Tigers 40-14 heading into the final period.

 

Wood opened up the third period with a quick bucket to give the Lady Tigers a 42-14 lead. Kinsaul swiped another ball from an unsuspecting Lady Knight, and took it the other way for an easy layup. Williamson then widened the margin a bit more with a 3-pointer. Sarah Kate Shiver got her first points of the night, and put the Lady Tigers up 49-14. Wilson connected on her second 3-pointer to give the Lady Tigers a 52-16 lead. The Lady Knights would score few late, but the Lady Tigers advanced to regionals with a 54-23 victory.

 

Williamson led the Lady Tigers with 15 points, and Kinsaul finished the night with 13 points.

 

“Happy to win,” Lady Tigers’ head coach Scott Kinsaul said. “I’m still not pleased with the way we shot the ball, but the defense did such a great job tonight. Our senior leadership really stood out tonight. They were focused and wanted to win the last home game of their Straughn careers. I’m proud to be playing in Dothan for the third straight year.”

 

The Lady Tigers will face the UMS-Wright Lady Bulldogs at 12 p.m. Saturday in Dothan.