By Trent Friedel
Saint Mary’s Lady Tigers and Tigers returned home last week to play host to the Stanley Panthers from Logansport. The men’s team was coming off an impressive run in the Tioga tournament and the ladies are trying to find some rhythm. The girls took to the court first and just could not get their shots to fall in the basket.
They struggled and Stanley would yield no mercy. Panther’s Alex Crawford was on fire from behind the arch hitting seven three-point shots. MaKayla Williams added 24 points and it proved to be too much for the Tigers. Stanley kept their starters in for the majority of the game and cruised to a 67-47 victory.
The Tigers reversed the fortune of the Panthers in the second game of the evening. The Tigers had a 10 point lead at the end of the first quarter, 22-12. The big man in the middle, Thomas Howell, was too much for the Panthers. The first half ended with a 17 point Tiger lead and the deficit would grow in the second half. Some of the young Tigers would see action with about 5 minutes to play and continued to score against the Panthers. Jared Elie and Jordan White were productive in the waning minutes. The story of the night and the season to this point is the play of Thomas Howell.
The sophomore continues to impress with his play in the paint and in the words of Dick Vitale, he is a “dipper dandy.” Howell scored 33 points, snagged 14 rebounds, blocked five shots and rattled the rim with four dunks. Helping Thomas in the scoring was Jared Elie with 17 and Aaron Howell with 15. The Tigers travel back to Alexandria to compete in the Menard Winter Classic. They match up first with host Menard Eagles and will also face Oak Hill.