GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma girls’ team won a defensive battle against Marshall County—beating the Tigers 33-22.

Points were hard for both teams to come by on Friday night, as Tullahoma and Marshall Co. combined for a total of 55 points—just one point shy of the Lady Wildcats’ team point total in their game before they took on the Lady Tigers—winning against Giles County 54-50. And although Tullahoma was not making shots they typically hit, they adapted and found a way to win. The two main things Tullahoma keyed in on this matchup were their defensive intensity and time of possession.

First, with their defensive intensity, it was clear that the Lady Tigers, when dribbling the ball, were extremely uncomfortable under pressure. This caused the head coach of the Lady Wildcats, Chad Hibdon, to stick with a full-court press for most of the game. This pressure caused Marshall Co. major trouble in getting into their offensive sets and resulted in them taking mostly tough and contested shots in the game.

Second, the Lady Wildcats with some of their shots not dropping that they usually make, along with their success on the defensive side, opted for them to prolong their offensive possessions. Simply, if the other team does not have the ball they can’t score, seemed to be the mindset of the ‘Cats.

The Lady Wildcats continually swung the ball around the perimeter and dished in entry passes, until they got a great look that was worth taking. They did this a lot in the fourth quarter after they had gained a 14-point lead heading into the period, at 25-11. This style of play helped them easily close out this game, and notch another win on their schedule. They have now won four straight games and have won six of their last seven.

“Our focus in practice and attention to detail have been much better over the last few weeks. Also, we have started to understand our roles better and trust each other in those roles,” Coach Hibdon said regarding what has led to his team’s recent success.

The Wildcats will play two games on the road this week with the first one coming against Central Magnet on Feb. 4.