By By SCOTT COOPER – Sports Writer
The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers, ranked No. 6 in the latest Class 3A poll, defeated Northview and Andalusia in their last two outings to improve to 17-3 on the season. The wins place the Lady Tigers in the midst of an eight-game winning streak.
Lady Tigers 67, Northview 46
The Northview Lady Chiefs made the short trip from Bratt on Jan. 24 with a goal few teams have been able to realize - knock off the state's sixth-ranked T.R. Miller Lady Tigers.
With their transition game in high gear, the Lady Tigers were never in jeopardy of suffering an upset loss and ended the contest with a 67-46 victory.
Running the floor with every opportunity off steals and missed shots, Miller moved comfortably ahead, 17-6, at the end of the opening period before adding to the margin by halftime, making the score 41-16.
The Lady Tigers went easy on the visitors the second half. With many of the starters sitting on the bench during the final two quarters, the Lady Chiefs were able to cut Miller's 25-point halftime lead down to 21 points by game's end.
Leading scorers for the Lady Tigers were Ashley Samuel with 24 points and Asher Moore with 11 points.
Lady Tigers 36, Andalusia 32
Not often does a team step onto the Lady Tigers' home floor and force them to perform at their best for 32 minutes, but the Andalusia Lady Bulldogs did just that in a Jan. 25 game.
After a tight opening half of action, the Lady Tigers held a slim lead at the break. But, the Lady Bulldogs' determined third-quarter performance allowed them to overtake the lead and forced Miller to dig deep in the final quarter to come away with a 36-32 win.
The game began with Andalusia (13-7) controlling the boards and Miller causing offensive problems for the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Tigers held a 5-2 lead with just under four minutes left in the first quarter, and then took a 9-4 advantage into the second period of play.
Both teams demonstrated a tough, hard-nosed defensive mindset in the second quarter. With neither squad giving an inch, the period was played to an 8-8 deadlock and the Lady Tigers' 5-point lead remained intact.
An all-out defensive assault was responsible for Andalusia going on a 12-1 run the first seven minutes of the third stanza. Trailing 24-18 at that point, the Lady Tigers fought back with the period's final five points to close within one, 24-23, heading to the final quarter.
An 8-0 run to start the fourth period allowed Miller to reclaim the lead, 31-24. However, two straight Lady Bulldogs' baskets coupled with two free throws cut the margin to 31-30 with 3:15 remaining. Miller then scored the next three points to gain a little breathing room, 34-30, with just under two minutes left and hung on from there to preserve a four-point win.
Ashley Samuel led the Lady Tigers' offense with 17 points.
Ashley Johnson and Tanesha Wright led the Lady Bulldogs with eight points apiece.