By By SCOTT COOPER – Sports Writer
In two games played this past weekend, the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers suffered a tough loss to Greenville before rebounding with a dominating win over Monroe County.
Heading into the final regular-season game before hosting the Area-1 tournament Jan. 7-11, the Lady Tigers' overall record stands at 19-4.
Greenville 46, Lady Tigers 42
A Jan. 31 meeting on the road against Greenville saw the Lady Tigers fall behind early before battling back to overtake the lead in the second half. A fourth-quarter Greenville rally, however, allowed the hosts to send Miller home with their fourth loss of the season.
Greenville (19-3) began the game playing tough on the defensive end of the court. While the Lady Tigers attempted to solve the suffocating pressure defense confronting them, Greenville's offense manufactured enough points to take a 10-3 lead into the second quarter of play.
An 11-5 run over the course of the second period placed the Lady Tigers squarely back in the game. Heading to the locker room at the halfway point of the contest, Greenville held a slim 15-14 advantage.
With 5:00 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the two teams were deadlocked, 20-20. Then, Akia Suarez, Joy McCorvey and Brittnee Malloyd led the Lady Tigers on a 6-0 run that gave Miller a 26-20 lead with 3:30 left in the period. Greenville then responded with an 8-0 run that put them out front, 28-26, heading to the final stanza.
After the Lady Tigers fought back to tie the game at 35-35 with 5:20 remaining, Greenville scored the game's next four points to go up, 39-35. A Jasmine Sanford transition basket pulled Miller within two, 39-37, but a Greenville 3-pointer put the hosts ahead by five, 42-37. Miller again tied the game at 42 with 17 seconds remaining before Greenville hit four consecutive foul shots down the stretch that put the wraps on a four-point win.
Leading scorers for the Lady Tigers were Jasmine Sanford and Joy McCorvey, with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Lady Tigers 61, Monroe County 31
Still stinging from the previous night's loss, the Lady Tigers let their frustrations out when they hosted Monroe County in a Feb. 1 matchup.
In a game expected to be every bit as tough as the one played the night before against Greenville, the Lady Tigers put on a dominating performance in crushing a talented Monroe County team, 61-31.
Miller came out of the starting gate at full speed and built a 13-4 cushion at the end of the opening quarter.
While the Lady Tigers' second-quarter defensive pressure made it difficult for Monroe County to bring the ball upcourt, the Miller offense was operating with machine-like precision. A 24-6 run in the period placed the Lady Tigers in possession of an overwhelming 37-10 halftime lead.
Although Monroe County regained some composure and played Miller tougher in the third quarter, the Lady Tigers' lead continued to escalate. Outscoring Monroe 14-9 in the period, Miller took a 51-19 advantage into the final eight minutes of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Monroe County took advantage of the Miller starters being out of the game to gain some ground. However, the final horn sounded with the Lady Tigers holding a secure grip on a 30-point win.
Leading scorers for the Lady Tigers were Ashley Samuel, 24 points and Joy McCorvey, 14 points.