By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
Most of the faces were different, but the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers' result was much like the one their predecessors often recorded.
T.R. Miller held Northview, Fla. scoreless for the first 10 minutes and without a field goal for more than 16 minutes, as it opened its season with a 52-25 romp over the host Lady Chiefs.
The Lady Tigers hit six of their first eight shots and scored the game's first 16 points.
Most of the early success came from either the perimeter or in transition. The perimeter part of the first quarter came when Samantha Brown hit back-to-back shots from just inside three-point land, while Catherine Green followed with a three-pointer that made it 7-0 in less than two minutes.
Then came the transition game, as fastbreak layups by Kesha Peterson and Nakiya Smith and another layup off a steal by Mynetra Boley helped complete the 14-0 first quarter run.
The Lady Tigers' shooting percentage dropped considerably after the quick start, as they hit just four of their final 22 first half shots. That was still enough to add to the lead.
A bucket by Boley with 6:33 left in the half made it 16-0 before Northview's Brittany Thompson hit two free throws to finally get the Lady Chiefs on the board.
A pair of buckets by Catherine Green and one by Nakiya Smith enabled T.R. Miller to stretch its lead to 22-2 by halftime.
It took Northview less than a minute into the third quarter to do what it could not do the entire first half, make a field goal. The Lady Chiefs, who missed all 12 of their first half shots, finally made a bucket when Timeka Marshall scored from inside the lane.
T.R. Miller threatened to put Florida's 35-point second half lead mercy rule into effect.
Three-pointers by Ashley Williams and Brown and three buckets by Kesha Peterson, who led T.R. Miller with 17 points, extended the lead to 36-7 in the final minute of the third quarter.
Thanks to three buckets and a charity toss by Marshall, Northview closed the gap to 39-19 and appeared to be well out of the mercy rule reach.
Within two minutes the lead reached a game-high bulge of 49-19 after Peterson hit a pair of treys and Janel McCorvey and Donya Grice scored from inside the lane.
The Lady Tigers make their home debut Tuesday when they host UMS-Wright at 5:30 p.m.
At Northview
T.R. Miller 14 8 14 16 - 52
Northview 0 2 6 17 - 25
T.R. MILLER (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Peterson 5-2-1-17; Green 2-1-2-9; Brown 2-1-0-7; Smith 1-1-1-6; Boley 2-0-0-4; Williams 0-1-0-3; Grice 1-0-0-2; Thompson 1-0-0-2; McCorvey 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 15-6-4-52)
NORTHVIEW (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Marshall 6-0-2-14; Wesley 1-0-3-5; Lee 0-0-2-2; Knight 1-0-0-2; Thompson 0-0-2-2 (Totals: 8-0-9-25)