By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
Apparently the best way for the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers to deal with their struggles from the Pensacola Catholic Tournament is to pass them on to somebody else.
Flomaton found that out the hard way, as the Lady Tigers turned in their best defensive performance of the season Friday when they smothered the host Lady Hurricanes 47-15.
Although the Lady Tigers (6-5) scored the game's first 10 points, it took them a while to kick things in high gear.
Flomaton (4-6) got an offensive rebound by Carol Harden, a three-pointer by Kaitlyn Hambrick and a field goal by Lily Wright at the end of the first quarter that narrowed T.R. Miller's lead to just 12-7.
The Lady Tigers still had single-digit lead of 19-11 as late as the final minute of the first half when they began a decisive 28-4 surge over the game's final 17 minutes.
A pair of free throws by Samantha Brown and one by Keydra Shedrone followed by a steal and layup by Isha Thompson gave the Lady Tigers a 25-11 halftime lead.
T.R. Miller's defense did the rest, as it allowed Flomaton just one mere free throw for the first 11 minutes of the second half.
Five different Lady Tigers led T.R. Miller in the third quarter, which was capped off by a three-pointer by Brown that made it 35-12.
Smith and Peterson both had a pair of buckets in the fourth quarter that capped off an 18-1 that upped the cushion to 45-13.
T.R. Miller returns to Class 4A Area 2 play Tuesday when it travels to W.S. Neal.
At Flomatron
T.R. Miller 12 13 10 12 – 47
Flomaton 7 4 1 3 – 15
T.R. MILLER (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Peterson 7-0-1-15; Smith 3-0-0-6; Williams 3-0-0-6; Brown 0-1-2-5; Shedrone 1-0-2-4; Green 2-0-0-4; Thompson 1-0-0-2; Gibbs 1-0-0-2; Boley 1-0-0-2; Grice 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 19-1-6-47)
FLOMATON (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Hambrick 0-2-0-6; Wright 1-0-1-3; Cayson 1-0-0-2; Bradley 1-0-0-2; Harden 0-0-1-1; Hoomes 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 4-2-1-15)
Lady Tigers win Area opener
T.R. Miller opened its Class 4A Area 2 season on a successful note and snapped a three-game losing streak when it downed the visiting Hillcrest Lady Jaguars 40-27 Thursday.
The Lady Tigers overcame a yo-yo night on the offensive side with a solid defensive performance that limited Hillcrest to just seven first half points and 15 through three quarters.
T.R. Miller managed just one field goal by Donya Grice and only four points in the opening frame, but still came away from the period tied 4-4 thanks to its defense.
Kesha Peterson, Catherine Green, Nakiya Smith and Grice sparked the Lady Tigers to a decisive 20-3 run in the second quarter that gave them a 24-7 halftime cushion.
Peterson led the surge with a pair of field goals and a three-for-three-effort from the foul line, while Green drained a three-pointer and got another bucket on a drive to the basket. Smith and Grice also had a pair of field goals in the period.
Just when it seemed as if the Lady Tigers had found their offensive groove, they lost it in the third quarter when they managed just one lone field goal by Ashley Williams.
Hillcrest took advantage of T.R. Miller's offensive problems to cut the gap to 26-15, but the Lady Tigers regained their composure in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
Some of that production down the stretch came from the free throw line where Green was four-for-six and Smith was two-for-two. That helped offset what was otherwise a fairly tough night for the winners, who went just 10-for-21 for the game.
At T.R. Miller
Hillcrest 4 3 8 12 - 27
T.R. Miller 4 20 2 14 - 40
HILLCREST (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Thomas 7-0-1-15; Montgomery 2-0-0-4; Mims 1-0-0-2; Thomas 1-0-0-2; Maye 1-0-0-2; Floyd 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 13-0-1-27)
T.R. MILLER (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Grice 5-0-1-11; Peterson 4-0-3-11; Green 1-1-4-9; Smith 2-0-2-6; Williams 1-0-1-3 (Totals: 13-1-11-40)