Tigers defeated in opening round of Shawnee Invite

Jan. 18—SHAWNEE — The Tahlequah Tigers couldn't get much going on offense in their return to the court against Mustang on Thursday, Jan. 18.

After not having played in nearly a week the Tigers could not get their offensive game plan going as they lost 70-46 to the Mustang Broncos in the Shawnee Invite. After winter weather postponed the Tigers game with Booker T. Washington on Tuesday, the Tigers had just one day of practice in six days before playing the Broncos.

"We are taking baby steps, they are not used to the quick pace. They did fine, we will get their footing down. It is tough because we had just one practice," THS Head Coach Duane Jones said.

THS's game got on a low note. The Broncos jumped out to a quick offensive start with the Tigers falling down 17-8 in the first quarter. After the good start, the Broncos kicked it into second gear picking 24 points. The strong quarter gave MHS a 41-16 lead going into halftime.

Strong defensive play was key to the Broncos taking a sizeable lead to open the game. Throughout the first half, MHS played strong pressure defense forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over and force some shots.

"They play good pressure defense, they really got after us. The turnovers hurt us, we had to force shots that we didn't usually take. In the end, we started to do what we wanted and break the pressure," Jones said.

Throughout the second half, the Tigers played better offense. With the recent injury to Brycen Smith, the Tigers are looking for a new offensive identity. According to Jones, the second half saw some progress in that regard.

Despite playing better in the second half, the Tigers couldn't dig themselves out of a sizeable hole. The loss puts the Tigers on the consultation side of the bracket for the rest of the tournament.

"It was tough, we knew they were going to be really good and athletic. They put a lot of pressure on us," Jones said.

THS will be back in action at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19 at Shawnee High School.

Follow live sports coverage @JakeSermershein on Twitter