Girls Basketball vs. King Phillips Warriors 01/04/19

                The Tigers were looking for their second win in as many days to go up 2 games over .500. With a lead for a majority of the game it looked like they were going to do just that to go 5-3 on the year. But a late surge by the Warriors mixed with the Tigers getting into some foul trouble late in the game put that into jeopardy. Ultimately the Tigers could not build on their 8 point lead to start the 4th qtr. King Phillips scores 25 points in the 4th qtr to win 58-49.

              The Warriors made the first 2 baskets but from that point on the Tigers controlled most of the game. Sr. G Lily Patneaude (#5) led the Tigers with 12 points. She also hit the first 3 pointer of the game to get the Tigers going offensively. Although for most of the 1st qtr the Warriors were getting OREB on what felt like every other possession, the Tigers great defensive effort mitigated their rebounding deficit. The Tigers forced the Warriors into some careless turnovers and ended the 1st qtr with a 16-12 lead.

               The 2nd qtr started off with more great defense from the Tigers with a block from So. F Sonya Fernandez (#23). But OREB once again hurt the Tigers as a few plays later King Phillips So. G Brianna James (#5) missed a 3pt attempt and an OREB made its' way to So. G Courtney Keswick (#11) who buried a 3 pointer to make it 19-15 Tigers. It was then King Phillips turn to play some great defense as they forced 2 turnovers on back to back plays around the 4:38 mark in the 2nd qtr but could not capitalize off the Tigers mistakes. With about 1:42 left in the 2nd qtr the Warriors Sr. F Kendall Mason (#4) fouled Tigers Sr. G Alexa White (#3) who made both free throws to give the Tigers a 25-21 lead. THS' defense started slipping towards the end of the 2nd qtr though as the Warriors got a couple of open jumpers but the Tigers still held a 28-27 to end the 2nd qtr.

               If the message at halftime from Coach Harrigan was to get more ball movement to start the 2nd half it was well received. There was a concerted effort to pass the ball and get a great shot but King Phillips was locked in defensively to start the 3rd qtr. The Warriors offense was starting to click as they went on a 5-0 by the 5:00 mark of the 3rd qtr. But the Tigers refocused themselves on defense with some great effort of their own while forcing the Warriors into some bad shots. With made 3 pointers on back to back possessions by Lily Patneaude and So. G Kelsey White (#24) the Tigers ended the 3rd qtr on a 13-1 run and had a 41-33 lead to end the qtr.

              Their 8 point lead was the biggest of the game up to that point and it looked like THS was going to hold on to get their 5th victory of the year. But an early foul on the Warriors Sr. G Julia Leroux (#10) who hit both FTs and a made jump shot a step inside the 3pt line by Jr. G/F Faye Veilleux (#21) cut THS' lead to 4. A made fast break lay-up by Sonya Fernandez gave the Tigers a 43-37 lead with 6:50 to play but their REB problems persisted which let King Phillips creep back into the game. Faye Veilleux made a big bucket with 3:15 left in the 4th to tie it up 46-46 and with both teams trading FT attempts late plus a huge shot made by So. F Jaelyn Fernandez (#10) the Tigers had a 49-48 lead with 1:50 left in the game. But that was the final lead THS held in the game as the Warriors ended the 4th on a 10-0 run to win the game 58-49. 

                Unfortunately, late game fouls is what sealed the deal on this game for the Tigers. However they showed great effort defensively and held their own against a great opponent, which are definitely things to build off going forward. The Tigers are 4-4 overall on the season and their next game is on the road against the Sharon Eagles on Tuesday, January 8th.

Author - Jason Delgado 

Jason is a Taunton Alum and sports journalist covering home meets at Taunton High School.​