Pictured is Raine Hecox
When people think of JV games, they usually think about the benches getting practice time. This wasn’t the case on Thursday, January 9th as the Mansfield Jr High Tigers and the Lady Jr High Tigers JV squads proved they can hang with any programs first string team in the conference. These players were HUNGRY to strut their stuff and their unfortunate prey was the Lavaca Golden Arrows.
The Lady Tigers JV kicked things off with a showcase of aggression and heart. With a full tank of gas and an open court ahead of them, they plowed through Lavaca ending with a final score of 10-3. Offensively, the Lady Tigers made sure their teammates each touched the ball with some sweet passes that broke up the Golden Arrow defense. Raine Hecox put up the first two points of the game with a nothing but net swish from just inside the three-point line. Seven Sanderson was the powerhouse of the backboards and laid up two pints of her own. Leading the team in scoring was Brooklyn Adams who zeroed in on the Golden Arrows weak points to knock down six points in the game.
The old saying is “defense wins ballgames”. If that is the case, then the Lady Tigers JV is ready for the WNBA. Each Lady Tiger to step foot on the court attacked Lavaca without remorse. Lita Hecox and Serenity Brunson had no problem getting physical and throwing down with the Golden Arrows in the paint as they stuffed Lavaca on multiple occasions and brought down the house with rebounds. Eden Mounts and Cassidy Carlton had played like defensive velcro on the Lavaca players sticking to them with every step. Lavaca probably had nightmares of being robbed due to Brooklyn Adams and Raine Hecox stealing the basketball at every turn.
The JV Tigers followed suit in their matchup against Lavaca but weren’t able to close out with W as they lost a close one 17-10. The boys were evenly matched throughout most of the game, but it was a mere couple of miscues that set the Tigers back. Leading the team in points was James Jenkins who kept the rim shaking with six points in the game. Peyton Martin and Tommy Phang rounded out the offensive scoring with two points apiece. Whether it was bad luck or a greased rim on the goal, the Tigers just couldn’t get the ball in the net.
Zach Hayslip had a “heyday” against the Golden Arrows offense while Brandon Segura fearlessly jumped right in the mix multiple times to tie up the ball. Dakota Langford, Jaxon Heydenreich, Reegan Emery, and Travis Tobey were the defensive Four Horsemen who gave Lavaca fits every time they came down court. To hold a skilled Golden Arrow team to only 17 points is a feat in itself, but it was the aggressive show of dedication to the game the Tigers put on that got Mansfield fans cheering in the stand.
