The Festus Tigers Girls Varsity Basketball team had a nice long layoff thanks to Mother Nature, but they got right back to business on Thursday as they traveled to Imperial to take on the Owls. The girls from Windsor were no match for Festus, as the Tigers cruised to a 66-45 victory for their third straight win and a 15-6 record on the season.
The Tigers kicked off the game with a big first quarter, but the 14-3 scoreboard after the first eight minutes was a bit deceiving. Head Coach Steve McFarland broke down the initial effort by saying, “Our defense got us several shots early, while holding Windsor down, until we started hitting. We were just 4 of 17 from the floor in the first quarter but led 14-3. We went 8 of 16 the second quarter and expanded our lead to 18 points.”
That second-quarter adjustment translated to an 18-11 effort and gave the Tigers a ridiculous 32-14 lead at the half. Padding of that magnitude tends to give a team a comfort level that allows them to simply keep pace in a game and run out the clock, creating a pressure-free environment.
That was the case in the second half. The Owls hung tight in the third quarter as both teams found themselves knotted at 17, but the Tigers retained their 18-point lead. In the fourth they used the charity stripe to perfection and outlasted Windsor while managing to snuff out any chance of a rally with a 17-14 frame. That translated to a 66-45 victory and bumped Festus’ record to 15-6 on the season.
Coach McFarland summed up the effort bluntly by stating, “Another good well-rounded game, especially after having been off for five days because of snow. Everybody made contributions.”
The most notable of those contributions came from Josie Allen and Lily Knickman. Allen had 18 points, nine assists and three rebounds, while Knickman had 18 of her own and registered a double-double with ten boards and five steals. Both girls were collectively 12-of-15 from the charity stripe and a huge factor in holding off the Owls late in the game. Kinsey Benack and Mya Courtois were the other players in double digits with 10 points apiece.
The Tigers seem to have it all figured out at the moment and look poised to make a strong run deep into the postseason. Their next test comes on Thursday as they take on the Ste. Genevieve Dragons.
