Tahlequah dug itself into quite a hole in the early stages of its home opener against Skiatook, but a 52-23 advantage in the second half lifted the Tigers to a 69-48 victory at the Tahlequah Multipurpose Activity Center.
In the opening two quarters, THS (2-1) shot 6-21 from the floor while turning the ball over 12 times, and it appeared Skiatook (0-3) was in the driver’s seat as it took a 25-17 lead into halftime. But Tahlequah responded in the third quarter by erupting for 33 points off a staggering 14-16 shooting pace from the floor, and ultimately held a 50-37 advantage going into the final period. The Tigers scored 19 more points while limiting the Bulldogs to just 11 the rest of the way to clinch the 21-point triumph.
“In the second half, that was the team I’ve been looking for,” THS head coach Rickey Bruner Jr. said after the contest. “We made some adjustments at halftime, and the biggest one was just playing harder. Our intensity was there and we came out and executed. We were getting turnovers and making shots. You know, everything looks better when you put the ball in the basket.”
Bruner added that Tahlequah’s turnaround out of halftime was among the best performances he’s ever experienced in his coaching career. He credited his team’s second-half successes to improved ball security. The Tigers had just two turnovers in the final two periods after suffering 12 in the first half. They also shot 23-29 (79 percent) in the final two quarters.
“That’s the biggest improvement I’ve ever seen from one half to the next,” he said. “We always talk about the importance of protecting the basketball, and I told our guys after the game that we started that run because we weren’t turning the ball over anymore. These kids have been working hard and they deserved to have a second half like that. We just have to find a way to keep it going.”
Fueling the fire in Tahlequah’s dominant second half was senior guard Evan Gurule, who totaled 20 combined points in the third and fourth quarters off 8-8 shooting from the floor. He had zero points off 0-2 shooting at the break.
“It was a heck of a second half for Evan Gurule,” Bruner said. “He’s a slasher and he just started doing what he’s good at, which is getting to the basket, hitting open shots and applying pressure on defense.”
Gurule also had three steals and four rebounds on the night.
Overall, Tahlequah finished the game shooting 29-50 (58 percent) from the floor. Gurule’s 20 points led the team, while senior forward Daniel Hubbard (14 points, 6-12), sophomore forward Noah Riley (10 points, 5-5) and senior guard Jace Luna (10 points, 4-8) also recorded double digits in scoring.
Tahlequah returns to action this Thursday, Dec. 8, taking on McAlester at 11:30 a.m. for the first round of the Cherokee Nation Businesses Tahlequah Tiger Invitational. The tournament will run through Saturday.
“We expect to be playing for a championship this weekend,” Bruner said. “There are some good teams in our tournament, but we have high ex... Click here to read full article
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