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Jacksboro senior Avery Bennett (20) attempts to block a Poolville shot during first half action Tuesday, Dec. 6 against the Lady Monarchs. Photo/Brian Smith
On e que s t i o n Poolville’s girls basketball coach Jason Morales had to be asking himself following the Lady Monarch’s game Tuesday, Dec. 6: “Where was Emery Bryan in the first half?”
Bryan, a 5’11 sophomore who did not score and had just two rebounds in the initial two quarters, put on a third quarter show by tossing in 14 points. That, and a flat Tigerette squad in the final two frames, allowed Poolville to erase a halftime deficit and post a 42-34 win over Jacksboro.
Jacksboro, which went 3-1 and finished third in the 12-team Dublin Tournament the first weekend in December, dropped to 5-6 with the Lady Monarchs going to 3-6 with the win.
The Tigerettes took their largest lead of the game at 19-10 on a Landrie Valenzuela three pointer midway through the second quarter but would not score again in the half. Poolville would draw within six, 19-13 at the break. Buckets and free throws from Bryan trimmed the lead to three.
Kylie Tullous baskets extended the Purple lead to six.
Bryan and fellow sophomore Kinley Murphy buried baskets however to cut the deficit to 24-23 with 2:34 left in the frame. Bryan then buried a falling down three with 1:48 left to put the Lady Monarchs up 26-24. Murphy and Bryan then closed the frame with another bucket and three-pointer as Poolville converted its last five shots of the frame to give the hostesses a 31-27 lead heading into the fourth.
Sensing blood in the water, Poolville went for the kill with freshman Makenzie Ray’s three-pointer and a Bryan bucket extending the lead to nine less than 90 seconds into the stanza. Jacksboro, which missed its first eight shots of the quarter, finally got back on the board with Brailyn Tullous free throws to get within six with 5:42 remaining. Bryan got some more help as freshman Brylee Hensley had a couple of baskets to push the lead into double figures with 3:21 left.
Baskets by Erin Jonas and Rylee Mathis, the only Jacksboro baskets in a 2-12 shooting frame, was too little too late.
The Tigerettes overcame a first quarter deficit using three Jonas baskets on consecutive possessions and the aforementioned Valenzuela three to take a 19-10 lead.
Kylie Tullous had 14 points and Jonas 10 tallies for the Tigerettes. Bryan had 18 tallies to pace Poolville.
