Furious rally carries Lady Tigers to win

The Wills Point Lady Tigers stormed back from the brink of defeat against Van on Tuesday night, storming back form a 27-16 deficit late in the third quarter for a thrilling 32-30 road win over the Lady Vandals. 

Van got the better of Wills Point throughout much of the first half, taking advantage of a tough shooting start by the Lady Tigers to build a 17-8 lead after one quarter of play.

Offensive struggles hit both teams exceptionally hard in the second quarter as Van narrowly outscored Wills Point 5-2 to extend their lead to 22-10 entering the half.

The Lady Vandals looked to be well on their way to sweeping Wills Point in district play throughout much of the third quarter, eventually finding their way to 27-16 lead with just over eight minutes to play.

Down but not out, Wills Point began to slowly fight their way back into the game, getting a two-point basket from Summer Golden to cut the deficit to 27-18 entering the third quarter.

Two more baskets by Golden, including a three-pointer, and a basket by Emily Smith continued to pull Wills Point closer throughout the early stages of the fourth.

The Lady Tigers eventually tied the score at 28-28, and finally nosed in front for the first time since holding a 4-3 lead in the first quarter on a basket by Emily Smith.

Wills Point eventually clung to a 32-30 lead late, dodging a game-winning three-point attempt by Brianna King to pick up their first district win of the 2015-’16 season.

Leading scorers for Wills Point included Kendall Brown with 12, Summer Golden with 9, Emily Smith with 8, and Hannah Caldwell and Hannah Price with 1 each.

The Lady Tigers, now 1-4 on the season, are scheduled to be at home tonight (Jan. 29) against Emory Rains. Wills Point is scheduled to wrap District 14-4A play with a game in Canton Feb. 2, and a home date against Brownsboro Feb. 9. Both the Eaglettes and the Bearettes are currently ranked as top 20 4A teams by multiple basketball rankings.