Mount Tahoma’s Shakira Ruffin (13), who scored a game-high 20 points, launches a one-handed shot against the defense of Stadium’s Carli Hallis, who scored six points and hauled in 13 rebounds for the Tigers in the 56-35 loss to the Thunderbirds on Jan. 23. (Photo by Rocky Ross)
Using almost nonstop full-court pressure, Mount Tahoma overcame their serious height disadvantage and never let Stadium get in an offensive rhythm in the first half as the Thunderbirds cruised to a 56-35 win over the Tigers on Jan. 23. Mount Tahoma caused countless turnovers and forced Stadium to play fast-paced basketball, as sophomore guard Shakira Ruffin led the Thunderbirds with 20 points.
"One of the things we focus on is tempo and pace, and if teams get in the habit of going at our pace they're going to turn the ball over," said Thunderbirds head coach Calvin McHenry. "Most teams do, and it ends up in our favor with 25-plus turnovers almost constantly."
Mount Tahoma jumped out to a 16-3 lead in the first quarter and held a 27-9 lead at halftime thanks to solid play from Ruffin and guards Ashley Keys and Ashyna Davis, who each finished with nine points.
Despite the big deficit, the Tigers responded to outscore the Thunderbirds 15-14 in the third quarter, led by center Carli Hallis, who scored all six of her points in a two-minute stretch late in the third.
"She has a huge advantage against anyone we play," said Tigers head coach Mark Stewart of Hallis, who also finished with a game-high 13 rebounds. "It's just a matter of getting the ball to her and not getting flustered as a team."
Davis answered Hallis' buckets with a three-pointer late in the third, and Ruffin's three-pointer halfway through the fourth quarter put the game out of reach, giving the Thunderbirds a 47-29 lead.
"We have a height disadvantage against everybody, which is something that we're getting used to, we're actually adjusting to and we're playing better with it," McHenry said.
Despite struggling offensively, Stadium still had 10 girls score and more than tripled their first-half offensive output in the second half – as reserves Jordanne Perry and Kallie Broughton tied Hallis with a team-high six points apiece.
"First half, we couldn't buy a bucket," Stewart said. "In the second half, we made a switch – it seemed like some of the girls were a little despondent and not present mentally in the first half – so we put in some girls that wanted to be here. Their effort and intensity dramatically changed the outcome."
The win puts the Thunderbirds firmly in the playoff hunt, in fourth place with an 8-5 overall record and 4-4 record in league play, while Stadium falls to 3-11 overall and 2-6 in league play.
"For us to maintain this kind of defensive effort every night, I think we'll end up in the third or fourth spot," McHenry said. "And make the playoffs, which is a good goal for this group of kids."
