LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
The Paris Lady Tiger basketball season is off to a flying start, led by three returning seniors and underclassmen who gained valuable experience last season.
Coach Dave Tingley said there were lots of lessons for this year’s team to learn on the court last season.
“The young players had to learn to handle the physicality, grind and how detailed each part of the offensive and defensive game plans needed to be to win,” the hall-of-fame coach said.
The biggest lesson the team learned is fundamental to Lady Tiger basketball, Tingley said.
“You never compromise your standards and expectations the program has developed,” he emphasized. The Tiger coaches “expected the team’s very best every night despite being young and inexperienced.”
Because of the team’s standards, “it will pay off for those players this season,” Tingley said. “They have matured and transformed themselves into very capable and confident players who know what it takes to win.”
The Lady Tigers are returning Taylor Clark and Graci Watson as well as Peighton Smith who is returning to the team after taking a year off. Junior Kilee Edwards and sophomores Kailey Young and Macy Bicknell are additional key returners from last year.
For Watson, the chance to take the floor this season is an opportunity she won’t take for granted. The senior suffered an ACL tear in late June, underwent surgery in July and then began countless hours of rehab and preparation to have a chance to return to the Paris court for her senior season. Watson was cleared to play on Nov. 11.
“We are all so proud of her for attacking her injury and taking every opportunity to wear the Orange and Black for her final season as a Lady Tiger,” Tingley said. “Her path back to the court has been remarkable.”
There are three freshmen on the varsity roster, Paedyn Keys, Pailynne Camp and Natileigh Bridgewater, and all are capable of making impacts on the varsity level.
“We’re excited to see how they develop and adjust to the physicality and speed of the varsity game,” Tingley observed.
Tingley has already noticed a difference in the confidence level of his returning players, noting the development “is evident and significant. It has manifested itself in our practices. They are intense, competitive, focused and high-paced.”
The Lady Tigers have multiple players who could lead the team in scoring, Tingley believes. “That is our strength. You can’t focus on any one player and stop our team,” he said, describing the Paris team as “well-rounded on the offensive side.”
The Lady Tiger coaching staff has devoted much of their attention to practicing with pace and being in better shape to run the break and get into an early offense.
“We have always excelled at defense and I see no weakness in our ability to defend,” Tingley said.
For Tingley, winning drives everything the Lady Tigers do. “We want to start off the season with the opportunity to see exactly what we are doing well and what we need to clean up,” he said. The NAL Tournament, he said, “helps to assess these things quickly.”
The NAL Thanksgiving Tourney added a new team this year, Teutopolis – an opponent that is one of the Lady Tigers’ fiercest rivals.
“I am so excited we have added Teutopolis to our tournament,” Tingley said, noting the rivalry brings out the best in both teams. “Our girls see the early challenge as a way to grab our attention and focus on our efforts right from the start of the season,” he explained.
Before the Tigers can take on T-Town, they will look to round out what’s been a perfect week so far with a win against Charleston at 10 a.m. today. If Tingley and Co. beat the Trojans, they will play the winner of the Black Pool at 3:30 p.m. in the same gym.
The Tigers came from behind to beat Terre Haute North 51-44 before smoking Danville 50-18.
PARIS 50, DANVILLE 18
PARIS – The Paris Lady Tigers once again started slow on Wednesday, Nov. 20 in round two of the North American Lighting Thanksgiving Tournament, but found their rhythm quickly following a nailbiting comeback victory on Monday.
After struggling offensively in the first half, the Tigers exploded for 33 points in the second to cruise to a 50-18 win over Danville, improving to 2-0 in pool play heading into today’s games.
A change of venue could be partly to blame for the ice-cold shooting, not only for the Tigers, but for the Lady Vikings as well. Both teams combined for just three made baskets in the first quarter at Ernie Eveland Gym, with the Tigers holding a 5-4 lead at the end of one period of play. The second quarter brought a little more life to the offense and the Tigers extended their lead to 17-8 at the half. Paris put the game out of reach in the third, outscoring Danville 16-6 and stretching the lead to 30-plus points in the fourth to invoke the running clock in the final minutes of the game.
Leading the way offensively was freshman phenom Pailynne Camp with 12 points and eight rebounds. Macy Bicknell chipped in with eight points while Kenzie Englum and Jacie Young each added five. Paedyn Keys, Alexis Landsaw and Kailey Young each had four, with Young also handing out three assists. Kilee Edwards, Taylor Clark, Natileigh Bridgewater and Morgan Coombes each finished with two points.
Paris will wrap up pool play today at 10 a.m. as they face the Charleston Lady Trojans at Paris High School. Should they win that game, they will compete in the championship game scheduled for 3:30 pm at PCHS.
PARIS 51, TERRE HAUTE NORTH 44
Paris – After trailing by seven points at halftime, the Paris Lady Tigers stiffened up their defense in the second half to come away with a 51-44 victory over the Terre Haute North Lady Patriots on Monday, Nov. 18.
The win came in the opening game of the North American Lighting Thanksgiving Tournament being held jointly at Paris Cooperative High School and Ernie Eveland Gym.
Senior Taylor Clark started the scoring for the Lady Tigers as she sank a three right in front of the Lady Patriot’s bench. North scored the next 11 points to take a lead they would hold until the fourth quarter. They stretched that lead to 16-4 halfway through the first quarter before the Lady Tigers closed the period out with a 7-2 run to trail 18-11.
Paris cut the lead to one early on in the second period before North went on an 8-0 run to grab a nine-point lead. At intermission, the lead remained at seven for North, 31-24.
Paris scored the first six points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 32-31 but a five-point burst from the Lady Patriots pushed the lead back to six. Freshman Paedyn Keys tied things up at 41 with a layup off of a steal from classmate Pailynne Camp with 4:55 left in the game. Just 30 seconds later, senior Taylor Clark connected from the elbow to give the Lady Tigers their first lead since the opening minutes at 43-41. Camp then poked the ball away once again but was fouled on her way to the basket. She calmly made both free throw attempts to give the Lady Tigers a lead they would not relinquish. Kailey Young sank a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to five with 40 seconds left and seal the win.
Macy Bicknell led the way offensively with 12 points followed by Camp with 11 points in her debut. Young finished with eight points followed by Kilee Edwards and Clark with five each. Each of these ladies connected once from beyond the arc. Graci Watson was cleared to play just last week following knee surgery over the summer and she contributed with six points. Keys had two points in her first varsity action with Peighton Smith and Morgan Coombes each adding a point. Edwards also added four rebounds, five steals and two assists.
White led the Lady Patriots in scoring with 12 points followed by Martin with 10.
Results from the other half of the Lady Tigers’ bracket saw Danville defeat Charleston by the score of 45-34. In the other bracket, Olney slipped past Champaign Central 48-43 and Teutopolis routed Terre Haute South 65-11.