Winona surprised East Webster with a box and one defense when the teams met in the semifinals of the Region 4-2A tournament last week, resulting in a 21-19 victory. The Lady Tigers were runners-up in the tournament, with victories over Bruce and East Webster and a 55-37 loss to Calhoun City in the championship game.
“I was very pleased, especially the way we played against East Webster,” said coach Veronica Helms. “They had beaten us earlier 53-19. So we got a plan together, and our plan was we were going to box and one their go-to player.”
Mari-Todd Brown scored 13 points for East Webster in the previous game, but this time she was held to two points and no field goals, allowing Winona to win despite scoring only one point in the fourth quarter.
Helms said the effort against East Webster took its toll the next night when the Lady Tigers played Calhoun City.
“You could tell we were emotionally and physically worn out from the night before," Helms said. "We started so slow. We were just undone from the night before.”
Calhoun City led 33-13 at the half.
Winona began the tournament with a 44-9 win over Bruce. Tommesha Brown and Tyra Weathersby each scored 11 points for Winona and MyCala Helms had eighth. In three games between the two teams, all Winona victories, the Lady Tigers surrendered only 37 points.
Airiyonna Topps was the team's leading scorer against East Webster with eight points. In the championship game. Weathersby had 15 points and Brown 12.
Reaching the finals earned the Lady Tigers a home game in the first round of the MHSAA Class 2A State Tournament on Monday.
Winona couldn't stop Shi'Ziria Edwards and the result was a loss to West Bolivar in the opening round. Edwards, a 5-10 senior, scored 33 points, leading West Bolivar to a 57-49 win.
“I thought we played well,” Helms said. The Lady Tigers rallied from a 14-point third quarter deficit to within one in the fourth quarter before West Bolivar pulled away in the final minutes.
Topps led Winona with 12 points. Brown scored 11 and Natori Weathersby had nine.
The Lady Tigers finished 15-12 on the season.
Helms was pleased with her team's play during the season. “We had seven seniors last year, so I didn't know what to expect.”
With only one senior, Weathersby, on this year's team, Helms expects continued success next year. The Lady Tigers will be led by Brown, the team's scoring leader this year as a junior.
