The sixth- and seventh-grade Tigers worked themselves out of a first quarter slump on Feb. 13 at the East Lawrence Center. The Tigers had a stagnant first quarter and didn’t score a point against the Razorbacks, until they burst open the score in the second quarter to capture the 27-20 victory.

The Razorbacks started their domination in the first quarter with two buckets including a layup from Chandler Thomann.

Though the Tigers’ Nick Allen snatched a defensive rebound from the Razorbacks, the team finished the first without a bucket and down 4-0.

The second quarter brought renewed vigor for the Tigers. Point guard Timothy Lewis had some pivotal steals for the team. After swooping in on a Razorbacks’ ball, Lewis drove one to the bucket for two points. Lewis followed this bucket up with another steal that led to a three-pointer.

Dylan Perry and Thomann each sunk two for the Razorbacks, but the buckets were no match for the Tigers four baskets, which pulled them out of their early slump and into the lead at the end of the half.

The Tigers keep a close eye on the game as the Razorbacks gave them a close game Feb. 13. Eventually the Tigers pulled away for a 27-20 win.

Lewis said after the game that the Razorbacks pushed him to work hard for his momentum-changing buckets.

“In this game, I worked on getting into the open,” Lewis said. “I had to work to get the points, and I had to work on getting assists to the other players.”

The Tigers continued their scoring into the third. Another steal from Lewis and two baskets pushed them ahead, 16-12. After a missed attempt, Tiger Brianna Anglin bounced back to hit her mark by swishing in a two-pointer. A final free throw from forward Joshua McDermott upped the Tigers’ point tally to 19.

The Razorbacks tried to match wits with the Tigers with a layup from Thomann and a bucket from Michael Lembeck. Unfortunately, the Tigers already secured a solid seven-point lead by the end of the third.

McDermott said the Tigers found their focus to take the lead in the third quarter.

“After the first part of the game we got more intense, and we played a better defense and a harder offense,” McDermott said.

If the second and the third quarters weren’t enough to assure the Tigers of their victory, the fourth quarter made them more than certain. Johnny McDermott eased in a layup. Then Harrison Longhurst, Lewis and Joshua McDermott each sunk a free throw to put the Tigers six points ahead of the Razorbacks.

The Razorbacks gave the Tigers a fight to the finish. The team sunk two buckets and Lembeck squelched an attempt by Tiger Johnny McDermott that would have sealed the victory. With 40 seconds left in the last quarter, a free throw from Lembeck and a final basket was just not enough to secure a Razorbacks victory.

With one game remaining on the schedule, the win gives the Tigers the opportunity to end the Hoopster basketball season on a two-game win streak, though the Tigers said it is more about the fun they have than the games they win.

“I just look forward to having fun in our next game,” Joshua McDermott said.