Tigers finish 2nd, open playoffs vs. Kingwood Park Tuesday in Timpson

Tigers finish 2nd, open playoffs vs. Kingwood Park Tuesday in Timpson News Staff Fri, 02/16/2024 - 20:42 Image

• Coach Joey Chism’s Mount Pleasant Tigers will open the 2024 playoffs against Kingwood Park in Timpson Tuesday evening. The winner will take on either Lancaster or Lucas Lovejoy in the area round. TRIBUNE PHOTO / QUINTEN BOYD

Body

For the Mount Pleasant Tigers, there was no time to lament not picking up the district title. The 17th-ranked Tigers would still have a target on their backs in the playoffs and still needed to finish the job in 15-5A.

To that end, Mount Pleasant traveled to Tyler High for the regular season finale with second place already wrapped up looking to continue gaining momentum for the playoffs.

The Tigers were on fire from the threepoint arc, shooting 50 percent (11-22) for the game as they defeated the Lions, 7354.

The Tigers nearly equaled their threepoint percentage from the first meeting earlier this year – the Tigers shot 53 percent from three in their meeting with the Lions at home.

Carter Chism hit six of Mount Pleasant’s 11 threes and finished with 29 points. Reggie Webster added four threes of his own and put in 22 points. Kai Price finished with seven, Jordyn Hurndon, A’Shad Smith and Tre Williams all finished with four and Zeke Hargrave put in three points.

Jaishua Brown and Geordon Mitchell both led the Lions with 14 points. Derrick McFall and Jace Sanford both finished with eight.

The Tigers finish the regular season 27-7 (12-2 in district) and will open the playoffs Tuesday at Timpson High School against Humble Kingwood Park. Kingwood Park finished third in District 165A behind Lufkin and Nacogdoches and ahead of New Caney Porter. The Panthers, coached by Jeffrey Hamilton, finished the regular season with an 18-15 record and went 6-4 in district play, losing both meetings against Lufkin and Nacogdoches.

Kingwood Park won their regular season finale over Huntsville, 39-37. The Panthers played 12 games that were decided by single digits, winning seven of them.

Kingwood Park’s highest point total of the season came in December in a 6747 win over Klein Collins. The Panthers scored their highest point total in district play Feb. 6 in a 63-50 win over Dayton. Their lowest district scoring output was 33 in a 49-33 loss to Lufkin.

Five members of the Panther roster stand 6’2 or taller, led by centers Kallen Cosper (6’5) and Jayden Henderson (6’4). Seven Panthers are seniors.

The winner of Tuesday’s game will meet either top-ranked Lancaster (23-5) or Lucas Lovejoy (12-15) in the area round.