Tigers Take Rivalry Game Against Mehlville Girls

When the Oakville Tigers and the Mehlville Panthers went to their lockers at halftime, it seemed certain that Mehlville would leave with a win.

The crowd settled into the bleachers, cheering loudly for the Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser activities during halftime. The Pantherettes did a hip-hop dance, and the cheerleaders performed their routines, everyone donned in pink. The halftime show was indeed some great entertainment, but it was nothing compared to what was to come in the third quarter.

Despite sluggish first-half play, Oakville came out of the locker room firing, gaining second-half momentum and ultimately securing a 50-43 victory over the Mehlville Panthers. Oakville (7-12, 2-3 in conference) won its second conference game in a row, and Mehlville fell to 7-15 and 1-5 in conference.

During the first half, the Mehlville Panthers were on top of their game.  The entire squad was quick up and down the court, and the girls were ready to play.  Junior center Mandy Fox had two quick baskets to start off the game, and from there the Panthers earned a quick lead. Senior guard Chanese Washington made some smart passes, and most of the time her teammates finished so that her passes became assists. The Panthers were focused, and by the end of the first quarter it was 17-7, Mehlville.

Oakville, on the other hand, was playing sloppy. The Tigers’ court awareness was low, their passes were lobbed into the hands of the opposing team, and they were slow on defense. 

Oakville could do nothing to stop Washington as she scored two 3-pointers and three layups. Washington, who averages 11.4 points a game, would go on to score 18 points for the game.

However, Washington scored six of those points in the second half and 12 during the first.  Reflective of the Mehlville squad as a whole, she scored only half as many points the second half as she did during the first.

And that’s because after halftime, the Oakville Tigers decided they were ready to play.

When asked about what turned things around, Oakville coach Aaron Bosch just smiled and shook his head. “Well, they knew their play had to change. It’s one thing to take good shots and miss them, but it’s another thing to play lazy and not move your feet. We talked about it, and they came out ready,” he said.

The Tigers looked more than ready during the third quarter—they were hungry for a win. Their offense was suddenly much more diligent and their defense much quicker; they weren’t about to give up.

The senior Tigers took over. Senior guard Leslie DeGonia scored three baskets right off the bat, followed by a layup from senior forward Audra Plassmeyer. Next, senior forward Julie Kernen scored a basket, tying the game at 31, and then a layup from senior guard Allison O’Brien gave the Tigers the lead for the first time in the game.

Not only did the Tigers score 16 points during the third quarter (while Mehlville scored only two—a basket from junior Mandy Fox), they racked up 8 steals in that quarter alone. They would ultimately have 22 total for the game, led by Plassmeyer, with seven.

Plassmeyer averages a team-best 2.6 steals per game.

“I told them that it’s defense that wins the games, and it really is—I mean, we only gave up two points during the third quarter,” Bosch said. This was especially true for the Tigers this game. They were smart with fouls and anticipated passes very well, and it paid off.

The Panthers didn’t give up after that quarter, however, and a layup from Washington for the first fourth-quarter play brought Mehlville within four points. Senior teammate Jessica Fox would finish with 10 points for the game, and junior Mandy Fox with six.

Oakville felt the pressure, however, and kicked up their intensity still higher. They were patient on offense, which allowed for four players to score in double digits: DeGonia and Plassmeyer each with 10, and Kernen and O’Brien each with 14.

The second-half Tigers were a completely different team than the first-half Tigers, and ultimately Oakville went home with a victory.

But, with all of the spirit (and pink) present in the gym for the Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser, it’s safe to say that everyone won that night: on behalf of the Mehlville school district, over $4,000 was raised for cancer research, with donations going to the American Cancer Society and Hope Lodge in St. Louis.

Both teams have conference games in their opponents’ gyms next on their schedules: Oakville plays Marquette on Friday, while Mehlville will meet Eureka on Tuesday.

(Sports editor's note: Writer Rachel Plassmeyer's sister, Audra, plays for Oakville.)