Playoffs give Tigers new opportunity; girls enter district tourney with bye

STERLING — The Tigers ended their season on a two-game skid, but they still have hopes when the Class A District Tournament begins Friday at Velma-Alma.

Sterling (15-9) lost consecutive games to Cyril (69-29) and Binger-Oney (49-32). Still, Tiger head coach Trent Parrish is telling his players records don’t matter when the playoffs begin.

“Yeah, we’ve struggled shooting the ball. We’ve gotten into a shooting slump, but we’ve had good looks. They just haven’t gone in the basket,” he said. “We have a particular identity that focuses on playing fast and we have to stick with that. When you play as fast as we do and have that many possessions, you need for some of them (shots) to go in.”

Parrish is mindful that circumstances can change the next game. In Sterling’s case, that will be Friday night, when the Tigers play Fletcher in a 7:20 p.m. matchup at Velma-Alma High School. If the Tigers win, they would play Velma-Alma at 7:20 p.m. Saturday.

Sterling has defeated Fletcher two previous times this season. The Tigers won the first matchup 54-25 and defeated Fletcher again in the Comanche County Tournament, 63-27. Still, Parrish isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I’m sure they’ll be well coached and ready to play, so we have to go out there and play our best game,” he said.

Sterling is 9-3 in their last 12 games, winning five in a row before the two-loss skid started against Cyril.

Girls end with win

Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers finished their regular season with a 47-41 win over Binger-Oney Tuesday night. Sterling was on a seven-game win streak before losing to Cyril last Friday, 62-51.

Despite the loss, Sterling (19-5) begins the Class A playoffs with a bye into the district tournament at Velma-Alma. As a result, the Lady Tigers will play the winner of the Fletcher-Velma-Alma game at 6 p.m. Saturday. 

Win or lose, Sterling will advance to the regional tournament at Union City next Thursday. By winning, the Lady Tigers will be in the driver’s seat when the regional tourney begins, since the Class A playoffs are a double-elimination format.