| BY SHAYNE SCOTT • For The Spectrum & Daily News • January 29, 2010 | | ST. GEORGE - Hurricane had its hand full with the pesky Dixie Flyers who, like a mosquito in the summer, refused to go away Thursday night at the Hangar.
However, the Tigers executed better and emerged with a 50-47 win.
"This was definitely a must-win for us," said Hurricane coach Shelly Kidd-Thomas. "We have been trying to pull things together and this is one we needed."
Flyer teammates Shanelle Seegmiller and Jennika Wright led all scorers with 17 points apiece. Taylor Steglich scored a team-high 13 for Hurricane.
The Tigers improved to 3-5 in region play, while the Flyers fell to 1-7. Dixie will face Snow Canyon Thursday, while Hurricane will also host Snow Canyon Tuesday.
The Tigers used a stifling defense and a full-court press that Dixie wasn't able to overcome. Hurricane had 19 steals, 14 of which came as a result of their press on the Flyers.
On the other side, Hurricane handled the ball well and kept the turnovers down - especially when it counted.
"We work a lot on the fundamentals of ball handling," added Kidd-Thomas. "We play an aggressive game. We full-court press other teams every chance we get."
Dixie went almost 12 minutes in the first half without a field goal and struggled from the free-throw line. The Flyers did make an 8-2 run to cut the halftime lead to 25-22.
Dixie was able to pull even with the Tigers at 30, midway through the third period. Hurricane used an 11-1 run of their own through the rest of the third and into the fourth to take a 10-point lead, 41-31.
"We played well together as a team," said Hurricane guard Carly Stratton, who scored 11 points. "We have been focusing on team work and free throws and it came down to that."
Just when it looked like Hurricane might completely take over the contest, Dixie fought back. With 3:18 to go in the game Seegmiller sunk a 13-foot jumper to trim the deficit to six. Sarah Empey added four quick points as the Tigers missed enough free throws to give Dixie some hope.
With 50 seconds left Seegmiller scored a lay-up, Dixie got a quick steal, and with 45 seconds to go Nicole Winters scored her only points of the game on a deep trey in the corner to tie the game at 45.
Hurricane was able to make their free-throws when it counted and an offensive rebound and putback by Ciera Cahoon in the closing seconds all but sealed the game for the Tigers.
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