Tigers continue to find their stride

NEELYVILLE — The Neelyville Tigers high school boys basketball team looks to finish strong before the holidays.

After suffering a loss in their last matchup against Puxico on Wednesday, the Tigers returned to the gym early the next day to get better. Head coach Brad Burdin said the team is not where they need to be, but they are heading in the right direction.

Though their season has been a series of ups and downs, Burdin is certain the Tigers are just one step away from finding their stride.

“We’ve been focusing on improvement every day,” Burdin said. “I still feel like we’re not on an offensive role yet, but that takes time. We’ve played some talented teams so far and improved each time. We played in Arkansas last week and it was a good experience to play that kind of talent over there. I believe it will make us better as the season progresses.”

Junior big Casen Stephens agreed that there are some things they need to improve on, but as they look toward the second half of the season, their expectations are high for the Tigers.

Stepping into the season, Stephens said his main priority was improving his energy on the floor and the bench. His mission was to step up offensively and gain the trust of his teammates. He believes the Tigers have a lot of potential to do some great things, and their first couple of games were a good test for the squad.

“We’re working out kinks right now, and I believe we can be really good going into the future,” Stephens said. “I feel like with the seven guys we have, we can compete with anyone because we have a lot of heart. When it comes to our younger guys, they do an amazing job of providing a lot of energy for us. Going forward, I have high expectations. I feel like this first half is just a learning experience for us, and in our second half, we will turn it on, and people will take notice.”

Stephens said when it comes to making adjustments, they can learn to be a little smarter and think a little bit more about their decision-making on the court.

Fellow teammate and senior Grant Hale said the team’s chemistry has flowed well for the Tigers so far. He said keeping a positive mentality and paying attention to the small things will help them improve in the long run.

As the only senior on the team, Hale said it comes with a lot of pressure because many of the younger guys look to him as an example, but he’s handling the duty with no issues.

“Being the only senior on the team can be tough, but I know I have a full team behind me, and they have my back,” Hale said. “I’m a lot more confident on the floor this season, and I know it’s because of them. I just have to keep going and work hard. I plan to embrace this leadership role and stay ready mentally.”

The Tigers are 4-5 on the season — and with a tough schedule, Burdin said most of those losses were justified. As the Tigers look ahead to the next half of their schedule, they will aim to finish out strong while trying to stay clear of the recent spike with the flu.

“Obviously, we want to win them all, but that’s the game,” Burdin said. “Coming up on our schedule, we feel like we can compete with just anybody that’s on the schedule, so our goal is to stay in the gym. We’re fighting some illnesses, but hopefully, whenever they can play, we will return to the gym and grind it out to prepare for our next matchup.”

The Tigers will return to the court when they hit the road to take on Ellington High School over the Christmas break.