Late Surge Lifts Oak Grove Past Lady Tigers in Higginsville

Higginsville, Mo. (December 10, 2025) – A second-round loss to the Oak Grove Panthers in the Husker Classic in Higginsville dropped the Lady Tiger record to 2-2 on the season.

The Lady Tigers jumped out to a quick lead on a basket from the left block by senior Kinley Rogers. The Panthers answered on the next trip down the floor, but Rogers grabbed an offensive rebound and put-back to give the Lady Tigers the lead again. A Panther free throw, followed by a running jumper by junior Lara Hutton, moved the score to 6-3, but that would be the last time the Lady Tigers would lead.

The Panthers hit a 3-pointer on their next possession to tie the score and start a 9-0 run to end the first quarter. Hutton received a pass on the backside of the Panthers’ 2-2-1 press and drove to the basket for a layup to open the scoring in the second quarter. Senior Josie Casler followed with a 12-foot jumper off an inbounds play to cut the lead to 12-10, but that was as close as the Lady Tigers could get for the remainder of the half as Oak Grove took an 18-14 lead into halftime.

Both offenses picked up in the third quarter, with the Lady Tigers tying the game at 20 on a basket from the left side of the lane by Rogers at the 5:23 mark. Oak Grove closed the quarter on a 16-11 run to take a 36-31 lead into the fourth.

The Panther offense broke open in the final quarter, scoring 25 points, while the Lady Tigers added 12 to reach the final score of 61-43.

Rogers and Casler each finished in double figures for the Lady Tigers. Rogers scored 16 points to go along with seven rebounds. Casler added 10 points and five rebounds. Hutton finished with seven points, senior Bella Loeffert scored six, and sophomores Lexy Martin and Reese Ryan added two points each.