Mason Simon reporter@silsbee-bee.com The Silsbee Bee SILSBEE — The gym was rocking on Tuesday night as the Tigers were getting ready to rumble with their District Rival, Bridge City Cardinals. Both communities showed in force for this pivotal matchup and made their voices heard. The game got off to a fast start with both teams vying for early possessions and playing inspired defense. Bridge City struck early with a pair of 3s in the first. Silsbee took advantage of Bridge City’s aggressive defensive scheme and scored their first six points from the free throw line. As the half wound down, the offense picked up considerably. Both teams drained a pair of high-impact 3s during the quarter. With Jonathan Cartwright and Cedric Jones nailing Silsbee’s 3-point shots during the second quarter. Both teams entered the half with only a 12-point gap as the Tigers trailed 37-25. As they returned to play, Silsbee mustered a strong comeback and took the lead early in the third. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Bridge City would reclaim the lead off the back of a strong defense and some timely shots from beyond the arc and never surrender it. The final score was 71-57 in favor of the Cardinals, who played an excellent game and walked out tested but were victorious. For the Tigers, there was nothing to be disappointed about, and neither was there for any of Tiger Nation in attendance. There were a few critical shots that had they taken a different bounce off the rim or backboard, Silsbee could easily have turned the momentum back in their favor. The Boys obviously didn’t let this loss bother them, as they would travel to LCM and send the Bears back into hibernation with a commanding 76-46 victory. This past Friday night, the Lady Tigers took on the visiting LCM Lady Bears, and this game looked to be just as much of a grind as the previous week’s game against the Jasper Lady Bulldogs was. Both defensive units showed up early, as the score going into the half was 18-17. The Lady Tigers capitalized on a few turnovers and made the most of their trips to the free-throw line early. Silsbee stayed in the game thanks to a valiant performance from No. 23 Madison Hill. She scored 11 points for the Lady Tigers on the night, and she was the only one to score a 3-pointer for the Lady Tigers all night. Despite the heroics, the Lady Bears returned from Halftime with renewed energy, playing much more aggressively on defense while taking advantage of some controversial calls by the officials during the second half, outscoring the Lady Tigers 20 to 12 in the third and fourth quarters. The game ended 39-30 with the Lady Bears running out the clock, soundtracked by the massive ovation from the community that traveled from Little-Cypress to cheer them on. Tiger fans from all across Tiger Nation have nothing to be disappointed about, as this game was one where the ladies played their hearts out and left it all on the court, forcing the Lady Bears to work to maintain possession during the final seconds of the game. Both teams look to take on the West Orange Stark Mustangs, with the Tigers Set to play in the Competition Gym on Tuesday and then head to Vidor to make the Pirates walk the plank. As for the Lady Tigers, on Tuesday, they travel to WOS to corral the Lady ‘Stangs and return to the Jungle to face off against the Vidor Lady Pirates. Best of luck to these young athletes, and safe travels to anyone attending games this week.