Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/Clewiston High School Athletics
The Clewiston High School Lady Tigers varsity basketball team poses after their win over FAU High School on Jan. 3.

CLEWISTON — The Clewiston High School Lady Tiger varsity basketball team capped off an undefeated streak in December by winning their first game in 2020 over FAU High School 37-34 on Jan. 3.

The win improves Clewiston’s record to 6-1 this year, their best start since 2017.

Throughout their winning streak the Lady Tigers collected victories over Moore Haven, First Baptist Academy, Glades Central and Lake Placid.

Their one loss came to the Okeechobee Lady Brahmans on Nov. 21. Much like Clewiston, Okeechobee is off to a great start this year, with the Lady Brahmans sitting at an 11-4 record at the end of 2019.

Clewiston senior Alaysha Johnson currently leads the Lady Tigers in scoring, with 129 points in six games played. She’s followed by fellow senior Samoria Curry, who has 55 points so far this season.
Senior Alexis Perez has been a force to be reckoned with on defense for the Lady Tigers. Perez leads the team with 16 steals and 37 rebounds.

Clewiston closed out 2019 with a dominating 49-32 road win over Lake Placid.

The Lady Tigers jumped out early on Lake Placid, taking a 17-6 lead after the first quarter. Lake Placid was able to rally in the third quarter, outscoring Clewiston 15-9, to make the score 31-29 and pull within seven points.

But any hope of a comeback was quickly quashed by the Lady Tigers, who put up 18 points in the fourth quarter while holding Lake Placid to just nine.

Johnson led the Lady Tigers on offense, scoring 25 points, followed by junior Marissa Trimble who put up eight points on Lake Placid.

The Lady Tigers have played Moore Haven twice this year, and Johnson scored a combined 47 points in those games.

It’s clear that if Johnson gets rolling early, the Lady Tigers are a hard team to beat. During their loss to Okeechobee, the Lady Brahmans were able to hold Johnson to just eight points. It was the only time Alaysha had been held under double digits in a game this year.

It should be interesting to see how teams decide to play the Lady Tigers as the season continues. If a defense focuses on shutting down Johnson, that may open up opportunities for other Lady Tigers.

The Lady Tiger’s season continues with two upcoming road games. Clewiston will be on the road to face Neumann on Jan. 10 and again on Jan. 13 to play Sebring.

Clewiston’s next home game will be a rematch against Lake Placid at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 14.