The Lady Tigers (1-3, 0-1) struggled early and often against region foe Carver (3-1, 1-0) Friday night, frequently succumbing to a smothering defense en route to a 76-39 home loss.

“We talked about from the onset being able to handle their pressure,” Demopolis head coach Tony Pittman said. “They were able to get us out of what we like to do.”

Demopolis entered the game with an inexperienced roster featuring five sophomores, five freshman and a senior in her first year of play. Pittman — who refuses to call his team young — knew the squad would need to defy its age in order to withstand the pressure defense the Lady Wolverines would bring.

“Going into the ballgame, we talked about the only way to neutralize their pressure was to attack it,” Pittman said of his team’s desire to work the ball into the low post and take advantage of 6-footers Breanna Jones and Shadijiah Moore. “But they were able to make us play up high and keep us from getting the ball to the post.”

The Lady Tigers also struggled mightily on the defensive glass, allowing Carver multiple looks at the basket.

“We also gave up a lot of second chance shots,” Pittman said.

His team trailed by 19 at half and stumbled out of the locker room, never getting closer than 21 in the closing periods of the contest.

Freshman Corneshia Perkins led the scoring effort for the Lady Tigers, chipping in 16 on the night. Megan Smith added nine points while Demekia Marshall had five.