After starting the season with five straight wins, the Todd County Central girls’ basketball team dropped its second straight on Saturday with a 63-57 setback to Monroe County.
The visiting Lady Falcons made the most of twenty fourth-quarter trips to the free-throw line to win their fifth in a row over the Lady Rebels and improve to 3-1 on the season.
The first quarter was tight and the Lady Rebels trailed by a point after Alexis Taylor scored in the paint, but Monroe County scored the final eight points to lead 18-10 after one. Paisley Ford scored six points for the Lady Falcons, and Gracie Veach knocked down a pair of three-pointers to build the early lead.
Monroe opened up a ten-point advantage early in the second quarter, but Taylor answered with seven points in a row and Jamya Kay scored on the baseline to pull the Lady Rebels within a point with 3:30 left in the half. However, after a short jumper by Veach inside the final minute, the Lady Falcons took a 31-25 lead into the break.
Abby Williams scored six of the Lady Rebels’ first eight points in the third, and she knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game with 4:30 left in the frame. Todd Central led 39-38 after a layup by Ciara Collins, but the Lady Falcons closed on a 5-1 run to take a three-point edge to the fourth.
The Lady Rebels opened on a 9-0 spurt to lead 49-43, but Monroe answered with six straight to tie it up. With 2:25 to play and the game tied at 50-50, Taylor picked up her fifth foul, and Todd Central was accessed two technical fouls. Paisley Ford knocked down six straight free throws to put the Lady Falcons in front for good.
Ford was perfect in ten attempts from the charity stripe in the fourth, and Monroe finished 22 of 29 from the line overall. The Lady Rebels connected on only six of 13 free-throw attempts.
Ford led all scorers with 27, and Veach finished with 13 for the Lady Falcons.
Taylor scored 22 to pace the Lady Rebels, followed by Williams with 15 and Burks with 12.
Todd Central slipped to 5-2 with a trip to Montgomery Central, TN coming up on Monday.
Monroe County 18 13 12 20 — 63
Todd Central 10 15 15 17 — 57
Monroe County (3-1) — Ford 27, Veach 13, Massingille 9, Finley 8, Thompson 5, Hatcher 1
Todd Central (5-2) — Taylor 22, Williams 15, Burks 12, Kay 6, Collins 2
