Fueled by the frustration of thirteen-straight losses to 13th-District rivals Franklin-Simpson, the Todd County Central Rebels prevailed 61-43 in an emotional and heated district championship on Friday in Elkton.
The Rebels’ last win against the Wildcats came almost exactly five years ago when they last captured the district title with a 12-point victory on February 23, 2018.
Preston Rager scored seven points to help Todd Central to a one-point lead after the first quarter on Friday. Franklin-Simpson led for the last time at 9-8 after a Gabe Jones three-pointer with two minutes left in the opening frame.
Rager scored the Rebels’ first six points of the second before Jamison Glass took over. The junior big man did it himself for an 8-0 run and Todd Central’s first double-digit lead at 26-16 with less than a minute to play in the half.
Todd Central still enjoyed a ten-point cushion after a Glass bucket in the lane midway through the third. Then, Hayden Strader caught fire from behind the arc, beginning with a three from straight away that hit every part of the rim and dropped through.
The next two were nothing but net, giving Strader a triple on three-straight possessions and stretching the Rebel advantage to 41-24 with 2:36 left in the third.
Perez Whitlock drilled a three-pointer to build the lead to 16 early in the final quarter, and it looked like the Rebels had it sewn up. However, Franklin-Simpson battled back with a 12-2 spurt, capped by a three for DeMarcus Hogan, to get within six with 2:12 left.
But Glass delivered the knockout blow, dribbling down the lane and taking flight for a dunk and a foul to floor the Wildcats. Franklin-Simpson’s bench picked up a technical foul, and Rager sank both free throws to restore the double-digit lead for good with just under two minutes to play.
Rager did the job from the foul line to seal the win, going eight for eight in the fourth to finish with a game-high 21 points. Glass scored 19, and Strader hit four three-points for 12.
After being held scoreless in the first half, Franklin-Simpson leading scorer Jalen Briscoe posted ten in the fourth to finish with 13. Jones also scored 13, only three after halftime, and Hogan was held to half his average with seven.
The Rebels improved to 19-11 with their sixth win in seven outings and will learn their opponent for next week’s 4th-Region tournament at the draw on Saturday morning.
Franklin-Simpson 11 7 9 16 — 43
Todd County Central 12 14 17 18 — 61
Franklin-Simpson (17-10) — Briscoe 13, Jones 13, Hogan 7, Dickerson 4, Gamble 3, Mylor 3
Todd County Central (19-11) — Rager 21, Glass 19, Strader 12, Whitlock 5, Foster 4
