Alexis Taylor provided the scoring punch in the paint on Friday at the Murray Bank Lady Tiger Classic to lead the Todd County Central girls’ basketball team to blowout victories over St. Mary and hosts Murray. The Lady Rebels ran their winning streak to four to improve to 10-3 and book a spot in Saturday’s championship game against Hopkins County Central.
The Lady Rebels opened the day with a 71-49 win over St. Mary, putting the game away with a 17-2 run in the first quarter. Taylor scored 12 points to lead the way, including a putback just ahead of the buzzer for a 21-6 advantage.
Taylor added eight more points in the second and Abby Williams capped a seven-point quarter with a three-pointer in the final seconds for a 39-17 halftime score.
St. Mary’s Olivia Lorch knocked down four three-pointers in the third quarter, part of a 6/9 performance from behind the arc that yielded a team-high 24 points. The Lady Vikings outscored Todd Central 19-16 but still trailed by 19 with a quarter left to play.
Williams finished with 20 for the Lady Rebels, including a bucket in the lane with 4:52 left that pushed her past 1,000 career points. Taylor led all scorers with 27 and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
While points were in shorter supply in the Lady Rebels’ second game, they held Murray to single digits in each quarter on the way to a 46-20 victory.
Taylor scored the Lady Rebels’ first eight points, and her three-pointer with :30 left in the first quarter made it 16-4. Taylor took her first-half total to 17 with nine more points in the second frame, and Todd Central was in control up 28-11 at the half.
The teams combined for only six points in the third, with Murray’s first bucket coming with :18 left in the period. Taylor’s steal and layup with 2:52 to play capped her 30-point, 11-rebound performance.
Taylor was the only player for either team in double figures. Williams finished with six points and seven rebounds for the Lady Rebels.
Todd Central 21 18 16 16 — 71
St. Mary 6 11 19 13 — 49
Todd Central — Taylor 27, Williams 20, Shemwell 9, Garrett 4, Kay 4, Harrell 3, Miller 2, Smith 2
St. Mary (2-9) — Lorch 24, Clements 16, Crider 7, Brummett 2
Todd Central 15 13 4 14 — 46
Murray High 4 7 2 7 — 20
Todd Central (10-3) — Taylor 30, Williams 6, Collins 4, Garrett 2, Kay 2, Shemwell 2
Murray High (3-7) — Downey 6, Ma. Smith 6, My. Smith 4, Bomar 2, Bullard 2
