Christmas is a time for giving, but the Madisonville-North Hopkins Lady Maroons were in a taking mood on Monday as they defeated Todd County Central 65-26 in Elkton.
Madisonville took advantage of 36 Todd Central turnovers and racked up 27 steals. Taylor Nelson harassed the Lady Rebel guards out front most of the night and finished with nine steals, and Macy Wright added six.
Madisonville’s tenacity on the ball helped them hold Todd Central to single digits in every quarter.
“We’ve been working on our defense quite a bit. Anytime Taylor can be disruptive to the other people’s point guard and get them out of what they want to do, then it trickles down to everybody else,” Lady Maroons coach Jeff Duvall said. “She’s a huge part of what we do on both ends of the court. She can cause havoc and make girls throw passes they’re not used to making, and that gives us a chance to make somebody take a bad shot.”
Madisonville hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter as they built a 13-6 lead. Macy Wright began the quarter with a bucket, and Nelson knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 18-6.
Kristina Western came off the bench to score seven of her 13 points in the second quarter as they pushed the lead to 31-14. Sadie Kirk beat the halftime horn to up the Madisonville lead to 33-14.
The Lady Maroons hit six of their nine 3-pointers in the first half and took advantage of 14 second-quarter miscues by the Lady Rebels.
Western’s third 3-pointer of the game triggered the running clock at the start of the fourth quarter as Madisonville pushed the lead to 57-22.
Western was one of four Lady Maroons to score in double figures with a game-high 13 points. Wright scored 10 and added six steals and five rebounds.
Madisonville moved a game over .500 for the second time this season to 5-4.
“We’re moving in the right direction. We’re moving the ball a lot. We start three freshmen, bring in a sophomore with no varsity experience. They’re still getting their feet wet,” Duvall said. “All five girls touch the ball, you know, a couple of times on a possession, and then we get an easy bucket. Just playing together, learning where everybody’s going to be, learning who needs to sprint the floor, who needs to stay back. Just working together and playing as a team.”
Freshman Aziyah Tandy gave the Lady Rebels eight points and five rebounds off the bench.
Todd Central fell to 1-8 as they work through a rebuild mode one season after reaching the Fourth Region championship. Graduation, injuries, and transfers have head coach Nick Suttle looking for the right combination with a mix of youth and experience.
“It’s definitely a mix. Right now, if you’re going to hustle and have a great defensive effort, you’re going to play. So that’s kind of what our mantra is right now,” Suttle said. “We’re young, and we’re trying to develop that mindset where they’re ready to go. That’s still a work in progress. Hopefully, we can get it going, but I’m seeing some more attacks to the basket.”
The meeting was the first between the schools in 16 years. Madisonville has won the last three games dating back to 2001.
Madisonville will play in the Lady of the South Invitational after Christmas, with a Saturday first-round game against 9-0 Bishop Brossart.
Todd County Central will play in the Murray Bank Lady Tiger Classic next Monday and Tuesday. Their first two games are against Ballard Memorial and Murray.
Madisonville 13 20 21 11– 65
Todd County Central 6 8 8 4– 26
Madisonville (5-4) – Western 13, Nelson 10, Wright 10, Kirk 10, Gobin 9, Harris 6, Baker 5, Littlepage 2
Todd County Central (1-8) – Tandy 8, K. Ballard 5, M. Ballard 4, Garrett 3, Collins 2, Kirkman 2, Miller 2
Rebounds – Madisonville 39 (Wright 8, Kirk 7, Baker 6), Todd County Central 24 (Tandy 5, M. Ballard 4, K. Ballard 4)
Assists – Madisonville 15 (Wright 5), Todd Central 5 (Collins 2)
Steals – Madisonville 27 (Nelson 9, Wright 6), Todd Central 4 (four with one)
