LIBERTY TWP. — Taylor Farris scored a game-high 17 points, Kylee Fears added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Myah Keene had 12 points and the No. 6 seed Talawanda High School girls basketball team defeated No. 25 Turpin 61-40 in Division I tournament action on Saturday afternoon at Lakota East.
The Brave (22-0) stormed out to a 16-2 lead, as four different players contributed to the surge.
“This will definitely get us in the flow of things,” said Farris, a senior. “Truly, we did everything that we wanted. We were able to do anything. Everything worked. We were able to score at will.
“The mindset right now is that we’re here to win,” Farris added. “We’re just ready. We’ve prepared all year for this.”
Talawanda, which led 37-16 at the halftime break, shot 25 of 50 (50%) from the floor for the game.
“We knew we had to move the ball,” Brave coach Mary Jo Huismann said of Turpin’s height advantage with four players standing at 6-feet or taller.
The Brave snapped an eight-game postseason losing streak with the victory.
“These girls want to play,” Huismann said. “Some kids just don’t want to play, but these girls do. They’re just able to take over a game. That’s what’s nice about six seniors.”
Turpin (7-16) was led by junior Sophia Shiano, who bucketed 13 points.
LAKOTA WEST FALLS TO MILFORD IN SECTIONAL OPENER
Katie Fox had 17 points and Lakota West saw its season end with a 55-34 loss to Milford in a Division I sectional opener on Saturday at Lakota East.
The Eagles (13-10) moved out to a 15-7 lead at the end of one quarter. Then a 10-0 run gave the Eagles their largest lead of the first half at 29-14.
Milford led 43-27 after three quarters.
“Milford played great. They executed everything that we tried to do, and they had an answer for it,” Firebirds coach Andy Fishman said. “They found the open player, and we never got them to turn the ball over. They made plays, and they showed that they’re very well coached.”
Lakota West (12-11) was also led by freshman Caroline Bayliff, who scored eight points.
Leading the way for Milford were seniors Miah O’Toole (17 points) and Katie Tatum (15 points).
“I believe that our girls didn’t want their season to end,” Fishman said. “They just outexecuted us and made plays.”
The Firebirds graduate seniors Star Owens and Anna Wells.
UP NEXT
Talawanda faces Milford in the second round of the Division I tournament on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Lakota East.
