By Thomas Sellers Jr.
MEMPHIS — Shots were not falling in the Central Baptist Gymansium in the early moments for the Tipton-Rosemark Academy Lady Rebels. Despite the ball rimming out and coming up short, contributions from Taylor Beasley, Bethany Berger, Ally Naifeh and Sara Hall allowed TRA to take a 12-5 lead over the host Lady Swordsmen. Then the Lady Rebels turned up the defensive pressure and shots started falling in the second and third quarters. TRA cruised to a 59-25 victory over Central Baptist. “We’re still trying to get all four quarters together,” TRA Head Coach Shari Armour said. “That’s what we’re working on right now. We always leave one or two quarters out. We’ll play two just fine. We’ve got to learn to put a whole game together.” Although TRA’s trend continued last Thursday night, the Lady Rebels outscored the Lady Swordsmen 36-14 in the second and third quarters. Hall got the offense rolling with a three-pointer early in the second quarter. Then her teammates Alexa Crum and Hannah Quinn scored buckets inside the paint to make the score 18-9. Senior guard Virginia Moore contributed to the TRA offense with a three-pointer. Seconds later Moore made a steal and dribbled down court for a layup to make the score 23-10. Beasley scored the next four points for TRA including a jumper. Another Moore layup made the score 29-11. Brooke Bridges took her turn at a three-pointer making the basket. The first half concluded with Berger driving to the rim for a bucket giving TRA a 34-11 advantage heading into the locker rooms. In the third quarter Berger and Beasley made baskets to keep the lead sizeable. Toward the end of the period Naifeh had the hot hand with two jumpers to make the tally 48-19. TRA closed out the game with buckets from Morgan Curle and Abby Naifeh. Armour said she was glad to get all her players in the scoring column during a solid win. Now the Lady Rebels prepare to travel after Christmas for their holiday tournament. “We’re going to go back to Obion County and play in a Christmas Tournament up there,” Armour said. “We’re going to be able to see a different level of competition up there. I’m always excited to go back up to the Northwest and play.
“I’m hoping the girls will get after it from the first quarter to the fourth quarter,” she concluded. “Another thing we have to get the fundamentals right. We have to be a solid fundamental team before we can even think about winning one tournament.”
