With a two game lead heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Tecumseh girls’ basketball team needed to secure wins last week against Ben Logan and Greenon to lock up a league championship and keep the momentum headed into the sectional tournament.
Leading by 12 heading to the fourth period, the Arrows exploded for 23 points in the fourth period and dominated the Mad River Division leading Raiders in the final eight minutes, to earn a 73-44 win.
Sophomore Corinne Thomas led all scorers with 39 points, including nine three-point shots for the Arrows. She added seven steals and five assists. Presley Griffitts added 20 for the Arrows, along with nine assists and six steals.
High-scoring Ben Logan guard Nikki Current was held to half of her 22 point average, as the Arrows defense prevented her from getting to the rim where she does most of her damage.
Tecumseh jumped out to an 8-0 lead behind five quick points from Thomas before Hayley Boysel broke the scoreless drought for the Raiders three minutes into the game. The Arrows defense caused havoc as they built their lead. Thomas added five more points and Griffitts hit a big three to push their lead out to 16-8 with 3:26 left in the period.
Current scored six of her points in an 80 second span of the first period to try to keep the Raiders in the game, but Thomas buried another three with 2:08 left to extend their lead to 21-10. The Raiders reeled off six straight points to end the period and headed to the second trailing 21-16.
Holding onto an eight point lead midway through the second quarter, Tecumseh went on a 12-0 run including three’s from Thomas and Mackenzie Pauley as they took a 42-24 lead into the half.
Ben Logan then recovered and settled in for a comeback third period. After Thomas’ three put Tecumseh up 48-26, the Raiders put together a 12-2 run to end the third period, and the host Raiders trailed 50-38 heading to the fourth.
Tecumseh pulled away early in the fourth, as Thomas scored 10 points and Allison Berner hit a pair of free throws, taking their lead from 12 out to 64-40. The Arrows never looked back cruising to their 16th win of the season.
Tecumseh is back in action Saturday at Urbana for a 7:30 start, and the tournament draw is set for Sunday around Ohio to determine the path that teams will take through the sectional tournament. The post-season begins the week of February 13.
