Phillips Leads Taconic Girls in State Tourney Opener
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Ahliya Phillips scored 16 points, and the Taconic girls basketball team used a pair of 16-0 runs to earn a berth in the Sweet 16.
Amelia Leasure scored 10, and 11 different players got in the scorebook for fifth-seeded Taconic in a 66-32 win over St. John Paul II in the first round of the Division 5 State Tournament on Friday.
It was a 10-6 game late in the first quarter when the defending State Co-Champions took control, scoring the next 16 to push their lead to 26-6 when Serynity Moorer put back an offensive rebound midway through the second quarter.
Faith Cross started the run with a putback, and Leasure had one of her two 3-pointers during the stretch.
After St. John Paul II answered with six straight points, Taconic went on another 16-0 run that spanned the second and third quarters.
Phillips got this one started with a triple, and Leasure capped it with a pair of free throws after being fouled in transition to make it 46-16 midway through the third.
Alex Hudson, Madison Winn and Cross each scored seven points as Taconic improved to 13-9.
On Monday, Taconic will face Palmer, a 45-37 winner over Franklin Tech on Thursday in the round of 32, for a berth in the state quarter-finals.