By Rob Potter
MONTICELLO — January 25, 2011 — For the second, third and fourth quarters of Thursday night’s non-league basketball game, the visiting Tuxedo Lady Tornadoes and Monticello Lady Panthers scored exactly the same number of points.
Unfortunately for Monticello, the Lady Tornadoes stormed out to 21-0 lead in the opening eight minutes of the game.
As a result, Tuxedo recorded the 51-30 victory.
Tuxedo (10-2) grabbed its first-quarter lead through a combination of steals, aggressive defense and a quick offense. Mag Comerford had eight points and Stephanie Purdy netted six points in the period.
In the first minutes of the second quarter, Purdy scored a basket in the lane and Katie Leigh Sovak made a pair of free throws to make it a 25-0 game.
Monticello (2-5) finally got on the scoreboard when Shamira Moore banked a shot off the backboard with 4:44 left until halftime.
Moore made two foul shots in the following minute and teammates Zaquia Revell and Latique Liles each scored a basket as the Lady Panthers offense continued to improve.
The Lady Tornadoes took their biggest lead of the night at 40-10 when Sovak made a 3-point shot with 4:29 left in the third period.
Monticello outscored the visitors 16-10 in the fourth quarter.
Purdy scored a game-high 14 points, while Comerford and Sovak also finished in double figures with 12 points and 10 points, respectively.
Alex Gunderman added eight points for the Lady Tornadoes.
Tuxedo Coach Dave Powers was pleased with his team’s play in the opening quarter.
“But the rest of the game, we were substituting players and changing defenses and we played kind of flat,” he said. “It wasn’t a particularly good game. If we had played the rest of the game like we played in the first quarter, it could have gotten ugly.”
Moore led the Lady Panthers with 10 points and Revell finished the game with four points.
“Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers, turnovers” Monticello Coach Karen Atack replied to a question about the game. “Turnovers have haunted us this season. You can’t win making 40 turnovers a game.”
But Atack was quick to credit the Lady Tornadoes.
“They are a very good passing team,” she said.
Despite the turnovers, Atack was pleased with how her players responded in the second, third and fourth quarters.
“We made our errors, but we never gave up,” she said. “These girls don’t quit.”