While the lead was building up, the Lady Shoes introduced their 1-2-2 trapping zone defense and it paid immediate dividends, forcing the Lady Tornados into 23 turnovers in the game.

“We’ve been working on that in practice and decided to use it for the first time tonight,” Thompson noted. “I saw some good things, but it still needs work. We have to get better at our on-the-ball defense, too. The girls have to contain the girl they’re guarding without needing so much help. Overall, we just need to get better defensively.”

Nothing changed in the second half. T-Town extended its lead to 28 points – 47-19 – after three periods and then outscored Taylorville 12-2 in the final eight minutes to finish with the lopsided 38-point victory.

“I also saw some good things on offense,” Thompson said. “We ran some set plays and tried to pound the ball inside. We did a good job getting the ball inside. We just need to do a better job finishing around the basket. The key for us is execution at both ends of the floor.”

Taylorville didn’t have a player in double figures. The Lady Tornados shot an icy 26 percent, connecting on only 9-of-34 attempts. They were 3-for-14 from three-point range and 0-for-4 from the foul line.

T-Town had three players in double figures. Lexie Niebrugge led the way with 16 points, while Kaylee Niebrugge scored 13 and Kaitlyn Schumacher added 11.

The Lady Shoes shot 40 percent overall, making 21-of-52 shots. They were 4-for-11 from behind the arc and 13-for-22 at the free throw line. They held a commanding 33-18 advantage on the boards, with Izzy Hadiek pulling down seven. THS had 13 turnovers.

THS improved to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the Apollo Conference. The Lady Shoes are scheduled to play Saturday at home against Meridian. The JV game will start at 10 a.m. and there will be a Senior Day ceremony before the varsity contest.

Teutopolis will then play a key conference contest at home Monday night against Lincoln.