By Derek Fisher
There were two major keys for Taylor in its annual inter-county girls basketball battle with Tri-Central at Center Court on Friday night: quality over quantity in the field goal shooting department and a lot of Shelby Wall.
Wall, a senior guard, scored 29 points as the Titans attempted just 33 shots from the floor — less than half of what their opponents threw at the basket — in a 59-55 thriller over the Trojans.
“I like that we gutted it out,” said Taylor coach Dennis Bentzler. “I knew it was going to be like that. [Tri-Central] has a great coaching staff and it’s always a tough game. We create a mentally tough environment here, and our girls practice like they played [Friday night], every night.”
The Titans led virtually throughout the contest, save one brief TC lead in the second quarter, but the victory was anything but certain for Taylor.
Trailing 30-25 at intermission, Tri-Central evened the score at 30-30 just 90 seconds into the third period before Wall went on a seven-point bender that helped push the Taylor edge back to 39-30. Rallying to within 41-39 early in the final stanza and 45-44 with just three minutes remaining in the game, the Trojans were again rebuked by another Wall streak, this one a five-point exclamation that appeared to seal the win.
Two Rachel Hewitt 3-pointers for the Trojans inside the final minute brought things into question once again at 56-55, but Taylor was able to ice the affair with a trio of free throws by Mone’y Black and Erika Hewitt.
“[Taylor] shot a lot of free throws,” said Tri-Central coach Kathie Layden. “We didn’t. [The officiating] was questionable, but that was definitely an exciting game. Taylor is a good team and we always seem to have a good rivalry and a competitive game with them. We just came up short at the end.
“[Wall] just took over for [Taylor]. We tried to slow her down and she still found a way to score.”
Wall’s scoring was much needed for the Titans, who committed 29 turnovers, putting a premium on possessions. Taylor shot 52 percent from the floor.
“We wanted to survive and we did,” Bentzler said. “We’re 3-0, nobody thought we were going to be any good and we just keep rolling and reloading. Give Tri-Central credit, they were shadowing [Wall] and helping off of her and had a great game plan. It’s a credit to her, she still found a way to score despite being the focus.”
Wall’s scoring effort actually lowered her season scoring average to 33 points per game, following Tuesday night’s 38-point outburst in a win over Class 2A No. 1 Oak Hill and a season-opening 32 at North Miami.
“Shelby has a great basketball IQ,” said Bentzler. “Her ability to put it on the floor and shoot the jumper is uncanny, and she’s not going to miss free throws.”
Wall was 13-of-13 from the charity stripe.
Tri-Central completes the second leg of a back-to-back weekend when it hosts Sheridan tonight.
“Games like [Friday] make you better,” Layden said. “[In the postgame] we just talked about staying with the way we want to play and play hard and be competitive [tonight].”
Black added 15 points for Taylor. Kelly Walter led Tri-Central with 16 points.
Taylor travels to Eastern on Nov. 28.
