GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Lady Wildcats snapped their seven-game losing streak, winning over Westmoreland High School 49-34.

In what has been a rough patch of games for the Tullahoma ladies’ basketball team, full of off-shooting nights, unlucky breaks, and just tough competition, a win now stands as a wall between them and that rugged stretch. They can now turn a new page and get back to the winning ways that they showcased early in the season, as they won their first six games of the year, stamping a 6-0 record. A lot of what helped them to their impressive start was seen in their game against Westmoreland, and one of those main factors was the high-level play of McLayne Bobo.

“Our bench played a key role early coming in and provided a spark offensively and defensively,” said head coach of Tullahoma Chad Hibdon.

“Westmoreland was really keying in on Izzy (Isabella Lidstrom) and McLayne but the bench’s early production opened up the offense and allowed them to find their offensive rhythm.”

Bobo was held scoreless in the opening quarter but then dominated the next three quarters. She has been the team’s main threat offensively throughout the season, and she showed up in a big way against Westmoreland, as she scored a game-high 24 points. The junior scored two threes and got to what she does best in using her aggression toward the basket. Bobo scored five of her eight free throws in the game and was the go-to weapon in the second half that saw Tullahoma outscore Westmoreland 27-9.

“Defense in the second half we adjusted our pressure to create a different look in our half-court defense. We put an emphasis on keeping them out on the perimeter. Our team defense was so much better collectively in the second half and it allowed us to make some offensive runs that led to confidence, which was what we needed,” said Chad Hibdon on his team’s defense in the second half.

Bobo went on to score 16 of her 24 in the half, and along with her strong offensive showing revealed the Lady Wildcats’ defense that was present at the initial start of the 2024-2025 calendar basketball year.

 Tullahoma’s defense forced Westmoreland into uncomfortable looks and then into turnovers, which then allowed them to get where they like to play—out in transition. They have several extremely good on-ball defenders, both on their bench and in their starting lineup. These same great defenders are all also capable of pushing the ball up on a fast break. This is the formula of play for the team to be successful, and for them to be able to get to it with the many adjustments teams have made to prevent them from doing so, is a huge step in the right direction.