DUANE SHERRILLSports Writer

Thompson Station rolled into West Middle School gym this past week and rolled out with a 52-29 win to advance to the Round of 16 in the state championships.

For Thompson Station, there was no such thing as a bad shot as they pulled up from beyond the arc all evening, as Tey Werts was unstoppable from long range, canning four 3-pointers on her way to a 14 point showing. However, the real damage was done early by Jayda Robinson as she dropped six of her game high 18 in the opening stanza to get her team off to a 9-0 lead before West got their first bucket. Thompson led 13-3 after one as Madalin Lindstrom was the only Lady Bob ‘Cat to scratch the scoreboard, getting all three points from the charity stripe as she was hacked often slashing the lane to the basket.

While down, the Lady Bobcats were not out as they came clawing back, cutting the visitors’ lead to just three at one point in the second thanks to their swarming defense that forced several Thompson turn overs, leading to transition opportunities for the hosts. Emerald Tillman had three in the second on her way to leading her squad with eight on the night. Faith Vincent had all her points in the second, going three-for-four from the stripe along with a deuce of a total of five. Lizzy Sharpton, Addison Vincent and Lidstrom all popped a pair in the second.

Down 24-17 at the break, the Lady ‘Cats were hit hard by Robinson who had six along with Emmy Estep who also had a trio of field goals. West was able to must eight in the third with Sharpton getting four of her game total six in the third. She was joined by Tillman with three and Addison Vinson with a single. With a disadvantage of 39-25 going into the final period, West got aggressive on the defensive end, clamping down with their full court press in front of the ruckus middle school crowd. However, Thompson Station was able to break their press on numerous occasions, making the hosts pay for their aggressiveness. Tillman and Addie Nelson scored West’s only points in the fourth as their season was stopped in the first round of the state tournament after they earned their berth the week before, thanks to a pair of wins on their way to the Area championship.

While hoping to continue deep into the tourney, Coach Fred Robinson said the run in the post-season has him ready for more.

“Even though we didn’t win this one, one loss doesn’t define the amount of success we’ve had this season,” the coach said. “We’ve seen growth from each player and I’m already looking forward to next season.”