The Tri-County Mustang basketball teams advanced themselves into the second round of the Class 1, District 13 Tournament with wins Tuesday night. The Lady Mustangs cruised to a 45-23 win over Breckenridge, while the boys held off the Winston Redbirds for a 43-42 win.
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Lady Mustangs
The Tri-County Lady Mustangs got their district campaign off on the right foot with a dominating win over Breckenridge. Tri-County let Breckenridge know exactly whose game it was in the first quarter, opening the game with a 17-2 run. Breckenridge bounced back in the second quarter, playing a lot closer with the Lady Mustangs. The damage was done, however, and the Lady Mustangs went into the locker room at halftime holding a commanding 29-13 lead.
Tri-County only scored eight points in each of the final two quarters, but the defense continued to play at a very high level. Breckenridge was only allowed four points in the third quarter and six in the fourth as the Lady Mustangs easily took the 45-23 win.
The Lady Mustangs were again led by Taryn Dustman, who put up a game-high 17 points. Bailey Huston also hit double digits, scoring 13 points. Tri-County also got a boost from Laurie Eads, who scored nine.
The Lady Mustangs improved to 19-6 with the win. The win advances Tri-County to the semifinals, where they will face Southwest Ludlow tonight in Meadville. Tip time is scheduled for 4:30.
Mustangs
The Tri-County boys spent three quarters building a lead and then held on to it in the final frame to keep their season alive. The Mustangs opened the game with an 11-9 run and built on to it in the second quarter, outscoring the Redbirds 13-7. At halftime, Tri-County had taken a 24-16 lead.
In the third quarter, the Mustangs again outscored Winston, this time 10-7. Every point the Mustangs scored would prove to be vitally important as Winston began to put together a rally in the final quarter of play. Tri-County led 34-23 going into the fourth. Winston began chipping away at the Mustangs’ lead, but Tri-County was resilient. The Mustangs hit their free throws down the stretch, holding on for the 43-42 win.
“We played without two starters,” Head Coach Terry McCollum said. “We hit our free throws when we needed to, though, and played good ‘D’ (defense) at the end.”
Tri-County was led by Russell Prescott, who put up a team-high 19 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for a double-double. Gib Wray also had a big night, racking up 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Mustangs improved to 7-18 on the season and earned a trip to the semifinals where they will face number-one seeded Meadville tonight at 5:45.