The Taylorville Tornadoes wrapped up a long, busy weekend of basketball with an early-morning third-place game against Alton Marquette in Litchfield. With snow in the forecast, tipoff was moved up to 9 a.m., but the Tornadoes and their cheerleaders were wide awake and ready to go.
Taylorville came out strong in the first quarter, led by Maddex Havera, who poured in 11 points to spark the offense. The Tornadoes played with great energy and built a 17–11 lead after one.
The second quarter continued in a positive direction as Blake Ladage went to work in the paint, scoring several tough buckets around the rim. Taylorville controlled the tempo and carried a 26–19 advantage into halftime.
The third quarter, however, felt like the winter weather outside. The Tornadoes struggled to find a rhythm, managing only four points in the period. Alton Marquette took advantage, chipping away at the lead and eventually moving in front 31–30 heading into the fourth.
The final quarter was a tight, back-and-forth battle with neither team able to pull away. When regulation ended, the game was tied, sending Taylorville to overtime for the second time in just 18 hours.
Both teams continued to battle in the first overtime, but once again nothing separated them, forcing a second extra session. In the closing moments of double overtime, Alton Marquette knocked down a clutch jumper at the buzzer to seal a 58–56 victory.
Despite the tough loss, the Tornadoes showed heart and resilience throughout the tournament and finished fourth overall in Litchfield after playing a lot of basketball in a short amount of time.
Taylorville will look to bounce back next week with a big home game against Rochester on Tuesday, followed by another tough matchup with Mahomet on Friday.
Coach Brown talks 2 tough OT losses.
Brock Brown from DT
Blake Ladage with the cut and score.
Ella Hohenstein flipping for Tville Cheer