WARDSVILLE - The Fulton Lady Hornets stayed undefeated by breaking an 18-all halftime tie and outscoring Blair Oaks 31-15 in the second half to pull away for Tuesday night's 49-33 triumph.
Fulton (5-0) outscored Blair Oaks 16-10 in the third quarter to take a 34-28 lead, then sealed the win by outscoring the Lady Falcons 15-5 in the fourth quarter.
"We're not really used to scoring only 18 points in a half; typically that's how many points we score in a quarter," Lady Hornets head coach TJ Quick said Wednesday afternoon. "But this was a grind-it-out type of game. We were taking good shots (in the first half), they were just not falling.
"The third quarter has been our nemesis in the past, but we took it to them. We drove the lane, got to the middle and kept our heads up, and then we played great defense."
After hitting just 7-of-20 free-throw attempts in its 54-50 win over Hermann in the championship of the Montgomery County Invitational Tournament last Saturday night, Fulton made 18-of-20 chances from the line against Blair Oaks.
"I don't know if this team has ever done that, but it was good to see a number like that," Quick said.
Senior guard Sloane Totta logged a game-high 15 points for the Lady Hornets, followed by fellow senior guard Rachel Guse' with a season-high 14. Senior forward NaShayla Brandt also posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while surpassing the 1,000-point mark in her Fulton career.
"It's a great accomplishment for NaShayla and speaks highly of her," Quick said. "She's worked hard from the moment I first met her when I took the job as coach at Fulton Middle School until now in her senior year.
"She's put in the time and work, and she deserves this. She's one of our key players."
Cassidy Prenger scored a team-high eight points for Blair Oaks.
The Lady Hornets return to North Central Missouri Conference play when they travel to Marshall at 6 tonight. Fulton is 1-0 in the NCMC after opening the season with a 52-36 victory at Mexico on Nov. 24.