TIPTON, Mo. - Junior guard Madi Craighead totaled a game-high 22 points to help the top-seeded New Bloomfield Lady Wildcats beat the No. 2 Tipton Lady Cardinals and capture the 78th-annual Tipton Tournament championship on Saturday night.
"One of our goals this year was to win this tournament since we haven't accomplished that in the past few years," New Bloomfield head coach Brett Craighead said. "It's early in the year and it's a good sign that we're playing well, hopefully we can keep it up."
New Bloomfield (3-1) trailed 19-13 after the first quarter and faced a 30-24 deficit at halftime. The Lady Wildcats outscored Tipton 20-12 in the third period to take a 44-42 lead.
"We made an adjustment with our press and became more aggressive in the second half," Craighead said. "I think we were nervous in the first half, but then settled in and played ball in the second half."
Sophomore center Samantha Haas and senior forward Madison Love each recorded a double-double. Haas produced 14 points and a team-high 15 rebounds, while Love tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Kate Baxter put up 13 points.
Abby Backes directed Tipton with 14 points, while Alyson Brant added 10.
New Bloomfield hosts Wellsville at 6 p.m. Thursday.