Tuscola jumped out to a 23-13 lead at halftime but Monticello turned things around and rallied past the Lady Warriors for a 49-40 in Holiday Hoopla girls basketball from Monticello High School.

Tuscola used a high-intensity defense to jump to a 10-8 lead after one quarter and then held the Lady Sages to just two field goals in the second quarter, outscoring Monticello 13-5.

The Lady Sages came alive after a first half where they shot 3-for-9 from the free-throw line and went missed all sorts of opportunities close to the basket. Cloe Clark and Rennie Fultz scored six points apiece in the third quarter, Lizzie Stiverson beat a buzzer at the end of the third quarter to make the score 33-32 Tuscola. 

Monticello jumped out quickly in the fourth quarter and made 7-of-10 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.

Clark scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half while Fultz scored 10 of her 14 in the second half.

Stiverson finished with 11 points and Olivia Swanson scored five crucial points down the stretch to finish with seven points. 

The Lady Sages improve to 6-8 overall and will likely play in the championship game of the Holiday Hoopla after tie-breakers are sorted out late Friday.

Tuscola falls to 8-4.