After 15-0 run in first quarter, Paola girls go on to 22-point Kansas quarterfinal victory

Paola coach Stuart Ross saw how ready junior guard Taylor Williams was for their Kansas Class 4A Division I girls basketball state quarterfinal on Thursday.

“I think our kids were ready to play, but she certainly was ready to play,” Ross said after Paola’s 66-44 victory over Rose Hill. “She’s been like a horse in the gates since Monday. She had a great game tonight.”

With Paola trailing Rose Hill 4-2, Williams hit a three-pointer to spark a 15-0 run in the first quarter. Paola, 23-0 and the bracket’s No. 1 seed, will play the Labette County-Buhler winner in a semifinal at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Williams had nine points in the first-quarter run and 16 points overall at the half. She finished with a game-high 19 and also had four steals.

“It’s huge to get up big,” Williams said. “We’ve been here three times. We were freshman when we first (qualified for state). It’s very important to get out and set the tone.”

Paola’s Morgan Laudan added 11 points, while Tiana Moala had nine points and six rebounds.

Paola also excelled on the defensive end, scoring 23 points off 21 turnovers.

Rose Hill was led by sophomore Anna Van Driel’s 15 points.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 6:52 PM with the headline "After 15-0 run in first quarter, Paola girls go on to 22-point Kansas quarterfinal victory."