GREENVILLE – The Troup Lady Tigers, returning to the court after an absence of more than a week, showed no signs of rust during a blowout win over Crawford County on Monday.

In the opening round of the Meriwether County Holiday Classic at Greenville High, Troup blew the game open early on the way to a 69-27 victory.

The scene will shift to Manchester High for the final two days of the tournament.

Troup, which improved to 5-4, will face the host Manchester team at 7 p.m. today, with the winner advancing to the championship game on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

In Monday’s game, the Lady Tigers led 20-6 after the first quarter, and they were ahead 39-12 at the half.

The Lady Tigers continued to pour it on in the second half, and by the time the third quarter ended, they led 57-17.

Gilbert, after scoring 12 points in the first half, added eight more points in the third period.

“They played really well,” Troup head coach Carla Thornton said. “They played real good team ball. And they stepped up in the post, which we’ve been lacking. That’s our weakness. We don’t have a true post player. Any time we go against size, we’re going to struggle a little bit. So it was good to see some of those girls step up.”

Shaqoya Gilbert led Troup with 22 points, and Kiya Fulton and Christy Allen added 10 points apiece.

Cortney Alexander scored eight points, and Jedda Madden and Kwyneshia Spence had six points each.

Following a loss to Callaway on Dec. 19, Thornton gave her players what she figured was some much-needed time off, so she wasn’t sure what to expect in Monday’s game.

“I was a little worried,” Thornton said. “I gave them more of a break than I usually do. But they needed some rest. We had some girls banged up. Sometimes you need it.”

After the tournament, Troup will turn its attention to its Region 5-AAAA schedule.

Troup will play its region opener on Jan. 5 at Sandy Creek.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports