McMullen County’s girls basketball team extended its winning streak to 18 games by beating Runge 66-20 at home on Jan. 29, continuing a run of strong defense and outside shooting against district opponents.

The Cowgirls (25-3, 6-0 District 1A-32) defeated Nordheim 72-20. McMullen County began hitting its mark with perimeter shots in the second quarter. Brenda Beyer hit a three-pointer from the right corner to spark a 9-0 run to finish the first quarter for a 13-5 lead. Nordheim hung within six points for a couple of minutes before a threepointer by Chloe Taylor started an 18-0 run. The Cowgirls forced several turnovers in that run.

“We started out slow. We didn’t get the steals we usually get. Then we got it going. We wore them down and played hard,” McMullen County coach Shannon Taylor said.

Beyer hit a threepointer and Chloe Taylor had a backcourt steal that set up a baseline jump shot by Caeli Taylor in a 9-0 run early in the third quarter for a 43-11 lead. McMullen County scored the last eight points of the quarter for a 57-17 lead.

Caeli Taylor led the team with 28 points, including 12 in the third quarter. Beyer finished with 16 points, all on outside shots, including four three-pointers. “She shot well. I’m glad to get her scoring again. She does a lot of things, but we definitely need her scoring,” coach Taylor said.

McMullen County beat Arlington Heights 83-20 at home on Jan. 22. Caeli Taylor scored 12 of her 22 points in the first quarter as the Cowgirls shut out the Lions 36-0 in the opening period. Chloe Taylor had 10 of her 20 points in that quarter. The Cowgirls advanced to a 59-4 halftime lead. Coach Taylor said the team has plenty to work on before the playoffs.

“It’s positional work, getting the post playing tougher and rebounding better. As long as we rebound, we have a chance to do damage,” he said.

McMullen County plays at Bruni on Feb. 1 and hosts Tivoli on Feb. 5, both at 5 p.m.