The Wilson Lady Tiger varsity basketball team earned a spot in the semifinals of the 2022 Wilson Tiger Classic with an opening-round victory Monday evening.

The host Lady Tigers advanced in the weeklong tournament with a 70-17 win over the Graham-Dustin Lady Chieftains. The Wilson ladies were scheduled to battle their county rivals, the Dewar Lady Dragons, in the winner’s bracket semifinals Thursday at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to Saturday’s 6:20 p.m. championship game, while the loser will compete in the third-place game Saturday at 3:40 p.m.

In Monday’s opening-round win over Graham-Dustin, the Lady Tigers took the opening period by a 15-4 margin, then blanked the Lady Chieftains 18-0 in the second stanza for a commanding 33-4 halftime advantage.

The Wilson squad extended its lead to 54-10, heading into the final eight minutes of regulation, after outscoring Graham-Dustin 21-6 in the third quarter.

The Lady Tigers capped off the decisive opening- round win by edging the Lady Chieftains 16-7 in the final frame.

Janelle Proctor led the offensive attack for the Wilson ladies, finishing with a game-high 22 points. Kailee Branson also tallied double-digit scoring for the Lady Tigers in the opening-round win with a 12-point performance.

Other Wilson scorers in the contest were Brooklyn Weeks with eight, Kaozong Yang six, Kayla Mc-Cracken, Jayda Pinkston, and Jaslene Proctor four each, Uven Yang and Gracie Bear three apiece, and Allie Thompson and Marah Shanks two each.

--- Wilson Tiger Classic First Round

Wilson 70, Graham-Dustin 17

Graham-Dustin: 4 - 0 - 6 - 7 (17) Wilson: 15 - 18 - 21 - 16 (70) Wilson Scoring: Janelle Proctor 22, Kailee Branson 12, Brooklyn Weeks 8, Kaozong Yang 6, Kayla McCracken 4, Jayda Pinkston 4, Jaslene Proctor 4, Uven Yang 3, Gracie Bear 3, Allie Thompson 2, Marah Shanks 2.