Let’s be honest for a minute. Barring injury or some other unforeseen incident, Taylor McKinney is probably going to own the Webster City girls’ basketball record book by the time she bids adieu in a little more than two years. But there’s no better time than the present to get started.

Webster City’s sophomore point guard was unstoppable Tuesday night, so much so that at one point in the fourth quarter a Manson-Northwest Webster player yelled “I don’t know what to do!” at a teammate after McKinney splashed in her sixth and final 3-pointer of the game.

Yeah, she was feeling it, and so were her teammates. WCHS outscored Manson-Northwest Webster 46-16 in the second half en route to a 72-49 thumping.

By the time McKinney trotted to the bench with just under two minutes remaining she’d dropped a cool 37 points on the Cougars, which gave her the 5-player single-game scoring school record. She surpassed the old mark of 33 points, set by Kayleigh Epps on Dec. 12, 2002, on a 3 from the left wing with 6:30 remaining in the contest.

After a dominant second-half effort, the Webster City starters watch the final two minutes from the bench on Tuesday in Manson. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“I’m glad I got the record, but without my teammates I wouldn’t be able to do it,” McKinney said after she made 14 of 23 shots, including 6 of 10 3s, and 3 of 4 free throws. “I felt good before the game and I got some early shots to go. Some go in and some don’t, but as a shooter you’ve just got to keep shooting.”

Lynx head coach Nicole Muhlenbruch was unaware of the record after the game. But she, too, said it was a team effort, particularly in the second half when WCHS (5-5) put up more points than its game average entering the clash of 44.6.

“As a coach I’m happy for the kids when things like that happen, but that can’t be our purpose in the game,” she said. “Our purpose in the game is to win as a team, and it was a great team effort (Tuesday night).”

McKinney poured in 18 first-half points to keep the Lynx afloat. She was 8 of 13 from the field over the opening 16 minutes, but the rest of the team made just 3 of 15 shots.

The Cougars (4-8), meanwhile, rained in five triples in the contest’s initial nine minutes and led by as many as 11 points. Behind 14 points from Sophie Herzberg, they took a 33-26 lead into the break.

WCHS senior forward Cassidy Nerland (back) yanks down one of her nine rebounds against Manson-Northwest Webster on Tuesday. She finished with 11 points and nine boards in a 72-49 Lynx win. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

But then WCHS stepped on the accelerator.

Seven quick points from Cassidy Nerland in the first 2:35 of the third period was a sign of things to come. Halle Mason helped out with a pair of 3s from the left side of the floor and McKinney continued to pour it on both from the perimeter and on drives to the bucket.

Nerland, Mason and McKinney combined for 24 third-quarter points. WCHS outscored the Cougars 27-7 over that stretch.

“That was so fun,” McKinney said of the third quarter. “We got the ball moving around and got shots up. When one person gets going, it just gets the rest of the team pumped up.”

Despite being under the weather, Nerland still managed to put up 11 points and nine rebounds. She now needs just 14 more caroms to set her own school record — the program’s career rebounding mark of 493, owned by Erin Greenley since 2002.

Halle Mason drives towards the bucket during the second half on Tuesday. She was fouled and made two free throws. She scored 11 points in the WCHS win. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Mason also dropped in 11 points, eight of them coming in the second half. WCHS canned 14 of 24 shots over the final 16 minutes and shot 48 percent (25 of 52) for the game.

“As a coach it makes you so happy when you see all your kids doing well and making shots,” Muhlenbruch said.

Up 53-40 entering the final quarter, McKinney sat on 26 points, but she quickly put the scoring record in jeopardy. A drive to the bucket and a step-back 3 put her at 31 just 50 seconds into the period. The record-breaking three came off one of Nerland’s four assists.

McKinney’s first career record isn’t too far off either. She has now hit 61 3-pointers and needs only six more to surpass all-time leader Shauna Olson, who made 66 from 1995-99.

Haley Flaws added five points, all at the free throw line, as did Zoey Woodle, and Sarah Vogelbacher rattled in a first-half 3-pointer.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Manson-Northwest Webster failed to make a 3 over the final 23 minutes and the Lynx also held Herzberg scoreless in the second half. Maddie Peterson led the Cougars with 17 points from inside the paint.

WCHS will head to Hampton-Dumont for a North Central Conference tilt Friday night.

Webster City 72, Manson-NWW 49

Tuesday at Manson

Webster City (5-5) — Haley Flaws 0 5-6 5, Taylor McKinney 14 3-4 37, Halle Mason 4 1-2 11, Sarah Vogelbacher 1 0-0 3, Atlanta Hopp 0 0-0 0, Zoey Woodle 2 1-2 5, Stacey Meyer 0 0-0 0, Grace Hoversten 0 0-0 0, Adalie Schwandt 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Nerland 4 3-5 11. Totals: 24 13-19 72.

Manson-NW Webster (4-8) — Emma Wood 0 0-0 0, Samantha Ruhland 0 0-0 0, Savannah Michalski 3 1-2 8, Chloe Troshynski 2 0-0 6, Else Witham 0 0-0 0, Sadie Snell 1 1-2 3, Courtney Wubben 0 0-0 0, Briley Condon 0 0-0 0, Sophie Herzberg 6 0-1 14, Sarah Peters 0 0-0 0, Bailey Kenyon 0 1-2 1, Maddie Peterson 8 1-4 17. Totals: 22 4-11 49.

Webster City 14 12 27 19 — 72

Man-NWW 18 15 7 9 — 49

3-point field goals — WC 8 (McKinney 6, Mason 2, Vogelbacher); M-NWW 5 (Herzberg 2, Troshynski 2, Michalski). Rebounds — WC 23 (Nerland 9, Mason 4). Steals — WC 8 (McKinney 3, Woodle 2, Flaws 2). Assists — WC 12 (Nerland 4, Vogelbacher 3). Turnovers — WC 7, M-NWW 22. Team fouls — WC 11, M-NWW 15. Fouled out — none.