B team opens campaign with win
SALTILLO- The Saltillo junior high basketball team started their season Thursday with a home game against Yantis.
The B team got things started and found themselves trailing early. After a slow start, the Lions went into the locker room trailing by one point, before outscoring Yantis in both the third and fourth quarters, picking up the 23-19 win.
Brandon Metcalf and Justin Cabrera led the team in scoring with seven points each. Just behind them was Hunter Burkett with six points.
“I really liked the way we hustled, especially with only five players suited up,” Coach Bret Myers said.
The A team opened their game with a strong first quarter, matching Yantis to a score of 13-13. Yantis started to break away in the second quarter, before shutting Saltillo out in the third quarter to take a 36-17 lead.
Saltillo tried to fight back into the game but lost, 44-23. “We did not play well,” Myers said. “We turned the ball over a lot and couldn’t make layups.”
Tristan Rains had a strong performance for the Lions, finishing the game with 13 points. Other scorers for Saltillo were Rowdy Speir who had seven points, and Trey Tully who had two points.
Saltillo will play again on Thursday, when they host Harts Bluff. The B team is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. with the A team to follow.