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Chandler Bain takes a shot from behind 3-point line during the Regional Quarterfinal game against Slidell. Staff photo by Tyler Lennon
Reeder leads with 17 points
CELINA- The Saltillo Lady Lions traveled to Celina Wednesday to face Slidell in the Regional Quarterfinals round of the playoffs. Saltillo entered the day ranked No. 5 in the state, while Slidell was ranked No. 17.
Senior Kristina Wade got things started, knocking down a corner 3-pointer for the first basket of the night. A few possessions later senior Chandler Bain forced a steal and drained a 3-pointer of her own on the other end. Senior Anna Reeder made the final shot of the frame, giving the Lady Lions a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Wade opened the second quarter the same way she opened the first, by knocking down a 3-pointer. Reeder followed by making a pair of shots in the paint, and Saltillo quickly built a 17-7 lead.
The Lady Lions only scored one more time in the frame, an elbow jumps shot from senior Brittney Peeples, but they still led 19-14 at the half.
Saltillo opened the third quarter the same way they opened the first two frames, only this time it was Bain who hit the 3-pointer. Reeder led things for the Lady Lions in the third quarter, scoring nine of their 14 points in the frame. Reeder made three consecutive shots to end the quarter, helping Saltillo build a 33-22 lead.
Slidell did their best to get back into the game, getting as close as 35-29 with 2:17 left to play. Peeples made a layup on the following play to put the Lady Lions ahead by eight points, and Saltillo would put the game away by knocking down nine free throws in the final minute to win the game by a final score of 46-32.
Reeder was the leading scorer for the Lady Lions, finishing with a total of 17 points, nine of which came during the third quarter. Bain also finished in double-digits, racking up 12 points of her own.
Other scorers for Saltillo were Wade with seven points, Peeples with six points and Maddy Smith with four points.
“Pretty good defensive game, we did a lot of things right defensively,” coach Bill Giles said. “We still struggled offensively, but we did enough to win the game.”
The win makes Saltillo 25-3 on the season and advances them to the Regional Semifinals against Iredell. Coverage of that game will be published in Wednesday’s edition of the News-Telegram.