Defeat No. 16 Alvord
The Saltillo Lady Lions completed a pair of back-to-back games this week, taking on No. 16 in Class 2A Alvord and hosting Yantis Tuesday.
Monday’s game against Alvord, which was played in Bells, opened with a very tight first quarter in which neither team was able to gain an advantage over the other. In the second quarter the Lady Lions created some separation, outscoring Alvord 14-9 in the frame to take a 24-20 lead at the end of the first half.
Alvord opened the second half by having their highest scoring frame of the night, dropping 15 points. The Lady Lions were only able to match them with 13 points, as they took a two-point lead into the final frame.
Saltillo’s defense turned things up a notch in the fourth, holding Alvord to just eight points as they walked away with the 49-43 win. Chandler Bain led the way with 15 points in the win. Brittany Peeples and Anna Reeder were right behind her with 10 points each.
Other scorers for Saltillo were Kristina Wade with eight points, Allie Lane with five points and Paisley Kastner with one point.
“It was a signature win for our program because we beat a really tough Alvord team who is ranked No. 16 in 2A,” coach Bill Giles said. “Alvord was well-coached and had their girls playing tough. They should make a nice playoff run themselves.”
The Lady Lions turned around Tuesday and were right back in action, hosting Yantis for their final district game of the season. Saltillo wasted no time building a huge lead for themselves, as they scored an impressive 31 points in the opening frame, while only allowing eight points.
Yantis only scored seven points for the remainder of the game, and the Lady Lions went on to win by a final score of 76-15. Peeples was the leading scorer this time, finishing with 18 points, three more points than Yantis scored as team.
Also finishing in double-digits were Bain with 14 points, Redder with 13 points and Wade with 12 points. The win makes the Lady Lions 22-3 to close out their regular season and gives them a 12-0 district record.
“Proud of the girls, and once again they played good defensively,” Gilles said. “This marks the 18th consecutive district championship and the 17th consecutive undefeated district season.”
Saltillo, who has a bye in the opening round of the playoffs, will face the winner of Throckmorton and Henrietta Midway. Updates on Saltillo’s Area round game will be published in upcoming editions of the News-Telegram.