Finish district play 12-0
The Saltillo Lions wrapped their regular season up with a pair of games this week. First the Lions traveled to Sulphur Bluff last Friday before hosting Yantis last Saturday.
Saltillo got off to a slow start in Friday’s road game against Sulphur Bluff, trailing 15-8 at the end of the first quarter. Chris Boekhorst and Andrew Redburn controlled the offense for Saltillo, scoring all eight points in the opening frame.
The duo kept things going in the offense, continuing to score all of Saltillo’s points. An alley-oop pass from Gunner Tarver to Boekhorst gave the Lions their first lead, making the score 22-20 with less than two minutes to play in the first half. Redburn hit a floater with 10 seconds left, giving the Lions a 24-23 lead at the half.
Saltillo started to create separation for the first time in the third quarter, taking a double-digit lead for the first time after a pair of 3-pointers from Redburn. Tarver hit 1/2 free throws to score the final point of the frame, giving the Lions a 42-33 lead heading into the final frame.
Boekhorst led the way in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points in the paint, including a huge slam dunk. Sulphur Bluff tried to fight back in, but the Lions walked away with the 55-39 win.
Boekhorst and Redburn were the leading scorers for Saltillo. Boekhorst posted 25 points, while Redburn ended up with 22 points, giving the two a combined 47 points.
David Whitworth contributed three points, while Coy Collins gave two points and Gunner Tarver had one point.
Saltillo kept their strong play going Saturday, getting out to a quick 17-11 at the end of the first quarter. Yantis did their best to keep up with the Lions, but Saltillo added another six points to their lead, going into the locker rooms up 33-21 at the end of the first half.
Saltillo had their biggest frame of the night in the third quarter, finding 27 points of offense. On top of their huge scoring output, the Lions held Yantis to just nine points in the frame.
The Lions took their foot off the gas in the final frame but were still able to cruise to a 66-42 win. Boekhorst and Redburn once again led the way, as Boekhorst tallied 31 points and Redburn put up 14 points.
Other scorers for Saltillo were Collins with eight points, Caden McGill with five points, Tarver with three points and Whitworth with two points. The pair of wins give the Lions a 18-7 record to finish the regular season and a 12-0 district record. Updates on Saltillo’s playoff schedule will be published in upcoming editions of the News-Telegram.