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Saltillo ends Slidell’s run, again


The triple overtime heartbreaker that put the Slidell Lady Hounds out of business last year was fresh on their minds Wednesday night, with a shot at revenge against the Saltillo Lady Lions.

Despite their drive for vengeance, the Lady Hounds went cold from the field, opening the gate for Saltillo to gain a lead that Slidell couldn’t overcome.

Saltillo would go on to win the Region III quarterfinal 46-35, sending the Lady Hounds home once again.

“We came out ready and expecting to win, and I was really proud of that,” said Slidell coach Lance Shelton. “Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out tonight.”

The Lady Hounds were able to contain Saltillo in the first, despite a slew of turnovers. Three balls from Brianna Wright and Ellison held up the Hound offense early, but the Lady Lions began to heat up.

A deep shot from beyond the arc to start the second followed by a pair of easy buckets down low suddenly gave Saltillo a double-digit lead.

The Lady Hounds were forced into an uphill battle, stringing together seven straight points to end the half down only five.

“I feel like we were ready to play, and we wanted redemption,” said Slidell senior Jayden Ellison. “We couldn’t gain the ground that we lost early, and they shot the ball well and had some size down low.”

Saltillo resumed their assault to start the third, knocking down yet another trey to kickoff a seven-point spurt.

Meanwhile, the Lady Hounds struggled to find the bottom of the net, going stretches of two and three minutes without a bucket and shooting near 30 percent from the field.

Just before the end of the third, Katy West found Kenlea Hardin for a three to give Slidell a sliver of hope headed into the final frame.

Maddie Meyer tacked on another three for the Lady Hounds off a pass from Ellison, followed by a nice drive and finish from West.

But Saltillo refused to give ground, going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe and locking down on defense to shutout the Lady Hounds for good.

“I feel like everyone did exactly what they needed to do,” Ellison said. “I feel like we held our own for being outsized and as inexperienced as we are.”

Ellison ended the game with 10 points to go with 11 rebounds.

West tacked on 11 to go with four boards.

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