Slidell freshman Libby Byers soars for a layup in the Lady Hounds’ 56-20 win over Petrolia at the Slidell tournament Dec. 30. The Lady Hounds (12-10, 1-3) finished 3-1 at the showcase, adding wins over Perrin-Whitt (45-38) and Bryson (51-19), and suffered a 43-42 loss to Bowie. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
Playing on their home court over the holidays proved to benefit the Slidell Lady Hounds last week.
The Hounds Lady (12-10) rallied back after a first-game loss to clinch a 3-1 mark at the Slidell tournament Dec. 29-30.
Slidell’s showcase run was solidified by a 56-20 win over Petrolia in the team’s final matchup.
“I think every coach likes to end a Christmas tournament with a win, especially because there’s district games coming up afterwards,” Slidell coach Dallas Taylor said. “I’m super proud of our effort during this tournament. I feel like we got in the gym and got back on track. Our ladies did a great job of playing hard over these two games.”
Freshman Libby Byers led the Lady Hounds offense in the finale victory with 14 points, and averaged 18 in Slidell’s four games.
“At first, it was a little scary being a freshman on varsity,” Byers said. “But I have a great coach and a great team, and they’ve made it easier. I bring a lot of hustle and competitiveness to the team — I’m always diving after balls. We’re all working together really well.”
The Lady Hounds overwhelmed Petrolia from the opening tip-off. Allie Weathers hit a pair of 3-pointers and led the team with 8 points in the first quarter to fuel a 17-2 run.
Byers did most of her damage in the second quarter, as her 8 points aided the Lady Hounds on a 11-5 charge.
Slidell’s defense limited the Lady Pirates to just a field goal and three free throws from Holland Horton, allowing the home team to hold a 28-7 halftime lead.
With the contest well out of Petrolia’s reach, Slidell’s momentum continued in the second half. The Lady Hounds closed out the contest on a 28-13 run in the final 16 minutes.
Julissa Gonzalez finished second in scoring for Slidell with 13 points — including three 3-pointers.
“It felt good to knock down my 3s because I was really struggling,” Gonzalez said. “But my team’s always got my back, [and] they told me to keep shooting. We’re pretty good at shooting 3s, and we definitely take it seriously.”
After dropping its first contest to Bowie in a 43-42 loss, the win over Petrolia allowed the Lady Hounds to claim a 3-game win streak, which also included victories over Perrin-Whitt (45-38) and Bryson (51-19).
The Lady Hounds fell to 1-3 in District 13-2A play after suffering back-to-back league losses to Chico (33-32) Jan. 2 and Collinsville (67-48) Tuesday.
Slidell’s next league outing will be a home battle against Lindsay 6:30 p.m. Friday.
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