The Slidell girls basketball team wanted to make a statement, and that's exactly what they did.
The ninth-seeded Tigers opened the playoffs with a wire-to-wire 63-42 first-round victory over 24th-seeded St. Amant on Feb. 20.
"We were a little concerned with their size, but our defense did a great job putting pressure on their guards and forcing them to make mistakes," said Slidell coach Kristen Twillie. "And then we made smart decisions on offense. We held the ball when we were up, and we made good passes while looking for good shots. Our speed was our advantage. We knew that we could push the ball if we needed to."
The Tigers will travel to eighth-seeded Denham Springs in the second round.
St. Amant came out cold, committing six turnovers before their first basket, but the Gators trailed just 11-9 after one quarter.
The Tigers (23-6) took over in the second quarter as Madyson Parker and Payton Rowbatham combined for 14 points in the quarter en route to a 31-20 halftime lead.
"I've been practicing a lot getting into the paint," said Parker, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "And I knew tonight that I would be playing against some big girls, so I wasn't going to be able to get many inside shots. I focused on making passes inside and taking short jumpers."
Slidell point guard Cianni Williams chipped in 15 points while facilitating the offense.
"We studied film and practiced real hard, and we just wanted to win," said Williams. "We came out and played our game as a team. We knew that they had girls that were beasts in the paint, so we worked hard for every shot we took."
The Gators (14-17) made a run early in the third quarter to close the lead to six points, but costly turnovers stopped their momentum.
Slidell put the game in the fourth quarter as the Tigers milked the clock and forced the Gators into foul trouble. The Tigers held the ball for minutes at a time and took advantage at the foul line, hitting 8 of 13 free throws.
St. Amant only made 16 of 47 shots (34%) while turning the ball over 22 times. By contrast, the Tigers shot the ball well, hitting 24 of 55 shots (44%) and committing only seven turnovers.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
St. Amant | 9 | 11 | 16 | 6 -- 42
Slidell | 11 | 20 | 11 | 21 -- 63
BOX SCORE
St. Amant (14-17): Rhian Comery 14; Jacey Coleman 13; Brittany Green 8; Cierra Smith 3; Kaydi Landry 2; Kylan Rivera 2.
Slidell (23-6): Madyson Parker 19; Cianni Williams 15; Payton Rowbatham 12; Trista Gallien 11; Joelynn Elliot 4; Jasha Buckley 2.