Reign continues before the snow
Lomega keeps stranglehold on conference tournament championship
SHARP-SHOOTING Hadley Ott, pictured attempting a 3-pointer at the Bertha Teague Mid-America Classic, was one of the reasons Lomega won its 11th straight Cherokee Strip Conference Tournament championship last week. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon- sports-p
Not even Mother Nature can stop the Lomega girls from the Cherokee Strip Conference Tournament championship.
The Lady Raiders beat the weather and thumped Medford 79-52 last Friday morning to claim the tournament title at Pioneer- Pleasant Vale High School.
The final day of the tournament was reduced to the two championship games and played in the morning hours ahead of the predicted wintry weather that was predicted for much of the state.
The conference tournament championship was the 11th straight for Lomega.
Medford entered with just two losses and did its best to keep up.
The Lady Cardinals with a trio of talented Kilians on the team - scored 19 in the first quarter, but still trailed by 6.
That’s because Lomega got 6 points out of Reagan Snowden and had four Lady Raiders combine for six 3-pointers.
Three of those were from senior Hadley Ott.
She nailed two more in the second quarter as Lomega extended its lead to 44-29 at half.
Lomega then outscored Medford by 6 points in each the third and fourth quarters to steadily pull away.
Snowden had at least one field goal in each quarter as she led Lomega with 23 points.
Medford, ranked 11th in Class B-I, was paced by Kassidy Kilian’s 20.
Kenna Kilian added 10 and Kaydence Killian 8.
Four Lady Raiders reached double figures.
Bree Yost followed Snowden with 17 points.
Ott finished with 15 and Paige Wheeler poured in 10 as Lomega improved to 18-1.
Lomega’s run through the tournament included a 93-17 win over Ringwood in the quarterfinals and an 89-26 blistering of Cherokee in the semifinals.
Wheeler had the hot hand against Cherokee as she poured in 22 points.
That included three of her four total 3-pointers and 15 points in the second quarter.
Snowden and Ott scored 12 apiece.
Thirteen different Lady Raiders scored against Ringwood.
Snowden led the way with 19 points while Aliana Lawson and Wheeler chipped in 10 apiece.