And then there were none! That is the effect of local schools left in the LHSAA girls basketball playoffs after Quitman and Saline High Schools were both defeated in the Quarterfinal Round of their respective divisions. Quitman, seeded #6 in the Class B bracket fell to #3 seed Fairview while #7 Saline lost to #2 Calvin in Class C.

Fairview 86 Quitman 48:  Anyone who has followed the Class B girls basketball playoffs for the past two decades knows that the “Road to Hammond” goes through Fairview High School. After compiling a 22-8 record and an undefeated District 1B championship, that is where the Lady Wolverines’ tremendous year ended after compling a . After a fourth straight 20-plus win season and second straight Quarterfinal appearance under the guidance of head coach Kyle Leach, the Lady Wolverines played the perennial girls basketball power close till midway through the second quarter.

With Quitman trailing only 21-18, Fairview took control by outscoring Quitman 23-5 to end the first half and winning the third quarter by a 25-12 margin. In the contest Fairview shot an incredible 88 field goals, including 49 from the three point line compared to Quitman taking just 44 shots total which led to Fairview also holding a 46 to 29 rebounding advantage.

According to Leach, it was that rebounding advantage that was the difference in the game and the fact that it is hard to keep up with the fast pace that Fariview plays.

“Rebounding is a key anytime you play Fairview and they are so good at attacking the offensive glass,” said Leach. “They got 3-4 offensive boards in a possession as many of their shots were three point attempts and they got long rebounds.”

“They also make it hard by hitting the court running from end to end and keeping up that fast pace the entire game,” continued Leach. “Our girls were in good shape but by the middle of the third quarter they were gassed.”

Anna Claire Leach led Quitman in scoring with 17 points and once again, Hallie Kate Pullig turned in a tremendous playoff performance, equaling a career high in points with 15 and pulling down a game high 9 rebounds. Allie Robertson and Emma Walker scored 6 and 5 points respectively, while Taylor Borland made three points and Kalisa Hall added a basket. 

Despite falling in the Quarterfinals for the second year in a row, Leach was upbeat following the contest and excited about what the future holds. 

“After losing our leading scorer and rebounder last year, I am very proud of the way the girls played this year, especially in the latter part where we won 12 of our last 13 games to end the regular season,” reflected Leach. “I am really looking forward to next season as we have no seniors and everyone coming back.”

Calvin 47 Saline 46: Trailing late in the game, Saline head coach Chris Toms was forced to have his Lady Bobcats resort to putting #2 seed Calvin on the line. It almost worked. The 7th seeded Lady Bobcats had several opportunities in the final minute to take the lead after Calvin missed six straight free throws but couldn’t grab the lead after failing to get shots in their last few possessions.

Saline, which ended the season at 19-13 and claimed the District 1C championship in undefeated fashion, gave Calvin all they could handle, trailing the 28-2 Lady Cougars by just two at 17-15 at the end of the first quarter, taking a 24-21 lead into the half and leading 35-33 heading into the fourth quarter.

Kasidy Sims led the Lady Bobcats in scoring with 14 with twins Morgan and Lanee Cheawood scoring 9 points each. Ally Kate Hillman finished with 5 while JaLynn Jiles scored four points and Tyla Malone sank a first quarter three pointer.

The loss was the fifth this year to Calvin, which Toms reflected on after the game.

“We started and ended our season against a very tough Calvin team. You have to give them credit, as even though we played them tough every game, we just couldn’t get over the hump and pull out a win,” said Toms. “We left everything we had physically and emotionally on the court and I am very proud of their effort. While I hate our season has ended, we wish Calvin the best of luck moving forward.”

Toms also reflected on the growth of his team and made a point of talking about several of his players who were instrumental on the success earned.

“This year we made an incredible leap forward going from a 7 win team to nearly 20 wins this season. We went from a team that complained about the physical play of our opponents to being a team others didn’t want to play because of our physicality on defense,” beamed Toms. “I give a lot of credit for that to our seniors Rayaunnah Pearson and Tyla Malone, who set the tone during pre-season practice and in the early part of the season. There were also several other girls like Kasidy Sims, Lanee Cheatwood, Allly Kate Hillman and JaLynn Jiles who made good leaps forward but another that really stood out was Morgan Cheatwood and her ability to more consistently handle point guard duties even though she was really playing out of position.

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