The Lightning spoil the Queens Basketball home opener

Red Deer, October 21 - After a slow start to the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens basketball home opener, the St. Mary's Lightning would come away with a 57-48 victory.

RDP Queens Syd Jefferies opened the scoring with a lay-up after a fast break off the opening tip-off. Going into the first timeout of the quarter called by the Lightning, the Queens had the slight lead 12-9 with just under four to go. The Queens would take a 15-12 lead going into the dying seconds, but Lightning Jazmyn Kellogg would cut the lead to one with a layup under the nt. However, rookie forward Peighton Melton of RDP would beat the buzzer to put the Queens up 17-14 at the end of the opening quarter. Both teams remained discipline with only a total of three fouls taken.

The Lightning would fight back to take the lead late in the first half with a three-pointer from Kellogg to put St. Mary's up 21-19. Queens Head Coach Avery Harrison would call a timeout to regather his Queens after their offense dries up in the second quarter and only drops two points to the Lightnings nine. At the end of the first half, the Lightning and the Queens are tied 23-23. Kellogg leads St. Mary's with 12 points and Red Deer's point leader is veteran guard Sandra Garcia-Bernal with six.

After a slow second quarter where both teams scored a total of 15 points, the Lightning and the Queens explode for an offensive third quarter. The Queens put up 19 points and the Lightning were held to 14. With Garcia-Bernal being held off the scoresheet, Lauren France took the team lead with eight total points and an impressive two for two from beyond the arch. Kellogg continued to lead the Lightning after the third with 13 points. At the end of the third, Red Deer led the Lightning 42-37.

The Lightning would open the last quarter with a 10-4 run leading to Harrison and the Queens calling a timeout. The Queens had a tough time in the fourth quarter figuring out the defence of the Lightning and gave up multiple steals. This would lead to open lay-ups and odd man rushes. St. Mary's would take a 51-48 lead into their own timeout at the three-and-a-half-minute mark. With 19 seconds to go, Harrison calls his second timeout of the half with the Queens down by nine. Red Deer would turn it over to the Lightning and would kill the remainder of the time to secure the 57-48 victory.

Guard Maitlynn Wilde finished off with a double-double with ten points and 11 rebounds to give her the Lightning player of the game honour. For the home team, guard Amy Syzmanek was named the player of the game for the Queens after finishing off with a double-double of her own with 11 rebounds and 11 points.

The Lightning and the Queens will face-off again tomorrow night at 6 pm in Calgary at the St. Mary's University campus.