Lady Cats Win CAC Tournament

The Lady Cats improved to 6-1 on the season and handed the Lady Hornets their first loss.

“They tell me this is the first time they have ever beaten Bryant,” said Coach Brad Slatton. “We had to fight for it. It was a total team effort.”

El Dorado won the game despite losing sophomore point guard Kristian Tester to a knee injury right before the half. Trailing 27-22, big sister Cassie Tester came to the rescue. The senior opened the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Lady Cats the lead and a shot of confidence.

Cassie Tester (pictured) and Meshali Mitchell combined to run the offense in the second half.

“I thought my seniors stepped up big in the second half,” said Slatton. “I told the team at halftime somebody had to step up and fill that void. My other two guards – Cassie and Meshali – did a heck of a job, handling that guard spot.”

El Dorado led 38-34 going into the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 47-36 with 4:04 left to play. The Lady Hornets turned up the defensive heat with aggressive, full court pressure. Bryant closed the gap to 47-46 with 1:43 remaining. Sarah Sullivan hit two free throws for El Dorado before Bryant’s Bree Mann scored inside, cutting the lead to 49-48 with a minute left.

El Dorado missed the front end of a 1-and-1 but played good defense, forcing an offensive foul with 23 seconds left. Kendra Stegall, who drew the charge on the defensive end, hit a free throw with 15.6 seconds on the clock, giving the Lady Cats a two-point lead.

The Lady Hornets had a chance to tie but went for the go-ahead 3-pointer, which spun out. Bryant got the ball back with four seconds left but April Curley intercepted a pass to preserve the win.

Cassie Tester led El Dorado with 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Falundrus Sims scored 13 with 12 boards and five blocked shots. Sullivan scored eight with five boards and three assists. Stegall added seven with five assists and Mitchell scored five with three assists.