Santee Girls Take First At Mead Holiday Tournament

Christmas break is always a welcome relief for high school students. However, it was just a bit sweeter for the Santee girls basketball squad as they took home the top prize at the Mead Holiday Tournament.

They started the tournament off with a rematch against Walthill, a team they had fallen to at the beginning of the season. After a 19-11 first quarter, the Warriors looked to be doomed to another loss to the Blujays. However, an 18-7 second quarter sent the Warriors into halftime with a 29-26 lead. They extended their lead with a 21-11 third quarter before closing out the game with a 15-14 fourth quarter for a 65-51 win.

Three Warriors hit double figures in the win, led by 23 points from junior Stevie Peters. Freshman Hannah Sheridan added 14 points and senior Kiana Torrez added 12. Ashleigh Wabasha led the way under the rim, pulling in 12 rebounds, followed closely by Tori Tuttle's nine.

As a team, the Warriors shot an impressive 45 percent, including hitting seven of their 19 shots from deep.

The win set Santee up with a date with Omaha Christian Academy with the tournament championship at stake. The Warriors took a 25-18 lead into the break and looked to be well on their way to the win after holding a 37-25 lead going into the final quarter. The Eagles battled back, scoring 15 while holding the Warriors to just seven points, but it wasn't enough as Santee earned the tournament championship with a 44-40 win.

Peters was once again on the attack, scoring 20 on 44 percent shooting from the floor, including nailing two buckets from three-point land. She also hauled in six rebounds and came away with nine steals.