Cardinal's twenty-four points not enough against Rattlers on the road

Brent Forster - RDC with information from Medicine Hat College Rattlers Athletics

Medicine Hat, AB - After a tight opening quarter (19-18), the Rattlers' offence started to roll, outscoring the visiting Queens in the final three quarters for an 85-55 win.

The game started with teams trading buckets early. The RDC Queens battled hard and were able to use some strong rebounding and offensive play to jump ahead. Up by three, the Queens nailed a jumper to extend the lead to five. Medicine Hat College made some substitutions to change their strategy but sloppy play from the home side allowed Red Deer to maintain a one point edge (19-18) at the conclusion of the first.

An injection of energy from the home fans helped the Rattlers score eight straight points to open the second. As the quarter progressed, the Queens tried to reduce the deficit but the Rattlers' defence made some key stops. Medicine Hat College extended their lead, going up 47-29 at the half.

Although the Rattlers' lead was 18 to start the third quarter, the play was tighter than the score indicated. Both teams came out aggressively in the second half. With end-to-end action, neither team brought the shot clock into play and there were few breaks in the action. The Queens narrowed the lead to 14 but the home side scored three straight baskets, extending their margin. As the third quarter came to a close, the Rattlers had pushed their lead to 22 points (68-46).

As the fourth quarter started, the Queens did not roll over, exhibiting a persistent effort. They continued to press but couldn't close the gap. Medicine Hat started to gain momentum and finalized an 85-55 decision.

The players-of-the-game were Lauren Cardinal from the Queens, contributing 24 points, and Kiana Mintz of the Rattlers, accumulating 21.

Katie Ballhorn chipped in with 15 points. On the boards, Sandra Garcia-Bernal picked up nine and Katie Ballhorn had seven for the Queens. 

On Saturday, the Rattlers will host the Queens at 1:00 p.m. in Medicine Hat.