St. Pius Girls Crush Druid Hills

' girls basketball team had a Region 5A-AAA title in the bag, its usual starters rested, and an eye already focused on the postseason. Druid Hills had every reason to assume easy treatment at high-flying St. Pius on Friday night.

No chance. 

Throughout a 55-17 mauling, in which the visitors scored only four second-half points, St. Pius' determination was fueled by more than Senior Night pride.

"We don't feel like we played our best Tuesday, and we were able to sneak out with a win," said St. Pius coach Kyle Snipes, referring to his team's 49-46 win over Grady. "One of our sub-goals was to go undefeated."

The win extended a 12-game winning streak for the hosts, which defeated rival Marist last weekend and will finish the region undefeated with another victory Saturday against Grady. 

St. Pius (19-5, 11-0), led in scoring by Sydni Payne (12 points), rotated the bench throughout the game. However, that didn't help Druid Hills.

The Lady Golden Lions dominated the opening proceedings, leading 12-4 after the first quarter, as the visitors struggled for shooting opportunities. 

A 9-0 run, starting midway through the second quarter, moved St. Pius into a commanding 23-9 advantage with 2:38 remaining until the break. But Druid Hills improved in the stretch, outscoring St. Pius 4-2 to trail 25-13 at halftime.

The visitors were held scoreless in the third quarter, in which St. Pius piled 15 unanswered points to lead 40-13.

Druid Hills' scoreless streak almost lasted a further three minutes of the fourth quarter.     

"I thought the bench really did a nice job of coming in and playing hard," said Snipes. "We really picked it up in the second half, and we're trying to use the second half as a springboard for tomorrow."