Central Christian College of the Bible head women's basketball coach Reggie Chapple on Thursday announced the signing of Hunter Salmons for the 2017-18 season. Salmons is the first member of the Saints' 2017 class.

Salmons, a 5-8 forward, will graduate this month from Madison High School in Madison, Mo. A four-year starter for the Lady Panthers, Salmons averaged 4.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior. She also earned all-conference and all-district honorable mention honors this past season.

"I am very excited Hunter is joining our basketball program," Chapple said. "She has strong ties to the college already and I am sure she will be a great fit for the college community as a whole. I'm sure it is exciting for her to be the first recruit for the 2017 class. I look forward to signing several more student athletes that will help us continue to grow as a program."

As a junior, Salmons averaged 7.9 points per outing as the team finished 9-18 overall. She helped lead a dramatic turnaround in 2016-17 as the Lady Panthers went 16-11 and won a Class 1 District 10 championship, the program's first district title in 15 years.

Her older sister, Taylor, played for the Saints from 2013-16 and was an honorable mention All-American selection in 2015. Hunter was Madison's leading rebounder the past four years and won the team defense award this past season.

While at CCCB, Salmons plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education.