AUGUSTA – Chalk it up to patience.

No. 5 Yarmouth survived second-quarter deficits as high as eight points, then rebounded in the second half to post a 52-40 Western Class B quarterfinal win over No. 4 Lake Region at the Augusta Civic Center Friday night.

“We were horrible from the foul line in the first half,” said Yarmouth coach John Martin. “We just stuck with our game plan and they went into a little bit of a zone. We’ve been trying to be focused on everything we would run. We came out and were very specific on our offense.”

Despite leading most of the way, it wasn’t until late in the second quarter when Lake Region (14-5) pulled away a bit. Samantha Allen scored the teams first five points in the frame and was also dominating on the boards.

Three free throws by Yarmouth’s Alexandra Brunelle closed out the half, cutting the Laker lead to five at 23-19.

The Clippers (13-6) sailed after the intermission and when Aylie Baker hit the hook shot with 5:03 remaining in the third, the game was knotted at 25. Sara Hagstrom’s drive to the basket a minute and a half later put the Clippers on top for good, 27-26.

Hagstrom completed a five-point play in the final seconds of the third quarter as she converted the 3-point play, then sank two free throws on a technical foul.

Lake Region managed to get within a point at 36-35 in the fourth but solid free throw shooting by the Clippers sealed the win.

Hagstrom led all scorers with 16 points. Louise Taylor and Baker followed with 13 and 12 points respectively for Yarmouth.

Allen led the Lakers with 16.

Yarmouth advances to the semifinals and will face No. 1 Greely. The Rangers have suffered just two losses this season, one to Yarmouth.

pmullen@sunjournal.com

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