PORTLAND – The last time top-seeded Lake Region won the Western Class B title, Jimmy Carter was in the Oval Office and disco was king.
The Lakers are finally the queens of Western B once again, claiming their first regional title since 1977 with 48-41 win over second-seeded York Saturday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
“It’s amazing. I’m so proud of every one of my teammates,” said Lake Region senior guard Samantha Allen, who earned the Mike DiRenzo award as the tournament’s outstanding player. “All the hard work that we’ve put in to get here and what we’ve accomplished, it’s awesome. Allen tallied a game-high 20 points along with five rebounds and four steals, while Courtney McClean added 10 points and Renee Nicholas eight for the Lakers. Maura Roche led a balanced attack for York (17-4) with eight points.
Lake Region had bulldozed the competition through the first two rounds, winning by an average of 29.5 points per game, but didn’t take control of this one until the fourth quarter. A dozen turnovers and poor free-throw shooting (8-for-15) put the Lakers (21-0) into a five-point hole late in the second quarter. Allen hit a 3-pointer to pull them within two going into halftime.
“In the first half, our heads were down a little bit, and we just reminded them at halftime to play your game. The game consists of 32 minutes. It’s not going to be won after 16 minutes,” said Laker coach Paul True. “We definitely were pressing in the first half, moreso on the defensive end. We were undisciplined.”
Lake Region shot just 3-for-18 from the field in the third quarter, but tightened the clamps defensively, shut down York’s penetration and ended the period knotted in a 30-30 tie.
Stephanie Plaisted scored to start the fourth quarter and give the wildcats the lead, but McClean answered with a three-point play that sent the Lakers 12-2 run featuring two jumpers by Allen and another three-point play by McClean. Then the Lakers found their stroke at the free-throw line (10-for-13 in the quarter) to put the game away.
Comments are no longer available on this story