TURNER — Leavitt’s hard-nose, in-your-face basketball wasn’t the only reason for its success Wednesday night.

When the the playoff-bound Hornets (7-10) rebounded and shared the ball, they had the run of the court and eventually ran off Spruce Mountain (5-12) with a 52-41 victory in a girls’ basketball game.

Things got rough out on the court, and there was a whistle or loud thud when an athlete hit the floor every couple of minutes.

“They are built on that. They are very physical, tough, mentally tough, physically tough. They are going to come at you hard and that is what they did,” Spruce Mountain coach Zachary Keene said. “I was proud of how (the girls) came back. We were down 18 in the third. They could have said, ‘Forget it.’ We cut it back down to six. No, I am proud of the way they battled back.”

The Phoenix showed no signs of quitting and battled with the rough-and-tumble Hornets until the bitter end. But every time Spruce Mountain started creeping up on Leavitt, the Hornets went on a devastating run to keep well ahead of the Phoenix.

Senior guard Shannon O’Malley was one tough customer, but that could be said of all the Hornets. She scored a team-high 12 points, and was fearless during her drives to the basket.

“I guess it is a physical game, but we always play hard. It’s just we are a tough team,” O’Malley said. “We boxed out really well and we put a lot of pressure and we worked really well together. They are a competitive team, but we always end up with a win.”

Senior forward Miranda Coombs was also a force inside the paint, pulling down seven rebounds and scoring seven points.

“You kind of have to step up,” Coombs said. “It is just work hard with your team because they are all working hard. I need to make sure I was doing what they were doing as well. They are definitely competitive, but you have to pick it up a little bit.”

Without a doubt, Leavitt’s height advantage and rebounding was just too much for a determined Spruce Mountain team.

“Every time we rebounded well and defended well, we got ahead,” Leavitt coach Dave Gerrish said. “And when we didn’t rebound well and we didn’t defend well, they made runs. We shared the ball well. When we share the ball well, we are a pretty good team.”

Senior guard Alex Bessey and sophomore forward Haley Turcotte each scored 15 points for Spruce Mountain. Bessey, who took her lumps throughout the game, was not rattled at the free-throw line, making 13 of her 16 shots.

Leavitti’s Shannon O’Malley (3) and teammate Miranda Coombs (15) try to stop Spruce Mountain’s Alex Bessey (5) from going to the basket in a basketball game in Turner on Wednesday.Leavitt’s Elizabeth Goulette (24) and Miranda Coombs (15) try to contain Spruce Mountain’s Alex Bessey (5) in a basketball game in Turner on Wednesday.Spruce Mountain’s Emily White (30) is pressured by Leavitt’s Allie Belaire (10) in a basketball game in Turner on Wednesday.Leavitt’s Shannon O’Malley (3) drives to the basket in a basketball game in Turner on Wednesday.