The Pen High Lakers junior girls basketball team are South Zone champs.
The Lakers clinched the championship with a 48-13 win over the Maggie Mustangs. Kalli Doell led the Lakers with 10 points and added four assists and five steals. Jennifer Hayman added nine points (all from three-point range) with seven rebounds and four assists. Kayley Davies and Kali Loewen each chipped in eight points.
Lakers coach Chris Terris on Hayman: “She’d had a tough first half, so it was nice to see her rewarded for keeping her composure and battling through some adversity.”
Terris said that Tegan Elder and Davies provided much-needed scoring from the bench. He also praised the team’s defensive play.
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“Kids like Kinsey Corday, Kalli Doell, Ella Simmons and Rylee McDonald forced a lot of turnovers with some consistent pressure on the ball,” he said.
The Lakers advanced to the final after easily defeating Princeton 62-8 in the semifinal. Loewen led with 19 points and tied Elder with seven boards. Doell added 15 points, while leading with four steals. The Lakers are 23-4 on the season and ranked third in B.C. heading into the Valley Championships at OKM (Kelowna) this weekend.
Lakers win Trail tourney
The Lakers girls Grade 9 squad won the J.L. Crowe tournament with three victories, including a 44-39 decision over Nelson’s L.V. Rogers Bombers.
The Lakers trailed the entire game and coach Lesley Lacroix said they struggled again against a zone that packed them into the key and protected the hoop.
“Not being able to hit from the outside hurt us significantly, but we overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and slowly pulled ahead,” said Lacroix.
Tess Widney led with 14 points. Kassandra Hintz was named player of the game as she had six points and added five assists.
READ MORE: Undefeated run nets Lakers Kelowna tournament
Lacroix said she also handled the pressure well at the end of the game. All-star tournament performances came from Jaden Yamamoto and Maria Iannone who set the pace.
The Lakers opened with an 82-17 win over the hosts. Yamamoto led with 16 points. Grace Hallworth had a season-high 10-point performance and earned player of the game honours. The Lakers also faced Grand Forks winning 35-17. Yamamoto led with 17 points. Kate Glibbery hauled down 12 rebounds and added six points, earning player of the game honours.
The Lakers head to provincials hosted by Britannia School in Vancouver from Feb. 23 to 25.
