LaVille comes from behind for victory over Knox
Photo by Robert Krizmanich
LAKEVILLE — Falling behind big early LaVille’s Lady Lancers dominated the second half and came away 55-35 winners over visiting Knox.
Knox jumped to a lead in the first half that crew as large as nine, but in the second half the Lady Lancers came out on fire.
At the end of the second quarter, Knox held a 24-15 lead with LaVille ice cold from the field and the Knox defense ruling the day. That would change out of the locker room.
“Beyond 15 feet we stayed cold,” said LaVille coach Nick Amor. “It did start to feel like that lid was taken off the basket once we got to the rim and stopped worrying about the foul. When you have referees that let them play you have to play through it, not complain and hope for it. When you take the ball to the rim strong you aren’t focusing on the foul, just finishing the shot.”
The fourth quarter would be all LaVille defense. Trailing by one at the break 32-31, the Lady Lancers would hold Knox to just three points in the fourth quarter.
“When we are in a stance, hands are out and we’re talking our defense is at its best,” said Amor. “That fourth quarter was by far the best defense we played in that game.”
Meanwhile, the full-court press back to a zone in the half cour that had served the Redskins so well in the previous three quarters had its struggles in the fourth quarter.
“Our girls do a really good job of moving the ball,” said Amor. “Even when we were down. I feel good about the way that they pass, the way that we see each other, that helped them. They had good ball movement, and they saw the extra pass.”
Knox got a big game from Portland Minix who buried four threes in the first half for 12 points and Rose Webb who was a force in the paint with 11 points and seven rebounds.
LaVille spread it around with Make3na Deason hitting for eight points, Ava Weil for 10, and four steals. Brooke Edison had nine points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Jasmine Foster got in foul trouble early but responded with 14 points and five boards and Mikalah Kuskye set the tone with three points in the fourth quarter and six steals, four rebounds, and a pair of assists.
“We are a hard team to guard from the scouting report standpoint when our girls are clicking,” said Amor. “I think a lot of that comes from they are so unselfish and play their role to the best of their ability. When you have teammates like that, who just want to win, it turns into opportunities for everybody.”
LaVille is 7-2 with a game Friday at John Glenn a game you can hear on MAX 98.3. Knox is 3-8 and will be at home with Rochester on Wednesday.
