Lake Region’s girls basketball team definitely did not bring their ‘A’ game to the Civic Center on Saturday night. But even an average performance by a talented Lakers team was more than enough to win their second straight Western Maine Class B title. The top seeds subdued No. 2 Falmouth for a 42-25 victory in the regional final to earn themselves another chance at the Class B state crown.
Neither team did much offensively in the first period. Falmouth led 6-5 with the Lakers ending that opening quarter with more fouls (6) than points. They attacked the basket, but they also were whistled for four charging calls. Kayla Nowell and Renee Nicholas scored the Lakers’ only two baskets in the first eight minutes of play.
Lake Region freshman guard Christina Ricci took the lid off the basket for her team with back-to-back 3-pointers at the start of the second period. Lake’s 11-8 lead soon grew to 21-10 by halftime with hoops from Courtney McClean, Nowell, and Z.Z. Leighton.
That same threesome accounted for all of Lake Region’s points in the third quarter with the defending champs controlling play with a 30-18 lead entering the final period.
Falmouth had several opportunities to close the gap in the first three minutes of the fourth, but the Yachtsmen went 1-for-6 from the line and the Lakers still led 31-20 with 3:30 to play in the game. Four more points from Nicholas and another score from Leighton pushed the Lakers’ lead to 36-21 with less than two minutes to play and Lake Region started making plans for one more week of practices.
Leighton, McClean, and Nowell all finished the game with eight points, while Nicholas and Ricci contributed six points each.
Lake Region will face Eastern Maine Class B champion Waterville in the state final at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Friday at 7 p.m. Top-seeded Waterville was a 63-46 winner over John Bapst for the East A title.
Presque Isle defeated Lake Region in last year’s Class B state championship game by a 48-36 score. The last time Lake Region won a girls basketball state championship was back in 1975 when they downed Van Buren 63-55.
Lakers win another West B title
Lakers win another West B title
Lakers win another West B title
Lakers win another West B title
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