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Lakeview girls top Warren Harding
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Lakeview’s Annie Pavlansky (10) gets past Harding’s Alasjia Dykes during the first half of their game Wednesday at Lakeview High School in Cortland. Pavlansky made 8 of 8 free throws and had 16 points total for the Bulldogs, who downed the Raiders, 58-48.
Bulldogs race out to 15-4 lead en route to 10-point victory
By Ryan Buck
CORTLAND
With their school day — like much of the rest of the tri-county area — cancelled due to winter weather, the Lakeview girls basketball team decided to take advantage of it in a most productive way.
“My team and I went out to lunch at Olive Garden and then we got Starbucks,” said Lakeview junior forward Addie Becker, “and we just had a great time together.”
The good vibes carried over into their clash with Warren Harding that evening as the Bulldogs raced out to a 15-4 first quarter lead and held off the Raiders, 58-48 Wednesday night.
Becker led the way with 21 points, including eight in the first quarter. She fought off a sprained finger suffered in the opening minutes in doing so.
“I fell down and someone stepped on it,” Becker said.
The Bulldogs (10-1) made 13 of 28 first half shots and knocked down 16 of 22 free throws for the game, keeping Harding and the hot shooting of Chelsea Dipaolo (22 points and four 3-pointers made) at bay.
The Raiders shot only 8 of 23 in the first half.
“We were up by 10 at halftime and we just had a very positive attitude,” Becker said. “We’ve been up at the half and down and we normally just have that good feeling in the locker room.
“We knew the first possession of the third quarter would set the tone for the second half and that’s what we tried to do.”
True to her word, a Becker basket pushed Lakeview’s lead to 32-20 and another from Annie Pavlansky widened it further.
Good ball movement around the perimeter found Becker again inside for a basket and a foul for a 37-22 Lakeview lead with two minutes remaining in the third.
Dipaolo and Alasjia Dykes traded baskets for Harding to keep them within 10 points as the third quarter closed, but Lakeview’s patient, yet potent offense practically owned the inside and the foul line in the final quarter.
“The girls fought hard,” said Harding coach Frank Caputo, who deemed the early deficit too much to overcome. “We played them even the rest of the way through.
“We couldn’t get over the hump. When you play a team like Lakeview, very disciplined, you can’t make bad passes or anything like that. They’ll take all those and make you pay.”
Pavlansky made 8 of 8 free throws — she had 16 points total — down the stretch as Harding never seriously threatened again, despite the Dipaolo-Dykes offensive show.
“I thought our girls held our composure in a very physical game,” said Lakeview coach Adam Lewis. “They did what they had to do to scrap out a win and I’m proud of the leadership they showed on the floor and finishing the way they did.”
With a day off from school and headed for another win, the Bulldogs had one more piece of good news.
“Coming out of the locker room,” said Becker, “our coaches told us that if we won, they’d have a surprise for us and right after the first quarter, our parents told us we didn’t have school tomorrow [today].
“I said in the locker room [after the game], ‘Best day ever.’”