Strong defense throughout the game and timely buckets in the third quarter helped the Mendon girls basketball team thump Lake Michigan Catholic 38-19 Tuesday.
The Lakers (8-1), which landed in the No. 10 spot in Tuesday’s Associated Press Class D state rankings, mustered just seven first-half points against the Hornets, which turned a 12-point halftime lead into a 13-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Photo by Nicci Plummer
Brooke Howard scored 10 of her game-high 14 points at the foul line for Mendon, which turned to drawing contact when shots wouldn’t consistently fall. The Hornets took advantage with a 14-for-18 effort at the stripe.
“Our defense carried us to this win,” said Mendon coach Leasa Griffith, whose team improved to 9-0. “Lake Michigan Catholic came out strong in the third quarter and cut the lead to five, but then we hit a few shots and drew a few fouls.
“LMC is a very good team defensively and they never gave up. It was great competition for us. Free throws were also key for us in this win, and it is nice to see that the time we spend shooting them in practice is paying off at the right time.”
Grace Leighton and Alexis Russell tallied six points apiece for Mendon, and Jenna Griffith and Cierra Furlong finished with five and two, respectively.
Russell led the team with nine rebounds, Howard grabbed five and Furlong got her hands on four. Jenna Griffith added five steals, Leighton had four and Howard finished with a team-high four assists. Russell also swatted five shots.