| |  | | | |  | | I-L’s Kylie Dickinson is surrounded by MA’s Kelsey Coppinger (left) and Jamie Mason during action in Moultonborough on Jan. 9. The visiting Lakers won the Route 25 rivalry, 44-38. Jeff Lajoie. (click for larger version) |
January 14, 2013 MOULTONBOROUGH – Senior Alexandra Brewer scored 11 of her 16 points in the third quarter, and the Inter-Lakes High School girls' basketball team overcame a sizable halftime deficit to pull out a solid 44-38 road win over Moultonborough Academy on Jan. 9 in the first of two Route 25 rivalry contests.
"My seniors came through in the second half," said I-L coach Mike Gallagher, who lauded the duo of Brewer and Mikaela O'Neil. "They played with poise and confidence and we needed that out of them when we got behind."
MA (5-3) built a 24-15 lead at halftime after a strong outing right out of the gate, but the Lakers responded after intermission. While O'Neil sat for the majority of the first half after picking up three quick fouls, the senior helped kick start a 10-2 run early in the third that got the Lakers within 26-25. Brewer scored six of those points, and while MA's Holly Thompson drained a three midway through to momentarily stop the run, I-L was within 34-32 heading into the fourth quarter thanks to 11 in the period from Brewer.
"We definitely had them on the ropes after the first half," explained MA coach Rachelle Smith. "But (I-L) came out with great intensity in the second half and that kind of wore on us mentally a bit. The pressure they put on us late held us down."
Sophomore guard Kelsey Coppinger's turnaround jumper with 5:10 left in the fourth gave MA a 38-34 lead, but her basket would be the last points the Panthers could muster on the night. I-L tied the game on a free throw from Brewer, and the Lakers took their first lead since early in the second quarter when O'Neil's layup gave the visitors a 40-38 advantage with 1:46 remaining.
"When those two are clicking, they're a tough combo to defend," said Gallagher of O'Neil and Brewer.
I-L would ice the game from the line down the stretch, as Reilly Donovan sank a pair of clutch freebies with 1:03 to play and freshman Julia Eifert sealed the deal with two from the stripe with 16 seconds to go as the Lakers secured the 44-38 win.
"We had a couple of shots late that, if they went in, would've made it a different game," said Smith. "But we just didn't sink them when we needed to."
The first half was a much different story for MA, as the Panthers led 12-7 after one quarter. While I-L looked like it might get on track early in the second after taking a 13-12 lead, MA responded. A three-pointer from senior guard Lexi Welch got things rolling for the hosts, and baskets from Coppinger and Thompson were all part of a 10-0 run that put the Panthers ahead 23-13. Kristy Brewer stopped a scoreless drought of 4:04 for I-L with a hoop late, but Jamie Mason's free throw in the final seconds sent MA into the locker room with the 24-15 advantage.
"We just didn't play well," said Gallagher of his team's first half struggles. "It's a big rivalry for the kids and they just tried to go at each other. (O'Neil) being in foul trouble didn't help either. We stole the ball from (MA) quite a bit but we weren't able to capitalize too much early on."
Brewer's 16 points led all scorers for I-L, while Donovan (12 points) and O'Neil (eight) also paced the Lakers offensively.
MA was led by Thompson's 13 points, while Coppinger finished with eight and Kaitlin Slippy tossed in seven.
The Lakers also took the JV contest beforehand, as I-L held on in overtime for a 35-27 victory over the Panthers. I-L's Kaylee Converse hit a layup with just over a minute left in OT, and the Lakers converted from the free throw line late to hold on for the win.
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