×

Huscroft, LaBrae get past Lordstown

Tribune Chronicle / Jamie Trina Lordstown’s Ava Spano, center, dribbles past the defense of LaBrae’s Alexis Huscroft, right, and Emily Kujala, left, during Wednesday’s game.

LEAVITTSBURG — It was a tale of two halves of basketball for LaBrae on Wednesday night.

Ultimately the Vikings would prevail over Lordstown, 49-41, but it would not be without a battle and some help from senior guard Alexis Huscroft.

“It was definitely a team effort,” LaBrae coach Mandy Rowe said. “We don’t have one solid, standout girl. So for us, you never know who is going to come out and score. We have a wide variety of players on our team.”

LaBrae had one individual who stoodout in scoring, and that was Huscroft. She was the leader for the Vikings with a game-high 17 points.

“She (Huscroft) is the point guard, leader of the team,” Rowe said. “This is pretty much a breakout game for her. She made some big shots for us and shot pretty well from the free-throw line. She helped handle the ball well for us.”

Tribune Chronicle / Jamie Trina Lordstown’s Kellee Applegate, left, dribbles up against LaBrae’s Paige Wilson.

Huscroft did her damage from behind the 3-point arc and the free-throw line. She landed three shots from long distance and shot a perfect 6 for 6 from the line.

“I just hustled down the floor,” Huscroft said. “My teammate pushed the ball well and then I was just shooting well. My teammates got me the ball and I was on a hot streak. So, I just kept taking it to the hole.”

It was a slow start for the Vikings. LaBrae trailed 11-10 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter did not prove to be much better as the Vikings went into the half behind, 24-22. Kellee Applegate led Lordstown with 10 of her 14 points in the first half.

“They (Lordstown) out-hustled us, out-rebounded us,” Rowe said. “They got a lot of second-chance opportunities and put the ball in the hole.”

It was a different story in the second half. LaBrae outscored Lordstown 27-17 in the final two quarters. That was enough to put the game away.

“In the second half, we changed our defense up,” Rowe said. “We pushed the ball more and made some open shots.”

LaBrae has itself moving in the right direction at the beginning of the year. Despite returning nine lettermen, Rowe knows it is a process this year.

“We are taking it one game at a time,” Rowe said. “We are just trying to do the little things right and get better every game.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today