Friday January 9, the Girls Junior Varsity kicked off the highly anticipated home Friday showcase vs the Milford Mavericks with a 32-14 victory.  Lakeland started out in their ¾ court press again causing turnovers from the start but were able to convert these turnovers into points on this day.  Seeing the ball go through the hoop was contagious as the Eagles converted on 8 baskets and 3 of 4 free throws to take a first quarter lead 19-6.  The Mavericks pulled out all the stops in the second quarter (including using 6 players at one point) to outscore the Eagles 4-3.  Morgan Ross’ three-point basket was enough in the quarter though to allow Lakeland to take a 22-10 lead into halftime.  Lessons learned from previous games allowed the Eagles to stay focused and extend the lead vs. their rival in the quarter.   A full court man press, ball pressure and teamwork limited the Mavericks scoring to a single basket and a 29-12 Lakeland lead.  In the fourth quarter, the full Eagles squad contributed and closed out the game winning 32-14.  A nice reward for the Eagles for their steady improvement.

Scoring Leaders: Hayden Pawlak (10), Annika Chinavarre and Morgan Ross (5), Jaylyn Rhines (4), Lily Wang, Payton Gignac and Lauren Burgess (2), Payton Gignac and Haley Hewitt (1).

Congratulations to Lauren Burgess on her first high school points!

Free Throws:   (Lakeland 5/12, 42%.      Milford 1/2, 50%)

Lakeland improves to 2-5 and 1-1 in conference.