PORTLAND — Leavitt Coach Tammy Anderson tells her players she will never get upset at any shot they take.
That’s good because they take a lot. The second-seeded Hornets’ philosophy of firing at will and their pressure defense are what senior Courtney Anderson calls “controlled chaos.”
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Leavitt took a 13-2 first-quarter lead Thursday and kept piling on points for a 62-35 victory against third-ranked Lake Region in a Western Class B girls’ basketball semifinal at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Leavitt (20-0) advanced to the regional final at 2 p.m. Saturday against top-ranked York (20-0).
The 62 points matched a season low for the Hornets, who average more than 77 per game.
“We like to run and gun and play pressure defense,” said Anderson. “We didn’t shoot particularly well but our defense was strong.”
Adrianna Newton led the Hornets with 18 points. She was the beneficiary of the Hornets’ fast-paced offense and tenacious defense, scoring the bulk of her points inside on feeds after steals or at the ends of breaks.
Anderson added 17 points, and her sister, Kristen, had 10.
The Hornets ran off 15 straight points overlapping the first and second quarters. Lake Region (17-3) committed 27 turnovers in the 16 minutes of the first half.
“They’re tough once they get rolling,” said Lake Region Coach Paul True. “Leavitt traps anywhere on the court and they’re relentless to the ball. We made some poor decisions with the ball.”
Getting off to a fast start was nothing new for the Hornets.
“We didn’t do anything differently,” said Courtney Anderson.
Anderson did concede that the Hornets’ shooting wasn’t as good as usual. But their pressure defense hasn’t changed.
“They’re a great team,” said Lakers guard Sydney Hancock. “They’re always double- and triple-teaming you. We had trouble getting back in transition.”
After Hancock made it 2-2, the Lakers failed to score again until Kelsey Winslow hit a basket early in the second quarter. By then Leavitt had a 17-4 lead.
The Lakers had trouble controlling the ball in the first half. When the Hornets missed a shot, they didn’t give up, pressuring the Lakers immediately. Several times the Lakers lost the ball before getting past their foul line, which Leavitt turned into easy baskets.
The Lakers played better at the start of the second half.
Tiana-Jo Carter, a 6-foot freshman, had nine points for Lake Region, five in the second half.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
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