The Pen High Lakers senior girls basketball team delivered in a must-win situation against the Salmon Arm Jewels Saturday.
After leading 39-36 in the opening half of Okanagan AAA league action, a message by coach Lesley Lacroix gave her players the right push.
"I said you have to treat this like a playoff game," said Lacroix, who watched her team win 84-55 to clinch third in the league. "It is our very first step in terms of giving us the opportunity to go to provincials. It was a pretty tightly matched contest."
Lacroix didn't believe that the Jewels could keep up with their speed and full court play. After the third quarter, the Lakers led 59-40. They outscored the Jewels 36-17 in the final quarter, thanks to strong play by Ana Moroziuk and Tessa Lannon-Paakspuu. Moroziuk finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and Lannon-Paakspuu contributed 14 points with seven steals. Natasha Reimer scored 11 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.
"That was such a good game for our kids," said Lacroix. "Gives us a good road to get to the valleys."
One of the things Lacroix liked about Saturday's performance was how strong Reimer was defensively. She fought to grab 18 rebounds and added 12 points. Lacroix liked their fourth quarter, but said they need to do that all the time.
"I think they are feeling really good," said Lacroix of her players' confidence. "Gets us in the frame of mind that we are a top team in our valley."
Lakers forward Jessie Garcha said they played well and the difference in their second half play was Lannon-Paakspuu and Moroziuk.
"They went up the floor and pushed it really well with a lot of steals," said Garcha. "That was a big game changer."
Emily Clarke was the Lakers top scorer with 21 points, while Hayden Craig scored 18, while collecting seven rebounds. Against the South Kamloops Titans on Friday, the Lakers lost 62-42. Clarke led with 10 points, while Reimer dropped eight and finished with 12 rebounds. Robertson also chipped in eight points.
The Lakers host Rutland at Pen High in a quarter-final game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. That game will help them get into the Valley Championship in Kelowna next weekend.