Lake girls gaining momentum as tournament nears

If teams are going to round into form, now is as good a time as any.

With the Division III tournament draw set for Feb. 8 and the sectional tournament only a week away, the Lake Blue Streaks appear to be gathering momentum.

This past week was a relatively light one for Lake, which had just one game on its schedule, a Jan. 28 matchup against Federal League cellar-dweller Green. The Blue Streaks took care of business as expected with a 55-28 victory.

While the game itself lacked drama, the Federal League standings tell a different story.

With the win, Lake improved to 11-8 overall and 7-4 in the league. The Blue Streaks have now won three of their last four games and eight of their last 11 dating back to Dec. 19. During that stretch, Lake is 5-2 in Federal League play and sits tied for third place, just a half-game behind second-place Canton McKinley. Lake defeated the Bulldogs a week earlier to earn a season split.

Lake is currently tied with North Canton Hoover, its final conference opponent of the season. The Blue Streaks defeated the Vikings 51-37 at home earlier this year, and a road win would break the tie and move Lake into a tie for second place.

Against Green, Lake asserted control early, taking a 13-6 lead after the first quarter. A 16-7 run in the second quarter sent the Blue Streaks into halftime with a 29-13 advantage, effectively ending any upset hopes.

Savanna Horning led Lake with a game-high 15 points, six assists and six steals. Hayden Croyle scored 10 points, while Kaitlyn Josef added 10 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

Green (2-14, 0-11) was led by Brooklyn Wood, Lucy Zwisler and Giana Giovanini, who each scored six points.

Boys basketball

Despite a strong effort, Lake was unable to snap its losing streak against one of the state’s top teams. The Blue Streaks fell 63-46 to host North Canton Hoover in Federal League play Jan. 30.

Taden Coblentz led Lake with 12 points, and Nick Geyer added nine points for the Blue Streaks (5-11, 1-8).

Hoover (12-4, 7-2), ranked ninth in the state in Division II, was led by Hunter Hershberger with 22 points. Brady McCann added 17 points, including five 3-pointers.