Slow First, Second Half Starts Doom Lakes Girls in 59-55 Loss To Camas

Lakes head coach Dave McEachern said disappearing in the beginning of the first and second halves were the biggest factors in the end.

The Lancers fell short against the Papermakers in a 59-55 loss during a West Central District playoff game, picking up the No. 6 seed to the 3A regional playoffs that begin on Saturday.

Lakes (18-5) trailed 18-4 to close the first quarter and were out-scored by nine points in the third quarter. The team didn't play well from start to finish, McEachern said.

"When you give someone an 18-4-point lead, it's hard to fight back," McEachern said. "Our girls stayed in there and fought to the end. I give them credit for that."

Lakes went scoreless for 3 minutes, 25 seconds of the first quarter but closed the gap in the second by going on an 18-6 run and cutting the deficit to one field goal at halftime, 24-22.

The Lancers seemingly stole the momentum to begin the second half after Lakes junior Tyanna Barton nailed a three-pointer on their first possession. The Lancers led 25-24.

It was an uphill battle after that.

The Papermakers (16-7) quickly adjusted by going on a 12-0 run and regaining the momentum, 36-25 with 4:24 in the third quarter. Lakes senior Aubre Mitchell stopped the bleeding with a layup, but the slow start kept Lakes from staying within reach.

Lakes delivered another strong spurt in the final quarter by going on a 12-0 run capped by a dribble-drive layup by senior Brianna Butler, closing the gap 47-45 with 4:38 remaining.

But Camas' Lauren Neff initiated the Papermakers' final run to win the game with 3:22 left in the game and Brenna Khaw sank a pair of free throws to seal the game in the final seconds.

With a No. 6 seed, the road to the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome will have to go through Richland in a difficult matchup against No. 2-ranked Kamiakin of Kennewick (21-0 overall) at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Richland.

Lakes' Aubre Mitchell scored a team-high 17 points while Camas' Sydney Allen led all scorers with 21 points, respectively.

Box score

Camas  18  6   21  14 — 59

Lakes     4  18  11  22 — 55

Camas: Sydney Allen 21, Brenna Kham 4, Lauren Neff 7, Tatum Schroeder 6, Sierra Brown 15, Jenka Stiasna 6.

Lakes: Aubre Mitchell 17, Kaitlyn Soriano, 4, Anitaka Knight 4, Tyanna Barton 9, Auzhane Johnson 2, JaMesha Holland 3, Brianna Butler 8, Olivia Crawford 8.