{{tncms-inline alignment=”left” content=”<p>Lake Arthur  59  |  Grand Lake  29</p>” id=”dda7856f-6305-41b7-adf7-55c181ca26e2″ style-type=”quote” title=”Pull Quote” type=”relcontent”}}

GRAND LAKE — Lake Arthur overcame a sluggish first half to run away from Grand Lake in the second half Tuesday for a 59-29 victory.

Lake Arthur shot 33 percent in the first half, but scored at a blistering 50 percent pace in the second half.

The Tigers (6-0) hit 7 of 15 shots in the third quarter, led by Deonna Brister, who scored 11 of her 15 points in the quarter.

“We were a little sluggish tonight because it was a holiday game,” Lake Arthur head coach Vickie Sketoe said. “I think that we were just saving up a little bit.

“They had been off for four days. I just told them to give me five hard minutes. I think it is just playing as a team and getting down and working hard on defense. No one is trying to outshine the other. We had a couple of lapses, but I thought for the most part they played solid and a clean game.”

Sketoe said it has taken some time to adjust to not having guard Jamara Levy, who plays for McNeese State, running the ball up the floor. Lake Arthur reached the Class 2A final last year and is off to a solid 6-0 start.

“We had to adjust some things as far as speed,” Sketoe said. “She could get the ball down quick and kick it out for us, but fundamentally I think that we are OK.

“We have a lot to improve on, but I think that (fundamentals) has helped us start out this year.”

The Tigers used the 3-pointer to pull away late. After hitting two in the first half, Lake Arthur hit 6 of 8 3-point attempts in the final 11 minutes of the game. Brooke Daboval scored all 12 of her points on four 3-pointers and Diamond Brister had three and finished with a game-high 20 points.

Grand Lake held Lake Arthur to 25 points in the first half but couldn’t come up with any big stops in the second half.

“We didn’t make their passing go over the top,” Grand Lake head coach Kristopher Howerton said. “They were able to move the ball inside our zone and get some open looks on our zone because they moved the ball so quick on the reverse.

“We couldn’t close out properly and we didn’t rebound efficiently, so that got multiple shots per possession.”

Despite the loss, Howerton said he’s pleased with Grand Lake’s 4-2 start. Both losses were to teams that won at least 20 games last season.

“We have started off really well,” Howerton said. “We won the Hathaway tournament and faced a really tough DeRidder team at the Westlake tournament.

“We have our top three scorers back and we have senior leadership. They are working really hard and our chemistry is really good.”

Lake Arthur jumped out to a 12-2 lead after Robbon Turner scored on a fast break with 2:42 left in the first quarter. But the Hornets rallied with a pair of 3-pointers by Hannah Doucet and Maci Montie to cut Lake Arthur’s lead to 12-8.

Turner had 10 points and eight rebounds. Josie Ogea led Grand Lake with 10 points.

Lake Arthur 59

Grand Lake 29

Lake Arthur (6-0): Diamond Brister 20, Robbon Turner 10, Brooke Daboval 12, Deonna Brister 15. Grand Lake (4-2): Josie Ogea 10.

Lake Arthur  59  |  Grand Lake  29