BRANSON, Mo. -- Lake Hamilton's young senior high girls' team swept three opponents from Missouri over the weekend to win the Battle at the Border tournament.
The Lady Wolves (3-3) closed the tournament on Saturday with a 47-36 win over Bolivar (0-1). They led 17-10 after the opening quarter and the margin held at seven points for a halftime score of 24-17.
Lake Hamilton pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win. The Lady Wolves were outscored, 12-5, by the Lady Liberators in the third quarter for a tie game at the start of the fourth.
The Lady Wolves won the fourth quarter, 18-7, to clinch the game and the championship.
Sophomore Aspen Thornton scored 16 points in the win, while senior Nya Moody double-doubled with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Jenny Peake and sophomore Tia Mullenix each scored eight points.
"I am really proud of our girls effort on the court and how we grew as a team on this trip," said Lake Hamilton head girls' basketball coach Blake Condley.
The team's biggest win was on Friday when Lake Hamilton led, 23-8, after one quarter and had a 39-16 lead to start the second half against Bishop DuBourg (1-3), of St. Louis. The Lady Wolves continued to pile on for a 59-24 lead after three quarters before closing out the 63-31 win.
Thornton was the team's top scorer again with 26 points. Mullenix added 11 points.
The Lady Wolves opened the tournament on Thursday with a 65-54 win over the host team, which features one of the top prospects in the country for the class of 2020. Junior guard Priscilla Williams (6-2) averaged 31.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in her sophomore season for Branson (1-1).
The team moves into the new, competitive 5A-South conference this year, but the Lady Wolves began the season with three consecutive home losses at Wolf Arena in the Lake Hamilton Classic. They now have a .500 record going into Friday's home tilt with Little Rock Hall (0-7).
Sports on 12/04/2018