HS Girls’ Hoops: Quick start propels Lourdes to easy win over Williams Valley
Williams Valley senior Mallory Miller poses with her family and friends after scoring her 1,000th career point in Monday's 50-22 loss to Lourdes (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
Vikings’ Miller scores 1,000th career point in 50-22 loss
TOWER CITY — Lourdes’ game plan was simple.
Get out to an early lead, play good defense, quiet the Williams Valley crowd and never let the Vikings gain any momentum.
Mission accomplished. With authority.
The Red Raiders landed an early knockout punch in Monday’s Schuylkill League Division II showdown at Williams Valley, holding the Vikings to one point over the game’s first nine minutes en route to a 50-22 victory.
All five starters scored at least one field goal in a game-opening, 17-1 run that propelled division-leading Lourdes (15-1, 10-0 D-II) to its ninth straight victory.
“A tribute to them being focused on both ends of the floor,” Lourdes coach Michael A. Klembara said of his team. “Defense wins championships and I think we have to refer to that from time to time.
“We wanted to set the pace of the game. You want to play that first 4-5 minutes and not let them think they can win. That was quite evident throughout the game.
“They were getting frustrated, and rightfully so. Give our defense and our team credit for doing that.”
Two things stood out from Lourdes’ first-quarter dominance — the Red Raiders’ defense and the passing skills of 6-foot-2 center Hannah Lokitis.
Lourdes’ length and height inside, coupled with its quickness on the perimeter, make it tough for opponents to penetrate and get good shots against its zone alignment. The Red Raiders then extend the zone into a full-court press after they score, further complicating things for the opposition.
Williams Valley (13-4, 6-4) found out first-hand as the Vikings struggled from the outset. The Vikes committed five turnovers and were 0-for-11 from the field in the first quarter.
Two of those turnovers were steals near midcourt that resulted in layups at the other end. By the time Mallory Miller hit a baseline jumper for Williams Valley’s first field goal, Lourdes led 17-1 with 7:14 left in the second quarter.
“We knew we couldn’t have a slow start,” Williams Valley coach Shane Zellers said. “We knew we couldn’t come out and turn the ball over. We wanted to get as many shots as we could.
“Credit to Lourdes. They take you out of what you want to do. You never know how they’re going to set up or who they’re going to guard. You don’t know what look you’re going to get from them and that’s what makes them tough.”
With her height and skills in the paint, Lokitis has the look of a dominant scorer. She entered Monday’s game averaging 10.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Overlooked, however, is her ability to pass the ball. With Lokitis positioned near the top of the lane in the middle of Williams Valley’s zone defense, Lourdes ran its half-court offense through the junior center. The result, especially early, were layups off cutting plays by forwards Sophia Karlovich and Vivian Reiprish and open 3-point looks for guards Kylla Sandri and Onaleigh Barnes.
Sandri finished with three 3-pointers and a game-high 19 points while Barnes buried two triples and netted nine points.
Lokitis finished with eight points and 12 rebounds in Lourdes’ balanced attack. Karlovich added nine points and seven boards while Reiprish had four points.
“You can’t miss her, because she’s 6-1, 6-2,” Klembara said of Lokitis. “She’s extremely dedicated.
“That’s what we worked on over the past couple of days, being stronger with the ball and our passing. The ball can move faster than the defense, whether (the defense) is playing man or not.”
Williams Valley sliced Lourdes’ lead to 23-10 by halftime, but the Red Raiders used a 17-0 run in the second half to invoke a running clock early in the fourth quarter.
The only highlight for Williams Valley was Miller, who scored her 1,000th career point on a drive through the lane with 3:37 remaining. Miller entered the game needing six points to reach the milestone … she finished with a team-high seven points.
It marked the second straight game Williams Valley was held under 25 points. The Vikings remain tied for third place in the Division II standings with Marian (9-8, 6-4), which lost to Mahanoy Area.
“We have to shoot the ball better. We have to handle the ball better,” said Zellers, whose squad was 3-for-24 from 3-point range and had 17 turnovers. “That’s the name of the game on offense, especially in high school basketball.
“I don’t know if it’s going to happen overnight. It’s something we have to work on.”
Game Summary
LOURDES (50) — Sandri 7 2-2 19, Barnes 3 1-2 9, Lokitis 4 0-0 8, Karlovich 4 1-1 9, Reiprish 2 0-0 4, Schroyer 0 0-0 0, Shingara 0 0-0 0, Albert 0 0-0 0, Schu 0 0-0 0, Bunch 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 5-6 50.
WILLIAMS VALLEY (22) — Shomper 2 0-0 4, Kobularik 1 0-0 2, Miller 3 0-1 7, Smeltz 1 1-2 3, Kasper 2 0-0 6. Totals 9 1-3 22.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Lou (15-1, 10-0) | 15 | 8 | 18 | 9 | 50 |
| WV (13-4, 6-4) | 1 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 22 |
