Hawks hit bump in state opener

BOISE – For the first time since 2003, the Lakeland girls basketball team finds itself eliminated from state championship contention after the opening round.

The Hawks, who have advanced to at least the state semifinals in each of the past three seasons, suffered a 65-58 loss to Hillcrest Thursday afternoon and fell into the consolation bracket of the 4A state tournament at Timberline High School.

“It’s disappointing,” Lakeland coach Steve Seymour said. “I thought we did some things well, but we just committed too many turnovers and too many fouls. We definitely could have played better in those areas.”

Lakeland used a full-court press to help force 25 Hillcrest turnovers, but the Hawks had 26 giveaways and committed 29 fouls.

Many of Lakeland’s turnovers came right after a steal or rebound, allowing Hillcrest to keep the momentum throughout much of the game.

“A lot of these girls have never played in the state tournament before,” Seymour said of his young team. “We were a bit nervous with the ball at times, and that cost us.”

Hillcrest led 29-25 at halftime and came out looking to pound the ball inside in the second half.

The Knights attacked the basket on nearly every possession, as the starting frontcourt of Natalie Nielson, Kendall Pyper and Chloe Ence racked up 42 points and 18 rebounds.

“We feel like we’re at our best when we get the ball inside,” said Hillcrest coach Keith Leppert. “That wasn’t anything new for us. We saw in the first half that we were going to be able to get the ball to our inside players, so we came out in the second half and really focused on that.”

Hillcrest’s persistence in the paint paid off as the Knights shot 45 free throws, including 27 in the second half. Lakeland attempted just 14 foul shots in the game.

“It’s good to be aggressive, but we were a little too aggressive at times,” Seymour said.

Despite the free-throw discrepancy, the Hawks kept the game relatively close.

Natalie Nichols kept Lakeland in the game with a game-high 22 points, but fouled out with 3:48 remaining and her team down by six.

Sophomore Camille Reynolds, who had 13 points, eight steals and five assists, tried to keep the Hawks afloat, but fouled out with 1 minute to play and Hillcrest holding a 62-51 lead.

Amanda Findlay came in and scored seven points in the final minute, but it wasn’t enough as the Knights sealed the game from the free-throw line.

“We’re disappointed, but we aren’t going to hang our heads about it,” Seymour said. “We have a game tomorrow, so we have to put this behind us and get after it.”

Lakeland plays Bishop Kelly in a loser-out game at 12:15 p.m. PST at Timberline.

Hillcrest plays Preston at 5:15 p.m. PST at Timberline, with the winner advancing to the 4A title game.