Surprising Lakers advance to final

Mike Sciacca

The Lakers hardly were heard during the course of the Junior League

regular season at the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach but come playoff

time, they have made o7 a lotf7 of noise.

Despite winning only one game during the regular season, the Lakers

have awoken at the right time, defeating three opponents in postseason

play to advance to Monday’s final.

They began their unlikely quest for the league title by upending the

Magic, 20-16. Nichole Forte topped the Lakers with nine points,

offsetting hot-shooting Emily Writer and rebounders Kameron Combs and

Kativa Strickland of the Magic.

The Lakers scored a dramatic win in quarterfinal action as Christina

Pellecchia drove in for a layup with 10 seconds remaining to lift the

team past the Heat, 20-19, and into the semifinal round.

There, they held off the Jazz (5-1), 20-18, squandering all but two

points of a 12-point, fourth quarter lead.

Tyesha Powell and Kirsten Andrew each had two steals and two key

baskets down the stretch to cut the Laker lead to four points with two

minutes remaining.

The Jazz’s tenacious defense held the Lakers scoreless in the fourth

quarter. Andrew scored with five seconds left in the game to pull the

Jazz within a basket, then stole the ensuing inbounds pass. A final,

desperation shot at the buzzer, however, was off the mark.

The Lakers will play the Suns in the Junior title game.

The Suns reached the championship by beating the Hornets, 26-20, and

eliminated the top seed Celtics, 25-24.

Against the Hornets, Riley Duncan scored off a screen set by Dana

Weaver in the closing moments to lock up the victory for the Suns.

Madison Pierini and Lindsaey Reed kept the Hornets close by scoring eight

and six points, respectively.

The Suns then came back to hold off the regular season champion

Celtics, who had lost just once during the regular season.

The Celtics trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, and

were down by eight with 1:51 to play.

Baskets by Chelsea Schlesinger, Lexi Altman and Haley Thayer, and two

free throws by Schlesinger, in the final two minutes brought the Celtics

to within a point. They had a chance to regain the lead with six seconds

to play but Madison Duncan blocked Thayer’s 10-foot jump shot.

The two players fought for control of the ball, but a jump ball call

ensued and the possession arrow favored the Suns.

Duncan was the game’s top scorer with 14 points.