By Payton Hannah (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Lockwood Lady Tigers powered past the Hurley Lady Tigers on Tuesday night in a Class 1 sectional matchup, claiming a 56-35 victory.
Lockwood came into the matchup with a record of 17-9 and fresh off a district championship win against Liberal on Saturday night. Hurley hosted the matchup, entering the contest with a record of 19-9 and as the Class 1 District 3 champion.
Lockwood wasted no time setting the tone, as freshman Asa Lasater intercepted a Hurley pass and took it coast-to-coast for the opening basket. Lasater continued her hot start, sinking a midrange jumper before converting another steal into a layup, scoring the team’s first six points. Hurley answered with a high floater off the glass from Jaema Schimmels, who followed up with a deep three on the next possession. Lockwood built momentum midway through the quarter, fueled by two more steals from Lasater that led to easy buckets. Adding to the defensive showcase, freshman Peyton Lasater came up with a steal and score of her own, helping Lockwood close the first quarter with a 16-11 advantage.
Lockwood maintained its offensive rhythm in the second quarter, with Asa Lasater leading the charge by drilling a deep three and racking up several more steals, fueling a 15-0 run. Meanwhile, Hurley struggled to find its footing, unable to get shots to fall. With momentum firmly on its side, Lockwood took a 37-18 lead into halftime.
Hurley came out strong to start the second half, igniting an 8-2 run that energized the home crowd. Schimmels led the charge, finishing the game with 13 points as Hurley inched closer to cutting the deficit to single digits. However, Asa Lasater silenced the surge with a clutch three-pointer, part of her game-high 20 points, helping Lockwood regain control and extend their lead. Freshman Hadley Abbiatti also made a big impact, adding 19 points of her own as Lockwood closed out a dominant 56-35 victory.
The Lockwood blend of defensive intensity and fastbreak offense was key to their success tonight.
“We try to use speed and aggressiveness to our advantage,” said Lockwood head coach Clay Lasater. “We play with a lot of energy, and I felt like we brought great intensity and effort on the defensive end tonight. That allowed us to get into transition and we did a good job of executing from there.”
Lockwood’s young roster, which includes several freshman starters, has defied expectations by competing successfully against more experienced teams. Asa Lasater explained how their long-standing chemistry has played a big role: “We’ve played together since first grade, so we’ve got a lot of experience together, which gives us a lot of confidence playing against older, bigger, stronger, more athletic girls.”
The Lady Tigers will continue their postseason push with a matchup against Chadwick on Saturday.
Lockwood: 16-21-9-10—(56)
Hurley: 11-7-7-10—(35)
Top Performers
Lockwood: Asa Lasater 20, Hadley Abbiatti 19, Peyton Lasater 10
Hurley: Jaema Schimmels 13, Dacia Grubbs 8, Madison Conrad 8
