PORTLAND – One of the youngest teams in the Class B tournament has passed it first big test.

Third-seeded Lake Region, which has a single senior in forward Hannah Cutting, survived a pair of scares by sixth-ranked Oak Hill at the Portland Expo on Tuesday afternoon, and pulled away late in the fourth after sophomore guard Sydney Hancock crushed a massive 3. The Raiders had no answer for Hancock all afternoon, and the sophomore racked up 20 points both in the paint and from long distance. The last few, however, were simply devastating, lifting the Lakers to a 54-45 win in the quarterfinal game.

“We didn’t really come into the game thinking that we could do whatever we wanted,” Hancock said. “We know that every game is a new game and that we had to come out playing our hardest. I mean, hey, they got here, and good for them, and they had to play really well to get here. We knew it would be a fight.”

On paper, the Lakers outmatched the Raiders in almost every statistic other than age. Lake is bigger, faster, scores more and had more momentum – having won 7 straight and 16 of 18 overall – than Oak Hill (12-7), who had dropped three of their last four. But, for all that, the Raiders hung around, and made Lake Region pay whenever the opportunity presented itself. Lake led 7-4 after a slow first period that saw them winning turnovers, loose balls and rebounds, but struggling to hit outside shots. According to Laker Head Coach Paul True, Lake Region changed their offensive emphasis after the rough start.

“This was a fairly typical tournament game for a young team,” he said. “I thought we relied a little too much on the perimeter early on, but I think we kind of adjusted as the game went on. (That was thanks in large part to) Hancock. (She) was absolutely was (phenomenal). She hit some critical shots, and she has been a spark plug for us.”

Hancock hit a long two to open the second for Lake, but the Raiders kept things close thanks to senior forward Margaret Sabine (team-high 16 points), who hit a layup on the next possession, was fouled following a Lake turnover and went 1-for-2, and then put in a second bucket after the Lakers missed on their next shooting opportunity.

The score was tied at 11 with just under four minutes to go when the Lakers assembled their most cohesive offensive effort of the day. Sophomore guard Kasey Huntress nailed a long two, opening an11-0 run for the Lakers. But Oak Hill got some back in the final minute, as the Raiders – now trailing 22-11 – picked up six quick points. Junior guard Darby Beaulieu was fouled while making a layup, got the roll, and missed on the three-point opportunity. However, Sabine rebounded and was fouled, made both, and on the ensuing Laker inbounds pass, there was Beaulieu for a steal and a shot at the buzzer. The margin was now down to 22-17.

“(We gave them emotional opportunities), and that’s exactly what we addressed at halftime,” True said. “Mentally, we gave them some chances to score. But, on a positive, we remained composed, and they never were able to get over that hump.”

Oak Hill came very close clearing the proverbial hump in the third. Sabine had picked up her fourth foul, sending her to the bench, and Lake had just widened the lead back out to 38-31 with 42 seconds left as sophomore forward Kelsey Winslow hit a jumper. The Raiders drove back down the court, where sophomore forward Chassidy Hilchey picked up a foul. Hilchey buried both, and Huntress – heading back the other way – underestimated how much time was left, putting up a half-court attempt when there were still 10 seconds left. This went wide. Oak Hill went back the other way, and sophomore guard Julie Morneault was fouled while attempting a 3 at the buzzer. She swished all three foul shots, cutting the margin to 38-36.

Hancock stated that it was difficult not to get emotionally wound up, but that the Lakers kept their cool even amidst adversity.

“My blood pressure was up through the roof,” she said. “It was really nerve-wracking. But we kept our composure as well as we could, and we pushed through it.”

Cautiously, the Lakers started to right the ship, scoring first in the fourth when freshman forward Tiana-Jo Carter hit a layup off a feed from Hancock. Things were still close at 45-42 with 3:30 to go when Hancock took it upon herself to end things, and end them decisively. The shifty underclassman faked out Sabine, causing her to screen a second Oak Hill player, which left Hancock momentarily unguarded. That second was all Hancock needed to bury a 3 and, in the process, the Raiders. Following the shot, Oak Hill never seriously threatened again.

“We called a fist,” Hancock said. “We have some of the best screeners, and we just got a good screen up high, and then I just pulled back and just looked for a shot. I knew I couldn’t think about it; I just let it fly. And it went right in. After I hit it, I was thinking, ‘thank God, we really needed that.’”