Defensive switch helps Lake-Lehman girls basketball shut down Holy Redeemer

WILKES-BARRE — In a marquee contest between two teams expected to vie for the Division 2 crown this season, Lake-Lehman’s size and swarming defense was too much for Holy Redeemer to handle down the stretch, as the Black Knights downed the Royals 50-37 on Thursday night.

“I think (Lehman) just wore us down,” Holy Redeemer head coach John Jezorwski said after the game. “They’re big and strong and very well-coached.”

The Black Knights were able to surge past Redeemer on the strength of a dominant second half that saw Lehman outscore the Royals 32-12.

A huge part of Lake-Lehman’s success after halftime was due to a switch from man-to-man defense into a zone, which allowed the Lehman lineup to use its length to disrupt Redeemer’s passing lanes and generate turnovers.

“Our man defense was successful against Valley West … and Redeemer’s a good three-point shooting team, I thought playing man could take them out of that,” Lake-Lehman head coach Charlie Lavan said. “But our help defense wasn’t there, and we got into some foul trouble early, so we got out of the man defense and switched to zone.”

It was almost like two different games once Lehman settled into a zone defense. Redeemer’s ability to take defenders off the dribble was neutralized, and with the activity of Lehman’s defenders, the Royals struggled to find open looks and soft spots in the zone.

Switching into a zone also allowed for Lehman’s starting five to save a little energy, which they would need — the Black Knights didn’t go to their bench for a single minute on Thursday night.

Down the other end of the floor, the Royals played in their zone the entire way and gave Lake-Lehman the same problems that they would face later on in the game.

But after Redeemer ran its lead to as many as 11 points in the second quarter, standout Black Knights like Claire Dougherty and Chase Purdy were able to begin breaking down the defense and scoring in the paint, often with second and third looks generated from offensive rebounding.

“Chase is a fantastic rebounder, Dougherty is just so steady,” Jezorwski said. “It’s tough going against so many 6-foot players. … I think we just got tired, and one mistake led to another.”

Dougherty, the reigning Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 Player of the Year, led all scorers with 15 points, though she did much of her damage in the first half trying to keep her team afloat.

Fellow senior and team captain Purdy added 12 points and was a force on the glass, Brenna Hunt scored 13 with nine points coming from the free-throw line, and junior Hailey Kline added 10 points — all in the second half.

“When we started to move the ball and not force it, that’s when we started getting really good looks down low,” Lavan said. “That really turned the tide of the game for us.”

Holy Redeemer was led by 11 points from Jillian DelBalso and nine points from Mia Ashton. The Royals will be in action on Saturday in a non-conference game with Notre Dame Green Pond.

Lake-Lehman will take on Scranton Prep Saturday, in a rematch of last year’s District 2 4A semifinal matchup that saw Prep knock Lehman out of the playoffs with a 51-30 win.

Lake-Lehman 50, Holy Redeemer 37

LAKE-LEHMAN (50) — Hailey Kline 3 3-4 10, Brenna Hunt 2 9-10 13, Claire Dougherty 7 1-2 15, Ella Wilson 2 0-0 4, Chase Purdy 4 4-9 12. Totals 18 17-24 50.

HOLY REDEEMER (37) — Aubrey Curley 2 0-0 5, Aleia Atherton 1 0-0 2, Mia Ashton 4 1-2 9, Jillian DelBalso 4 0-0 11, Brooke Kroptavich 0 3-8 3, Angelina Corridoni 1 0-0 3, Megan Albrecht 1 2-4 4, Paige Kroptavich 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 6-14 37.

Lake-Lehman`11`9`15`15 — 50

Holy Redeemer`17`8`5`7 — 37

Three-point goals — LL 1 (Kline). HR 5 (DelBalso 3, Corridoni, Albrecht).