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DALLAS — The rapidity with which the numbers on the scoreboard were changing left the impression that the Lake-Lehman girls lacrosse team was in a race to pile up goals Monday.
In reality, it was when the Black Knights brought the game to a halt that they were at their best.
Lake-Lehman used a patient approach – often with a player calmly holding the ball behind the cage while a series of cutters looked for openings in front – to score seven times in the first 8:29 and 14 times in the first 23:26 on the way to a 17-2 Wyoming Valley Conference rout of visiting Scranton Prep.
“It’s something we intentionally work on,” Lake-Lehman co-coach Alex Wilson said. “We have enough weapons that we don’t necessarily need to run-and-gun it.
“We try to slow it down and try to catch the defense out of position.”
Alyssa Adams and Mallory Wilson have combined for more than 400 career goals and sophomore Katie Strohl is an emerging offensive weapon, but Lake-Lehman showed Monday that it has more options.
The Black Knights got goals from nine different players, including seven in the first half.
“(Strohl) is coming on,” coach Wilson said. “Now, the defense has to account for three girls who can really put the ball in the net consistently.
“It just opens it up for our other girls. They’ve got to pick who to double team and once they do that, it opens everybody else up.”
The openings led to quality shots, which improved Lake-Lehman’s accuracy. The Black Knights put 33 of their 37 shots on target so the 16 saves by Scranton Prep goalie Aiyanna Jackson were not enough.
The Black Knights improved to 5-0 in the WVC and 7-2 overall to start an important week in their season. Lake-Lehman already has a three-game lead in Division 2 as it prepares to face two Division 1 teams in games that could give it an idea where it stands in the league as a whole and against the teams it will have to be able to match if it wants to be a District 2 contender.
Lake-Lehman is back home Thursday against Crestwood, the team that knocked it out of the district playoffs last year, and is on the road Friday against fellow WVC unbeaten and Division 1 co-leader Coughlin.
Adams led the attack against Scranton Prep (1-3) with three goals and two assists. Freshman Hallie Jenkins also scored three goals.
Mallory Wilson had two goals and two assists, officially, but her playmaking skills also helped lead to two more goals.
Strohl and Alexis Barker, another sophomore, had two goals and an assist.
Four of the first six goals came on passes from behind the cage. Another first-half goal was the result of the same approach and all three second-half were scored by players who carried the ball out from behind the cage themselves and got off shots when the Classics defense was too occupied with the cutters.
With a little help from the ball-control offense spending a lot of time on the other end of the field early in the game, the Lake-Lehman defense held Scranton Prep scoreless for the final 41:07. At one point in the first half, the Black Knights allowed just one shot in a span of 14:45.
“We work more as a team this year,” said Emily Galasso, a four-year starter on defense. “We’re very bonded together.
“We communicate well on the field and off the field.”
Makenzie Borum made six of her eight saves while holding the Classics scoreless in the second half.
Wyoming Seminary 18, Dallas 6
Alexis Quick scored five goals and Kate Romanowski and Abby Straub both added three more as the Blue Knights built a big lead and cruised past Dallas.
Katie Kapral scored three of Dallas’ six goals.
Coughlin 19, Pittston 4
Brigid Wood scored seven goals and had one assist in the Crusaders’ win.
Teammate Hailee Dumont chipped in with three goals and two assists, while Savanna Robinson added three goals and one assist. Kristi Pearage and Alex Smith each had two goals and one assist in the win. M’Kensie Lee made four saves in goal.
Haley Norwillow led Pittston with three goals. Anna McDermott scored a goal, while Nicole Walters finished with 25 saves.
Boys Lacrosse
Crestwood 16, Lake-Lehman 3
Andrew Bobynskyj recorded five goals and two assists and Jay Popson added three goals and three assists in the Comets’ win.
Teammate Ryan Magin chipped in with two goals and two assists, while Bailey Bauman made 11 saves in goal for Crestwood (6-0).
Delaware Valley 16, Tunkhannock 0
Kurtis Carichner recorded 11 saves in the Tigers’ loss.
Girls Lacrosse
Wyoming Seminary 18, Dallas 6
Wyoming Seminary`13`5`—`18
Dallas`2`4`—`6
SCORING — SEM, Gabby Grossman (2g, 1a), Rachel Hevrylkoff (1g), Alexis Quick (5g, 1a), Kate Romanoski (3g), Alexis Sokach (2g), Abby Straub (3g), Carly Clemente (1g), Mary Theresa Lehman (1g); DAL, Delameter (1g), Kapral (3g), Lehman (1g), A. Milan Novak (1g).
Saves — SEM 3 (Kelley Gavin 3, Sarah Schulman 0); DAL 5 (Kathleen Brown).
Lake-Lehman 17, Scranton Prep 2
Scranton Prep 2 0 – 2
Lake-Lehman 14 3 – 17
SCORING – SP, Christie Koffka (goal), Cara Kopicki (goal). LL, Alyssa Adams (3 goals, 2 assists), Hallie Jenkins (3 goals), Mallory Wilson (2 goals, 2 assists), Katie Strohl (2 goals, assist), Alexis Barker (2 goals, assist), Alicia Galasso (2 goals), Grace Butler (goal, Ashley Lawrence (goal), Sam Spencer (goal), Makayla Adams (assist), Izzy Radel (assist).
Shots – SP 12, LL 37. Saves – SP 16 (Aiyanna Jackson), LL 8 (Makenzie Borum)