sl-celebration
After the game, a jubilant South Lakes squad awaits its Liberty District Championship trophy.

South Lakes wins Liberty Tourney in thriller, 66-63

Junior forward Brianna Scott scored 23 points and senior guard Nina Boffman added 18, as host South Lakes defeated McLean 66-63 Thursday night in the Liberty Tournament Championship.

Scott and Boffman were good throughout the game, but it was their clutch plays down the stretch that sealed the deal. Down 61-58 with just over a minute left, senior point guard Leila Copeland (seven assists) drove the lane and found Boffman open in the corner for a three-pointer to tie it. It was the third time in the game Copeland found Boffman open for a three.

 

Then, after McLean junior forward Kendall Jones found Highlanders senior star Elizabeth Dufrane open for a bucket, Boffman dished to Scott open down low. Scott delivered a lay-up, plus sank the and-one after being fouled to put the Seahawks up 64-63. The Seahawks forced a McLean turnover, Copeland hit two free throws, and Dufrane’s last-ditch attempt to hit an off-balance three failed, giving South Lakes the win.

South Lakes' Nina Boffman (18 points) drives against the McLean zone.
South Lakes’ Nina Boffman (18 points) drives against the McLean zone.

The contributions were many for a South Lakes team that also won the Liberty regular season, going undefeated in-district along the way. Scott added 10 rebounds and a bushel of blocks to go with her 23 points. Copeland added 12 points, while junior guard Nicole Forbes contributed nine. The South Lakes bench didn’t score much but made an impact, contributing 14 rebounds as the Seahawks (20-4) bested McLean on the glass.

South Lakes' Brianna Scott met McLean players at the rim all night long.
South Lakes’ Brianna Scott met McLean players at the rim all night long, here rejecting Sophia Smith.

Dufrane led McLean (16-9) with 20 points, while Jones and sophomore guard Mia Fitzgerald impressed with fantastic all-around games. Senior guard Elly Glenn was key in the second half, scoring all of her 10 points after halftime to rally McLean to the lead.

Both teams advance to regionals beginning next week.

–Chris Jollay

all stats are unofficial

McLEAN FG FT TP REB AST
GLENN 2-3 4-4 10 2 0
FITZGERALD 4-8 2-4 12 6 8
SMITH 4-13 0-3 8 7 1
DUFRANE 8-19 3-4 20 4 4
JONES 6-11 1-2 13 8 5
Krikorian 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Wagner 0-2 0-0 0 0 0
TOTALS 24-56 10-17 63 27 18
Threes: Fitzgerald 2-3, Glenn 2-3, Dufrane 1-5
SOUTH LAKES  FG  FT TP REB AST
BOFFMAN  7-13  1-4 18  1 2
FORBES  3-5  3-4  9  5 1
SCOTT  7-14  6-10 23 10 0
SOMER  0-6  0-0  0  2 0
COPELAND  3-13  5-6 12  3 7
Ketelhut  1-4  0-0  2  6 1
Barr  0-0  0-0  0  4 0
Mensah  1-1  0-0  2  4 0
TOTALS 22-56 15-24  66  35 11
Threes: Scott 3-4, Boffman 3-5, Copeland 1-4, Somer 0-3