“Win or go home” is the mantra this time of year and that was certainly the case Monday evening as the Carolina 1A Conference Tournament kicked off at Lakewood when the Union Lady Spartans made the trip to Roseboro. Facing off against the Lady Leopards in the opening round, Union had an uphill battle knowing that Lakewood had swept them in the regular season.

Union gave Lakewood a stiff challenge this time around, but the Lady Spartans still couldn’t quite get their foot through the door, falling 34-24.

Union trailed for the entire game, stuck in a six- to nine-point deficit malaise. With the Lady Leopards leading 26-19 after three quarters, the Lady Spartans tried to find an offensive rhythm, but couldn’t connect from the field or at the charity stripe. It wasn’t easy to buy a bucket for Lakewood, either, but the Lady Leopards held on for a 34-24 opening round victory over cross county rival, Union.

In addition to Union’s stingy defense, Lakewood was also dealt a blow when perhaps their most valuable player, Kiarye Bailey, went down with a knee injury in the first quarter.

“It was tough without Kiarye, but I thought we handled it OK,” Lakewood head coach Vonnie McNeil said.

One of Union’s downfalls is that the Lady Spartans missed key opportunities from the free throw line. McNeil attributed the many Lakewood fouls to, nerves.

“We were anxious, being the first tournament game; I believe they were a little overwhelmed,” she said.

On the losing of Monday’s tilt was Union head coach Bryant Register.

“First off, I want to congratulate Coach McNeil and the Lady Leopards on their win. On our side, I thought our girls played very hard and with great effort,” he said.

“Missing twelve free throws on so many attempts is just too many misses in a close game like this,” Register concluded.

Aniya Howard and Rilya Mitchell led all Lakewood scorers, garnering twelve apiece. Genesis Santiago led the Lady Leopards in the fourth quarter with a four spot. LaTyra English was Union’s top scorer, netting nine.

Following the win, Lakewood will travel to Rosewood High School on Wednesday to take on the Princeton Lady Bulldogs, who beat the Lady Leopards soundly in their two regular season matchups.

Lakewood’s Rilya Mitchell is pressured by Union’s Chelsea Thrift during Monday’s Carolina 1A Conference Tournament showdown.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_LHS-1.jpgLakewood’s Rilya Mitchell is pressured by Union’s Chelsea Thrift during Monday’s Carolina 1A Conference Tournament showdown. Sarah Beth White | Sampson Independent
Lakewood tops Union, moves on to face Princeton

By Justin Lucas

Sports Writer

Reach Sports Editor Daron Barefoot at [email protected].