Lakeland wins rivalry game

It was a what a rivalry game should be—two schools playing hard until the end against one another with all-out ferocity and intensity.  

That was the case when Lakeland traveled to face crosstown rival Yorktown on Jan. 21, with the Hornets holding off the hard-charging Huskers, 50-47. 

“It was a very important game to win against a very well-coached and scrappy team,” said Lakeland’s Riley Waters (6 rebounds, 3 assists), who scored a team-high 15 points.  

Right behind Waters was teammate Liliana Aguirre (10 rebounds, 4 assists), who scored 13 points.  

The win, Aguirre said, “meant a lot to us, especially because of the rivalry between us. 

“A lot of the girls from both teams know each other, and it’s always fun to get a win on the road.” 

There were a few reasons why Waters and Aguirre played as well as they did. 

“Liliana and I play very well together and complement each other’s game,” Waters said. “We were also able to settle down and run our offense, getting open looks.” 

The duo helped ignite Lakeland to victory by leading the team on both sides of the court.  

“We played as well as we did tonight because we try to lead our team as best as we can whether it’s on offense or defense,” Aguirre said. “Also, having confidence in each other and trusting our teammates to play at their best as well.” 

Leading all scorers was Yorktown’s Reilly Acosta with 16 points.  

“Rivalry games can speed up if you let them, my team and I prepared mentally for the Lakeland game,” Acosta said. “We tried our best to stay composed and control the tempo on the game, get into our offense, and to make smart decisions.” 

Acosta said that these are the types of games are the most fun for her.  

“I trust my preparation and I find that in the moment I can elevate my focus and confidence,” Acosta said.  

Leading 25-24 at the half, Lakeland extended its lead by outscoring Yorktown 13-7 in the third quarter, to go up 38-31. 

“The reason for that [extending the lead] was good connection on offense, giving up a good shot for your teammate to get a better one, as well as good communication on defense and helping each other out,” Aguirre said.  

Lakeland’s Emma Burke (9 points) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Hornets up 44-31 early in the fourth quarter. 

“They were very important shots to extend our lead,” Waters said. “Yorktown switched to a zone and we had very good ball movement. Finding a good 3-point shooter like Emma was exactly what we wanted.” 

Yorktown, though, came storming back, scoring the game’s next nine points to cut the Hornets’ advantage to 44-40 with 3:24 remaining in the contest, before Lakeland hung on for the win.  

“That stretch really came from our energy,” Acosta said. “The key was locking in defensively and getting stops. Once we got a few stops in a row, we were able to push the pace, get into our offense quicker.” 

Emily Hahn (8 points, 11 rebounds), Carina Cannizzaro (2 points), Adriana Ar-Bab (2 points), and Allie Waters (1 point) also scored for Lakeland with Addison Schluter (11 points), Erin Duffy (8 points), Izzy Todd (6 points), Sophia Marcello (4 points), and Ava Ryan (2 points) joining Acosta in the scoring column for the Huskers.  

Lakeland (6-5) traveled to Clarkstown South, falling to the host 51-40 on Jan. 23, with Waters (15 points), Cannizzaro (9 points), Burke (4 points), Aguirre (4 points), Hahn (4 points), Allie Waters (2 points), and Ar-Bab (2 points) scoring. 

Yorktown (6-8) hosted Fox Lane on Jan. 23, with the Foxes coming away with a 55-32 win.