Lake Highlands women’s basketball took care of business Tuesday night, defeating Spruce 76-12 at home.
The Wildcats put their foot on the gas early and took over. A corner three from Brystol Steeley got the party started in the first quarter and Lake Highlands never relinquished the lead.
Beatrice Elliott of the Wildcats (10-7) put the exclamation on Lake Highlands’ quick start. First, she nailed a 3-pointer from the corner with 3:05 left in the first, then immediately stole the Timberwolves’ inbound pass for a layup.
Minutes later, Elliott hit a mid-range jumper from the left elbow before stealing and scoring again, giving the Wildcats a 19-2 advantage. A couple of buckets later and Lake Highlands held a 21-4 lead after the opening quarter.
Domination continued and the Wildcats held an overmatched Spruce (0-13) team to just one basket in the second quarter. That stiff defense, along with a scoring flurry, ballooned the Lake Highlands lead to 48-6.
Up big at halftime, the game was essentially over. The Wildcats outscored Spruce 28-6 in the second half to cap off the win, with Elliott and Steeley continuing to produce.
Elliott led all scorers with 18 points when all was said and done. Steeley showed off her range, hitting three 3-pointers en route to 11 points.
Hailey Cramer was also a big contributor for Lake Highlands. Time and time again, she found herself in the right place at the right time, finishing plays with efficiency. She finished the contest with 13 points.
The Wildcats’ hounding defense was at the heart of the big win, forcing transition opportunities and giving Lake Highlands an advantage from tipoff until the final buzzer.
Spruce will look for its first win Thursday against the Thomas Jefferson Patriots (1-3) at home.
The Wildcats open district play this Friday at J.J. Pearce High School (4-14) to face the Mustangs.
