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All four Lakota varsity basketball teams were in action Saturday. See below for scores and recaps of each game.

Nick Chaney reported for the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Princeton rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to knock off Lakota East on the road Saturday night, 70-63. The Lady Vikings – ranked first in The Cincinnati Enquirer Division I area coaches’ poll - got a big night from their back court as sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points and her senior teammate Breanna Rucker added 24 points and nine rebounds.

The teams combined for 17 3-pointers in the game, but both coaches said the difference was turnovers.

“The press got to us in the second half,” Lakota East coach Nikki Drew said. “Any time you play Princeton, you’re going to learn to get stronger and tougher with the ball.”

Drew got a big night from senior forward Molly Blomer, who scored 23 points and added eight boards in what her coach called one of the better high school games she’d seen.

“[Molly’s] energy was the difference for us,” coach Drew said.

Princeton coach Jill Phillips made the halftime adjustment to pick up the pressure, and it paid off for the Lady Vikings – they forced 18 Lakota East turnovers in the victory. Phillips also liked what she saw on the offensive end out of the locker room.

“We were a lot more patient against the zone and got some good looks in the third quarter,” she said. “We brought them out of the zone and played more our style in the fourth quarter.”

Phillips said her team tried to force things a little too much and didn’t use enough clock down the stretch, but they found a way to get the win.

“We only play (Lakota East) once this year,” Phillips said. “I think it’s a huge win for us, especially on the road.”

Princeton will be back in action on Friday at home against Ursuline. No. 3 Lakota East will have a week off before taking on Colerain on the road on Saturday.

Princeton 70, Lakota East 63

Princeton (10-0, 7-0 in the GMC) – Roper 2 0 5, Ballew 3 0 7, Mitchell 9 7 29, Rucker 9 3 3 24, Mitchell 2 0 4, Pogue 0 1 1. Totals 25 11 70.

Lakota East (7-3, 5-2 in the GMC) – B. Satterwhite 2 4 10, Grevenkamp 4 2 11, Franklin 0 2 2, Shaw 3 4 11, Blomer 9 1 23, K. Satterwhite 2 0 4, Pashi 1 0 2. Totals 21 13 63.

Halftime: Lakota East, 40-34. 3-pointers: P 9 (Roper, Ballew, Mitchell 4, Rucker 3), LE 8 (B. Satterwhite 2, Grevenkamp, Shaw, Blomer 4).

Firebirds lose third straight: (more…)

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Tags: Tags: Austin Emrick, Breanna Rucker, Jill Phillips, Kelsey Mitchell, Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lauren Cannatelli, Molly Blomer, Nikki Drew, Nikki Drew Lakota East, Nikki Drew Xavier, Rob Harpring, Robbie Harpring, Sheaira Jones, Zach Panzeca

Princeton freshman Kelsey Mitchell took over the basketball game in the second quarter, as the Vikings were able to pull away from Lakota East by the final score of 83-47 Jan. 19. Mitchell, who was coming off a 32-point performance against Midpark (Cleveland, Ohio) on Monday, finished the win against Lakota East with 23 points.

“She has that capability to take over a game,” Princeton head coach Jill Phillips said. “She was a coming off a big performance and she did it again.”

In the early going, Lakota East was able to hang with the defending Greater Miami Conference champions. However, midway through the second quarter, Mitchell caught fire and scored nine unanswered points to give Princeton a 27-12 advantage with 2:55 left in the first half.

Mitchell’s streak was stopped when she fell hard on her back as she scored her ninth straight point. She was forced to leave the game, but quickly checked back in and scored 10 more points in the second half.

“In the heat of the moment you have to produce,” said Mitchell, who made 10 of her 12 field-goal attempts in the win.

Mitchell’s production (averaging 19.2 points per game this season) has drawn the attention of college recruiters throughout the country. Her high school coach said that she “talks to someone” about Mitchell “everyday.”

“They usually have already seen her play, so they don’t need to ask anything,” Phillips said of the college interest.

Phillips admitted that most programs just want to “check in” and “let her know that they are interested.”

“It is cool,” Mitchell said of being a freshman and already receiving college interest. “But I don’t want to brag about it.”

>>>PHOTOS OF PRINCETON AT LAKOTA EAST<<<

Lakota East entered the game in third place in the GMC standings with a 10-2 overall record and a 5-2 mark within the conference. Princeton, who entered the game in first place, improved its perfect record to 14-0 overall and 8-0 in the GMC after defeating the Thunderhawks.

There was some bad news for Princeton, who lost its senior center Neschelle Williams (Ball State commit) with 6:15 left in the game when she landed awkwardly on her ankle. Williams, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, was helped off the floor.

Trainers will evaluate Williams on Friday, but early indications are that she will not miss any time.

The good news for Lakota East was the return of junior forward Tazzie Shaw, who received quality minutes for the first time since she injured her ankle against Fairfield Jan. 5. Shaw finished the game with 16 minutes of playing time and a team-high 12 points.

Lakota East will try to rebound from the loss when it takes on Lakota West on the road this Saturday, at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, Princeton will visit Middletown at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

(on other note, Lakota announced, midway through the third quarter, that it would be releasing its students two hours early tomorrow, Jan. 20, due to the impending snow storm – at 6:40 a.m. the following morning school was canceled)

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Tags: Tags: Jill Phillips, Kelsey Mitchell, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Princeton, Tazzie Shaw