Loogootee Jr-Sr High School

On Tuesday night, the Loogootee Lady Lions traveled to White River Valley for a varsity-only matchup. Coach Brian Smith entered the night looking to pick up his first win over his alma mater in a few years, and the team delivered, earning a 48–40 victory to improve to 6–2 on the season. WRV opened the game with a baseline drive for the first basket, but Loogootee quickly seized control. Sophia Toy found Alaina Diamond for the Lady Lions’ first points, and back-to-back threes from Alexis Heckard and Toy, both assisted by Lydia Hawkins, put Loogootee ahead 8–2. Hawkins then fed Diamond for an and-1 down low, and another coast-to-coast finish from Diamond forced a WRV timeout as the lead ballooned to 13–2. The timeout did little to slow the momentum. Diamond scored twice more to cap an 11-point first quarter, helping Loogootee build a 17–2 advantage before WRV closed the period with three free throws, including two after the buzzer, trimming the lead to 17–5. The second quarter saw the Lady Lions cool off. A Diamond drive made it 20–7, but an 8–1 WRV run tightened things to 21–15. A strong take from Ava Jeffers stopped the surge, though WRV immediately answered with a three. Free throws traded on both sides brought the margin to 24–20 before a late Hawkins free throw set the halftime score at 25–20. Loogootee opened the third quarter with Diamond finding freshman Karmen Wilson for a bucket, though WRV responded with a score of their own. The Lady Lions answered with back-to-back and-1s, first from Hawkins, then from Wilson, to create some breathing room. The teams traded scores the remainder of the period, with Loogootee carrying a 37–29 lead into the fourth. The Wolverines struck quickly with a three to open the final frame, but Jeffers connected with Hawkins for an old-fashioned three-point play to push the margin back to eight. WRV trimmed the deficit again on a pair of buckets following a Wilson free throw, making it 41–37, the closest the game would get the rest of the way. Loogootee responded with poise. Diamond attacked the rim for a key basket, Jeffers added a putback, and late free throws from Diamond and Hawkins sealed the 48–40 win. Alaina Diamond – 18 points (50% shooting), 13 rebounds (7th double-double), Lydia Hawkins – 13 points, 6 steals, Karmen Wilson – 5 points, Ava Jeffers – 5 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, Sophia Toy – 4 points, Alexis Heckard – 3 points The Lady Lions move to 6–2 on the season and begin preparations for next Thursday’s rivalry matchup at Barr-Reeve. Program History Note - With her 11 rebounds Tuesday night, Alaina Diamond entered the Top 10 all-time rebounders in Lady Lions basketball history. The updated list: Ashley Fraley – 989 Jennifer Bullock – 754 Diane Kiefner – 722 Theresa Blad – 564 Amanda Green – 462 Tyanna Graber – 456 Jill Strawn – 441 Brooklynn Jones – 436 Madison Waggner – 433 Alaina Diamond – 424