Chieftains get the win over Trojans, soar over Falcons

Carly Vavra, Lake Holcombe senior, looks for an open teammate on her home court Feb. 4, against Flambeau. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

The wins continue for Lake Holcombe in the girls basketball program, as the squad picked up two conference wins.

Feb. 1 vs. New Auburn conference (W 43-39)

The game was evenly matched in the away game, as Lake Holcombe went into halftime tied, 17-17. The second half was also a close affair and went down to the wire.

“We again had a couple key players foul out (Carly Vavra and Emma Lechleitner), leaving us no one left on the bench,” said coach Jennifer Lechleitner. “Thankfully, we pulled out another win.”

Luck was on the Chieftains’ side, along with the win, 43-39.

“The game came down to free throws and thankfully, Brooke Lechleitner was on, hitting 8 of 11 for the night.”

The senior B. Lechleitner notched 31 points on the night, including a three-point shot, followed by junior Karly Kirkman, with 8 points, who also recorded a three-pointer. Sophomore E. Lechleitner also had 8 points.

Junior Justine Kane was next, with 4 points, while Vavra had 2.

Feb. 4 vs. Flambeau conference (W 57-37)

To end the week, Flambeau came to call, with Lake Holcombe jumping out to an early lead in the first half.

“Lake Holcombe Chieftains are working super hard, with just seven players again for the next few weeks,” said J. Lechleitner.

The Chieftains went into halftime with a 25-8 lead, but the Falcons wouldn’t go down without a fight. With the lead from the first half, Lake Holcombe held on for a 57-37 victory.

“Win over New Auburn and now Flambeau, helps build confidence on the floor,” said J. Lechleitner. “This week we worked a lot on defense and rebounding, which aided in our win tonight. New shooting drills also gave us the lead going into half.

E. Lechleitner led over Flambeau, with 19 points, including a three-pointer, with B. Lechleitner right behind, with 18 points. Kirkman also knocked down a couple of threepointers, finishing with 15 points.

Freshman Abby Jones added 4 points and Kane had 1. Their record now sits at 12-5 overall and 8-2 in East Lakeland Conference action.

“So very proud of each and every one of my team,” said J. Lechleitner. “It was even sweeter to have our youth girls cheering us on behind the bench.”