Laker girls overwhelm Warrensburg

LAKE GEORGE | Enduring a tough battle Dec. 17 with Lake George's tall athletes on Dec. 17, Warrensburg was defeated by the Lakers 53-25. With four players ranging from five-feet-nine to six-feet tall, the Lakers' height — combined with their speed and tenacity — enabled the team to record 26 rebounds, six blocks and 29 steals. Following the game, Lakers coach Jeff Bennett said his team competed hard from the game's outset. "Off the bat, we played tough and rebounded really well," he said, noting that by halftime, the Lakers had accrued a dominating 36-7 margin over the Burghers. Bennett said his players had extra motivation to compete hard in this game. "They heard that Warrensburg wanted to beat us, so they responded," he said. Providing momentum for the Lakers was senior point guard Chloe Popa's three successive three-point shots from the corner, Bennett said. In the second half, the Lakers relaxed somewhat and rotated personnel, allowing their entire varsity lineup time on the court, resulting in 10 of the players contributing, and seven of them scoring. Over these final two quarters, Warrensburg outscored Lake George 18-16. Two of Bennett's players who stepped up their game were sophomore Clara Palladino, who served as the Lakers' point guard in the second half, and junior Rachael Evanek, he said. Palladino scored six points, accompanied by three rebounds, two steals, and two assists; and Evanek, in her 2025 debut, provided four points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Leading the scoring was Popa with 21 points, five steals, and one assist. Senior Morgan Stanco contributed six points, seven rebounds, eight steals and one assist, while senior Mykah Collier-Fisher tallied six points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks. Six-feet-zero sophomore Madyson Brennan scored six points while tallying two blocks, three steals, one rebound, and an assist. Sophomore Addison Reinhold contributed four points, five rebounds, eight steals, and an assist. Junior Lauren Coers provided two blocks, two steals, one rebound, and an assist, while Bella Brown contributed three assists and one steal, and junior Neveah Howe chipped in three rebounds. Warrensburg coach Scott Smith remained optimistic about his team's prospects despite their loss to the Lakers. "We will learn a lot about our team as we try to bounce back from two tough losses this week. A bright spot in our game was the play of Haley Morse, who came off the bench and was our high-scorer with 14 points," he said, noting that Morse had just achieved her career-high score. "She is the fourth different leading scorer we've had in six games." GALWAY 44, BURGHERS 25 Warrensburg's 2025-26 undefeated status vanished Dec. 15 as they lost a non-league game to Galway 44-25. After the game, coach Smith praised Galway athletes' abilities. Galway is a very quick, athletic team," he said, specifically noting the talents of Kierra Allen and freshman guard Brielle Cameron. He noted that Galway had played hard from the game's beginning, outscoring the Burghers 17-3 in the first quarter. "The Eagles jumped on us from the start," he said. Warrensburg's offense was led by Avah Fiorentino's 10 points. Haley Morse followed with six points, Genna Lehocki contributed three points, while Carmyn Fruda and Celia O'Donnell each added two points, and Ella LaPoint and Kaylie Powers each sank a foul shot. Caitlin O'Donnell provided 11 rebounds and was tough on defense, Smith said. He said his players' experiencing Galway and Lake George's level of play will help boost their performance in upcoming games. "We definitely saw some areas where we need to continue to improve," he said.

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Laker girls overwhelm Warrensburg

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