Milford Displays Youthful Strength in Big 56-28 Win Over Lakota East
CINCINNATI, OH — The second day of the 4th Annual Beacon Holiday Hardwood Classic featured Milford of the ECC taking on Lakota East of the GMC in a noon girls matchup.
Milford outscored Lakota East 32-13 in the second half as the Eagles tacked on their sixth consecutive victory, all coming by double-digit point differentials. The team got out to an early lead and never looked back in their 56-28 defeat of the Thunderhawks.
The first quarter featured long runs by both teams. Milford started hot, going on a 7-2 scoring run to open the game, supported by three-pointers from sisters Mikayla and Gabby Chadwell. With 3:30 left in the quarter, Lakota East’s Bella Strugill made consecutive baskets as part of a 5-0 run by the Thunderhawks to tie the game at seven. Milford quickly retaliated, and sophomore Mikayla Chadwell hit two more shots from beyond the arc in the closing seconds of the frame to give the Eagles a 15-10 advantage entering the second quarter.
Milford controlled much of the possession in the second quarter, but the Eagles’ patient approach resulted in few points being put on the scoreboard. Mikayla Chadwell made two more three-pointers in the frame, helping the Eagles assemble a 7-2 scoring run that lasted until the 1:20 mark of the first half and boosted the lead to ten at 22-12. A three-point make by Lakota East’s Madison Jividen just before halftime returned the lead back to single-digits, but the Eagles entered the locker rooms with a comfortable 24-15 advantage.
After the Thunderhawks built some momentum to begin the second half with back-to-back buckets by Sturgill and Payton Buker, Milford went on a 12-2 run with 44 seconds remaining to pull away even further at 38-21. Maddie Rockey scored five of the Eagles’ 12 points during the streak. Sturgill did add three points in the final minute of the frame, but Lakota East still trailed big entering the fourth quarter at 38-24.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Eagles as they outscored the Thunderhawks 18-4, including an 11-2 scoring run with 4:01 left in the game. Kylie Perone led Milford in scoring with four points during the quarter. With the strong performance during the frame, the Eagles closed out a dominant 56-28 win over Lakota East.
Senior forward Bella Strugill led the Thunderhawks in scoring with 19 points. Milford’s Kylie Perone also reached double-digits with 10 points.
Both teams will travel to Little Miami for their next game. Lakota East (3-7, 3-2 GMC) will take on the Panthers on Monday, January 5. Meanwhile, Milford (9-1, 6-1 ECC) will look to add a seventh straight victory to its ledger on Saturday, January 3.
