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Bombers hoops advance to quarterfinals

Lake Placid’s Danna Perez makes a move past a Willsboro player during Tuesday’s Section VII, Class D playoff game in Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid girls basketball team opened the first round of the Section VII, Class D playoffs on Tuesday with a 48-31 home victory over Willsboro.

Blue Bomber forwards Kyra Jordon and Danna Perez combined for 38 points and 48 rebounds — Jordon had a career-high 26 points and 28 rebounds while Perez had 12 points and 20 rebounds.

“We obviously had the height advantage and Danna and Kyra took advantage of that, and kind of controlled the offensive boards and got a lot of put backs,” Lake Placid head coach Jeff Potter said. “It was nice to see them utilize (their height). I wish we had more of that all year and had been more consistent, but hey, we’ll take it. It was a good team effort and all six contributed.”

Margaret Thatcher added five points, Abbey Light had three and Alex Gill chipped in with two for the Blue Bombers. It was the first time since 2022 and the second time under Potter that the Lake Placid girls secured a postseason victory.

While Light has predominately been the Blue Bombers go-to scorer this season, the junior guard had a quiet night in terms of scoring in favor of playing a more playmaking role. Potter praised her efforts on court Tuesday evening and said she has continued to lead the team.

Lake Placid’s Abbey Light, left, makes a move past Willsboro’s Dakota Harrison during Tuesday’s Section VII, Class D playoff game. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

“(She) does an exceptional job,” he said. “It’s just nice to get the win and see them play well. Danna is doing great. She’s come a long way and she’s finally starting to use that height.”

With the win, the Blue Bombers advanced to the Section VII, Class D quarterfinals round, where they will take on the No. 1 seeded Chazy Eagles at 6 p.m. today. The Eagles received a first round bye after finishing 14-0 in league play and 16-3 overall. Chazy topped Lake Placid 89-35 in the lone matchup between the two squads on Jan. 5.

While it’ll be a tough task, Potter said he wants his team to put up a good effort and have a solid showing against the Eagles.

“Obviously, they are number one in the league and undefeated in the league and they’ve got some good outside shooters,” he said. “We’ve got to defend that and limit their second chances.”

Laney Nolette and Maddisen Benway led Willsboro with eight points each. Raelyn Morgan and Julia Valachovic each added five points, while Emma Jacques had four and Danielle Reithel chipped in with one.

The Blue Bombers kicked off the first quarter with a 13-4 run and were never really threatened the remainder of the way. Lake Placid outscored its oppenent in all four quarter to improve its overall record to 6-15.

Lake Placid 48, Willsboro 31

Blue Bombers 13 10 11 14 — 48

Willsboro 4 9 10 8 — 31

Lake Placid (48)

Gill 1-0-2, Perez 6-0-12, Thatcher 2-1-5, Light 1-0-3, Corrow 0-0-0, Jordon 13-0-26. Totals: 23-1-48.

Willsboro (31)

Jacques 2-0-4, Leerkes 0-0-0, Valachovic 2-0-5, Nolette 3-0-8, Benway 3-2-8, Reithel 0-1-1, Morgan 1-2-5, Harrison 0-0-0, Baker 0-0-0. Totals: 11-5-31.

3-point goals: Lake Placid (1) Light. Willsboro (4) Nolette 2, Valachovic, Morgan.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Saranac Lake 61, Ticonderoga 39

SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake boys basketball team defeated the Ticonderoga Sentinels 61-39 on the road Tuesday.

Caleb Akey poured on 25 points, which included six 3-pointers, to help the Red Storm earn its fifth win in their last six games. Saranac Lake is now 11-8 overall.

Mik Denkenberger recorded 12 points in the win. Brady Owens added 11 and Zack McCarthy scored 10 to also reach double figures. The Red Storm’s Melvin Cirikovic and Zack Goetz chipped in with two points each.

The Sentinels were led by Tommy Montalbano, who scored 15 points. Alex Swajger recorded 11 points and Ian Lender had five.

Saranac Lake will wrap up the regular season on the road at 7 p.m. today against the Moriah Vikings. The Vikings are currently 17-2 overall.

Saranac Lake 61, Ticonderoga 39

Red Storm 14 17 11 19 — 61

Sentinels 10 9 4 16 — 39

Saranac Lake (61)

McCarthy 4-0-10, Akey 9-1-25, Denkenberger 5-0-12, Cirikovic 1-0-2, Owens 3-5-11, Clark 0-0-0, Goetz 1-0-2, Lewis 0-0-0. Totals: 23-6-61.

Ticonderoga (39)

Smith 0-0-0, Brown 1-0-3, Montalbano 6-3-15, Dorsett 1-0-3, Frasier 0-0-0, Lender 2-1-5, Mazzotte 0-0-0, Mosier 1-0-2, Perry 0-0-0, Swajger 4-2-11. Totals: 15-6-39.

3-point goals: Saranac Lake (10) Akey 6, Denkenberger 2, McCarthy 2. Ticonderoga (3) Brown, Dorsett, Swajger.

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