UNIONTOWN: Lake coach Henry Cobb stood outside his locker room after watching his Blue Streaks lose for the first time this season, 46-40 to Canton McKinley on Saturday.
Cobb’s eyes welled up briefly when he talked about how proud he was of the way the Federal League-champion Blue Streaks (18-1, 13-1) valiantly fought back after they were behind by 13 points.
“There are no losers in Lake’s locker room tonight … ,” Cobb said with his voice trailing off. “They’ve had a great year. It is hard to lose Game 19.
“20-0 is pretty special. It would have been nice to go 20-0.”
Bulldogs coach Pam Davis understands the journey an undefeated team must travel. In the 2009-10 season, the Bulldogs were 26-2 when they won their first Division I state championship.
Last season, McKinley was 24-0 before losing 48-39 to Twinsburg in a Division I regional final.
“To go 20-0 and stay undefeated you need luck, lots of luck,” Davis said. “It depends on your league and your independent schedule and the way other teams are playing.”
Cobb agreed.
“It does take luck; we’ve had a couple of games where we were lucky to win, but you have to have good players to go 20-0,” Cobb said. “That’s why very few teams go 20-0.”
Canton McKinley senior guard Ameryst Alston, last year’s Division I Player of the Year, said the Bulldogs (14-4, 9-3) needed to avenge a 65-53 loss to the Blue Streaks on Jan. 12 at the Canton Fieldhouse.
“We never want to lose in our house. This game means a lot to us and our fans,” Alston said. “Last year we were undefeated in the Federal League and we did not want to have anyone else to have that record.”
Of all the elements that went into the victory, defense probably belongs at the top of the list. Using a full-court press that also involved a lot of half-court trapping, the Bulldogs forced 21 turnovers, though they also committed 15.
“Their defense was outstanding and we knew that. They get after it,” Cobb said. “They make it tough on you.”
Alston, an Ohio State recruit who led all scorers with 19 points, took over in the third quarter. Her ball-handling was crucial down the stretch, when the Bulldogs opted to run the clock down.
Junior guard Marquia Turner was also a key to the victory. Turner made two 3-point shots in the third quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead 41-27 with 2:09 remaining. Turner finished with 16 points.
“My team expects that from me and I have been off a little bit lately. I know I owe it to them to get them pumped up,” Turner said.
The Blue Streaks led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter, but then the Bulldogs forced six turnovers in the physical game and set the tone for the rest of the game.
McKinley outscored Lake 16-6 in the second quarter and the Blue Streaks could not recover.
Lake rallied in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 42-40 on Audrey Myers’ 3-point shot with 40 seconds to play, but Turner’s two free throws ended Lake’s hope for a perfect regular season.
Cobb credited the Bulldogs’ overall play, especially the defense.
“We did not match their intensity,” Cobb said. “Our players are as good as their players, but I don’t know who we can beat scoring 40 points.”
McKenna Stephens and Baylen Durland each had 13 points, and Myers finished with nine points for Lake.
The two teams might meet again for the North Canton Division I district title on March 3 at Walsh University.
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