By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Every time Fryeburg Academy looked to get to the rim, sophomore Bella Smith blocked their path.

The Laker guard played more like a shot-blocking center Saturday, swatting away nine Raider shots, hauling down 10 rebounds and scoring 9 points in a 61-39 rout of the Raiders at Nutting Gym in Naples.

“Bella plays under control. She’s calm. She did an amazing job on weak side rebounding and she was incredible contesting shots without fouling,” Laker Coach Doug Banks said.

Early, the rematch between the two rivals was a “dogfight,” Coach Banks pointed out. “They’re tough.”

The Lakers jumped out to a 9-2 lead as center Ava Smith cashed in on well-placed entry passes for three quick buckets. Smith then knocked down a 3-pointer.

But, the Raiders settled in as center Mina Milosevic (9 points, 10 rebounds) made her presence felt in the paint to close the gap to 11-9. FA took a 14-13 lead after one as Sydney Shaw (6 points) shifted into overdrive, zipping past two LR defenders for a lay-up. Shaw’s night, however, was interrupted when she was forced to the bench with a cut to her scalp.

“We were out of sorts. We tried too hard to get the ball to Ava. There is nothing part of our offense that says Ava posts up and we get her the ball automatically,” Coach Banks noted. “In the third, we moved the ball. Several people touched the ball. We got better shot chances. The lane opened up. Margo made some really tough shots with people in her face, driving to the basket.”

The Lakers regained the lead on a hustle play from Abby Lavoie, who netted a pair of foul shots. Melissa Mayo, who struggled with her shot in the first meeting, blistered the twines with back-to-back 3-pointers as the Lakers surged to a 27-19 lead. Mayo had a 16-point night, and was a highly-effective maestro, running the Laker offense.

The Lakers led 28-21 at the break.

Whatever message Coach Banks delivers at intermission, it works big time. Like their win over Yarmouth, the Lakers dominated the third quarter. FA managed just a Jilyan Byrne inside hoop with 1:37 left in the quarter. Meanwhile, Smith and Smith owned the paint. It rubbed off on teammates as Mayo, Margo Tremblay and Lavoie followed suit, not settling for jumpers but instead show aggressiveness taking the ball to the rim. LR was rewarded with foul shots, and made 6-of-7.

“The last two games, we were able to lock it down in the third quarter. I’m feeling that if the game is close at the half, we’re going to come out and take care of business,” Coach Banks said.

Lake Region (8-2) kept rolling in the fourth, opening the frame with a 9-0 run. With the lead reaching 30, Coach Banks went to his bench. Senior Olivia England made the most of her court time, going 4-for-4 from the foul line and knocking down a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to finish with 7 points.

“It was a good team win. (Coach) John (Mayo) and (Coach) Jordan (Turner) do a great job keeping the bench in the game and work the match-ups. The girls played well,” Coach Banks added.

Meanwhile, FA Coach Kristen Stacy felt too many tough breaks prevented her club from remaining competitive wire to wire, like the first meeting.

“It all came down to attitude with us. We’ve never played in a gym that rowdy. I think some of the girls were intimidated after watching the boys’ game to start; our confidence level wasn’t where it should’ve been, especially once our captain and leader, Sydney Shaw, went down. The team had a really hard time re-focusing on the game after that. Unfortunately, our mental toughness wasn’t there,” Coach Stacy said. “One of our starters, Alysa Grawe, had also spent the night at the hospital before the game with a temperature of 103. She tried to play, but was also not mentally or physically prepared.”

Coach Stacy likes the talent her squad has, but knows for the Raiders (2-8) to get over the hump, they need to work on their mental toughness.

“We need to get better not letting outside factors influence the way we play. It has been one of our hardest lessons,” Coach Stacy said.

Stat Lines

LR scoring — Margo Tremblay 4, Ava Smith 17, Bella Smith 9, Kasey Johnson 2, Melissa Mayo 16, Abby Lavoie 4, Olivia England 10

LR rebounding leaders — Ava Smith 13, Bella Smith 10, Margo Tremblay 6.

FA scoring — Jilyan Byrne 10, Mina Milosevic 9, Celia Hernandez 8, Sydney Shaw 6, Alysa Grawe 2, Eden True 2, Gwen McDougall 2.

FA rebounding leaders — Mina Milosevic 10, Jilyan Byrne 6.