By Moses Leos III
Two players in double figures Friday guided the Lake Travis Cavaliers past the Lehman Lady Lobos 76-51 at the Lobo Den.
Travis junior Mandy Karako led all scorers with 17 points, while sophomore Aspen Howie contributed 15 points. Senior Starr Rivers led Lehman with twelve points.
Rebounding was at a premium for the Cavaliers as they crashed the boards, outhustling Lehman to snag second and sometimes third chance opportunities at the bucket. They out-rebounded Lehman 10-7 after the first frame, and 27-16 at intermission.
Second chance points provided Lake Travis momentum in the first half. Cavaliers head coach Patrick Hinson focused on attacking the bucket. He said the team’s size and athleticism provided a base for success.
Lake Travis held a 13-7 first quarter lead, which expanded to 20-7, aided by back-to-back three-pointers from Howie.
Lehman turnovers played a factor, as they had 12 turnovers in the first half, 18 in the contest.
An increase in the tempo caused early turnovers, Lady Lobo senior Lauren Fowler said.
“We were working so hard in transition to get the ball up the court and score, because [Lake Travis] was slow on defensive transition,” Fowler said. “In doing that, we turned the ball over too many times.”
Lake Travis led 38-19 at halftime.
Lehman’s 21-point surge in the second half was led by Kayla Johnson, who scored all nine of her points in the third period. According to Lehman head coach Jamie Coy, improved rebounding allowed the Lady Lobos’ offense to thrive. The Lady Lobos were led by Rivers, who scrapped for seven of her nine total boards in the fourth quarter.
“We’re a transition team. If we rebound, it helps create our offense,” Coy said. “The better rebounding we do, the more offense we generate, the faster we continue the pace of the game.”
Increased aggressiveness also played a role. The Lady Lobos visited the foul line on seven occasions, hitting 12-of-13 free throws in the third quarter.
But the Cavalier offense countered with Karako, who battled a slow start to score 11 third quarter points. Hinson said he opted to substitute Karako before she hit a three-pointer, two layups and a pair of free throws in quick succession.
The Cavaliers led 59-40 after three quarters and cruised the rest of the way.
Lehman’s next game is against Anderson at the Lobo Den on Jan. 2.
