On December 18, girls varsity basketball fell short to the Oakdale Bears with a final score of 45-33.

As both teams stepped on the court, the energy was high, but Oakdale had the advantage. Within the first few seconds of the game, Oakdale was able to take control of the first quarter, leading 16-4.

The first four points of the game for LHS were made by seniors Fiona Rowan and Shay Arneson. The Lancers’ defense struggled with communication, allowing key players, such as Oakdale’s guard Brianna Walker, to score and control the ball.

Fiona Rowan had a huge game, earning 21 points, 9 of which were three-pointers. Late in the second half, Rowan took control of the court. One of her many highlights include her driving to the basket, getting fouled, and making the layup. Rowan also had a crazy and-1 floater near the end of the half. However, she could not convert on her free throws.

The Lancers’ scoring also came from three-pointers from Hannah Ratchford and Shay Arneson. Alexis Duda contributed four points. Arneson and Duda both had 7 rebounds each. Taylor Ferguson impacted the game with multiple assists and free throws.

Despite their strong offense, the Lancers fell short on defense. Sophomore Allison Byrnes said, “The one thing that went wrong in the game was that we were not coming together as a team. We needed to be more connected.”

The Lancers (1-3) will face off against Governor Thomas Johnson Patriots on Thursday, December 20. JV will play at 5:30 and Varsity will play at 7:00. Make sure to follow @LancersBoosters and @LHSJournalism to receive updates on girls basketball.