Newark Catholic girls basketball slips past Lakewood to set up Johnstown clash
NEWARK — Shooters had a case of the Mondays — except Kylie Gibson.
The Newark Catholic sophomore found the range Monday and bailed out the Green Wave in the clutch. Gibson’s tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:15 left gave NC a 37-28 victory against visiting Lakewood in a key Licking County League-Cardinal Division game.
"I have been working, and I knew my team needed more shots," Gibson said. "They just needed to fall for wins to happen. ... We just have to find the open person and keep moving the ball around. That's the key."
NC finished the game on a 15-2 run, rallying from a 26-22 deficit to give the Green Wave a needed season split against the Lancers. NC (12-4, 9-4) visits Johnstown (11-6, 9-4) on Wednesday with the Cardinal title on the line.
Gibson opened the game with a pair of 3s, shaking both teams out of an ice-cold start. She eventually hit four 3s and totaled a game-high 18 points.
"It definitely gets you going," Gibson said. "You want to keep trying and not stop."
Lakewood (7-8, 5-6) went scoreless for the first six minutes until a driving layup for senior Camryn Martindale. The Lancers chipped away, trailing 8-4 after one quarter and 14-11 at the half before two baskets inside from senior Ashley Poling gave the Lancers a brief lead.
NC eased back in front late in the third quarter. Seniors Emma McLean and Martindale, however, hit back-to-back 3s to give the Lancers that 26-22 edge with 5:46 left in the game.
"They fight constantly. They never give up," Lakewood coach Rob Compton said. "They are one of the hardest-fighting teams I have ever coached. ... This is a team that lost to Newark Catholic twice really bad last year. For them to battle with them and compete, I couldn't be more proud."
Senior Chloe Chard-Peloquin made six consecutive free throws during the next three minutes to help NC back into a 28-28 tie. She totaled 14 points.
Gibson then hit a 3 from the top of the key off an extra pass from senior Brooklyn Smith. After a Lakewood turnover, freshman Sophie Chard-Peloquin scored on a drive to help seal it.
"What can you say about (Gibson)?" NC coach Rob Smith said. "It's the best athlete in the school the last two years. She hit some big 3s at really crucial times."
Martindale led the Lancers with 13 points, and McLean added eight.
Lakewood saw its Cardinal title hopes end, but the Lancers still have an opportunity to build momentum in advance of the Division II postseason. The Lancers host Northridge on Wednesday and Heath on Saturday before playing three consecutive nights early next week.
"When we had that four-point lead, we had a couple half-court sets we didn't run our stuff, were kind of impatient and took some really quick shots," Compton said. "If we had been a little more patient, I felt like that game would have been a little different. They shoot 13 free throws in the fourth quarter, and that kind of determined the outcome. There were some close calls out in the open court."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark Catholic slips past Lakewood to set up Johnstown clash
