The Lady Leopards returned home on Friday night, picking conference play back up to close out the week hosting Neuse Charter. After a physical, back-and-forth contest, Lakewood surged past the Lady Cougars and claimed a 43-33 victory.
Lakewood got a quick basket to kick things off, establishing a quick 2-0 lead. Things slowed down considerably and the score didn’t change again until under six minutes to go when Honestee Williams sank one free throw to make it 3-0. Moments later, Amiyah Smith hit another free throw to make it 4-0 and Neuse Charter finally hit a bucket in the lane at the 4:00 mark to make it 4-2. Most of the Lady Leopards’ first-quarter points were coming from the charity stripe. Kimora Corbett and Kiyah Braxton each added one free throw, putting the Lakewood lead at 7-5. Neither team was lighting it up offensively and with 1:11 on the clock, the Lady Cougars asked for timeout. Out of the break, Neuse Charter hit a go-ahead three-pointer and at the end of the first quarter they led 9-7.