DECATUR — After going to the Big House last year, the Lake Lady Hornets wouldn’t mind an encore performance in 2009.

Lake improved to 4-1 with a 55-18 blowout of Newton County in first-round action in the East Central Classic Tuesday at East Central Community College.

“Each year our goals are to have a winning season, win 20 games, win the district, and try to make it to the Big House,” said Lake coach Victor Gilstrap. “We fall short of our goals sometime, but this year the ladies set a higher goal. We’re on our way, but we’ve got a long way to go. We made a lot of mistakes tonight.

“We’ve got a big test Friday between either Scott Central or Thomastown. We’ll get a better understanding of where we stand.”

Quenetta Holifield hit four 3-point baskets in leading Lake with 18 points. The Lady Hornets also got 15 points from Krista Donald, 10 from Emily Hollingsworth, and six from Montonia Butler.

Lake led 17-5 after one quarter and was up 28-11 going into halftime behind 11 points from Donald and six from Holifield.

Newton County, which was without two starters due to injuries, fell to 0-7. Alyssia Boose led the Lady Cougars with eight points. Reneisha Evans added five.

“Newton County does some good things,” Gilstrap said. “They’re young and in transition. It takes about four years for a coach to get his system in. They’ve got a good coach and they’re going to be a pretty good basketball team in a couple years.”

In today’s games, unbeaten Scott Central (6-0) takes on Thomastown at 4 p.m. with top-seeded Southeast Lauderdale (5-0) meeting Newton (3-3) at 6:30 p.m.

Thomastown 51

Forest 38

Thomastown got 17 points from Brittany Henry, 15 from Joy Luckett, and 12 from Vida Brown in beating Forest in Tuesday’s other first-round girls’ contest.

Lawanca Pinkston led the Lady Bearcats with nine points.