Lamar advanced to face Leake Academy in the second round of the MAIS District 2-5A Basketball Tournament after Lamar’s girls beat Park Place 66-23 and Lamar’s boys beat Winston 54-36 in the first round.

Both second-round games were close in the second half, but Lamar could not make a comeback in either. Lamar’s boys fell 58-47 after the girls lost 66-56 to Leake at East Rankin Academy.

Lamar’s teams will look to bounce back in Saturday’s consolation games before the Raiders advance to the North State playoffs.

Leake girls 66, Lamar girls 56

No. 3 seed Lamar kept up with No. 2 seed Leake’s offensive production in the first quarter, the third quarter and the fourth quarter, but the Rebels were able to hold the Raiders off in the second half after taking a 33-22 lead at the end of the second quarter. Lamar fell 66-56 In the opening game of the second day of the district tournament.

The Rebels outscored the Raiders 21-10 in the second quarter after Leake entered the quarter up 12-11. Lamar pulled within six points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth, but the Raiders never regained the lead they took in the first quarter.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons. We’ve got a lot of hustle. They’re giving me all they got,” Lamar coach Joe Miller said. “Leake’s just good. They’ve been good for years. So, did I want to win? Did I think we’d win? Yes. Am I happy with our hustle and play? Yes. But, we’ll be better next week.”

Aryah Grace, Lamar’s top offensive weapon, scored 22 points and secured 13 rebounds. Point guard Blake Hart (15 points, five rebounds) and center Sarah Dudley Reed (10 points, 10 rebounds) also had big nights.

However, the trio could not keep pace with a high-powered Leake attack led by former MAIS 5A Player of the Year Miriam Prince. The Rebels shot very well from deep, hitting eight 3-pointers to Lamar’s two.

“I knew we were going to play them well, but Prince made a lot of difference,” Lamar coach Joe Miller said. “We just played an outstanding team today. They were hitting threes, they hit all their free throws … I think if Prince hadn’t been here today, we might have surprised them, but that’s if’s and but’s and candied nuts.”

Miller said Lamar’s biggest problem this season has been turnovers, and ball security issues killed Lamar’s comeback attempts against Leake.

“We’ve had a little problem with turnovers all year. Part of it’s the pressure. Our two best ball handlers are tenth graders,” Miller said. “They’re playing really well, but they’re still young. We made some mistakes for sure.”

Another issue that Lamar has dealt with all season is depth, and exhaustion could be contributing to the Raiders’ turnover struggles. The Raiders entered the season with just nine players on the roster. Starters Grace, Hart, Reed, Erica Smith and Reece Shaffer are on the court for most of every game they play in.

Miller does not seem phased by this. He won a state championship at Southeast Lauderdale playing just five players in 2006, and his current starting five form a cohesive unit that will be tough for any team to top in the MAIS playoffs.

“I don’t have a lot of depth, so I had five kids pretty much play the whole game. That’s going to hurt you some, but that’s where we’re at,” Miller said. “I’m looking to upset a really good team before we’re through.”

Leake boys 58, Lamar boys 47

Lamar held a lead for half of the game after going up 7-0 to start the game. In the end, the Raiders could not match the Rebels shot-for-shot in the second half, and Lamar fell 58-47 after leading Leake 28-18 in the second quarter.

The No. 6 seeded Raiders may have been able to pull off an upset over the No. 2 seeded Rebels if they had shut down Leake’s attacks to close the first half. Up 28-18, the Raiders allowed the Rebels to tie the game by scoring 10 unanswered points before halftime.

Lamar still had a chance to win going into the final quarter down three points, but the Raiders could only manage two baskets and four free throws in the fourth.

Lamar got 31 total points from frontcourt duo Spence Hannigan and Salone Elliott in just three quarters. However, neither forward contributed any points in the final frame as Leake quickly pulled away to knock Lamar out of contention for district tournament champion.