Undefeated Lake held on for a 54-48 win over Hoover to improve to 14-0 after being held without a field goal in the third quarter. It was the Blue Streaks’ first single-digit Federal League win of the year in what has become a phenomenal season.

Hoover went from on the verge of being blown out by Division I’s third-ranked team to the cusp of a big upset. The Vikings cut a

31-18 Blue Streak halftime lead to 35-30 heading into the final period.

“They played harder than we did in the third quarter,” Lake head coach Henry Cobb said. “We found a way in the fourth quarter to win.”

During his team’s third-quarter woes, Cobb looked to motivate the Blue Streaks. He got a timeout when Kaylee Stroemple’s layup with 5:19 remaining cut a Lake lead to 31-25. Instead of talking about X’s and O’s, Cobb had his team huddled near the bench, clapping.

“It was a new experience for us,” Cobb said. “We usually have things in control. We didn’t need to talk about basketball.”

Hoover never led in the second half but stayed close enough to scare the Blue Streaks. Lake finally sealed it when Baylee Hymes’ two free throws made it 54-46 with 10 seconds to play.

“Winning by single digits is going to push us harder in practice,” said Lake senior McKenna Stephens, who led her team with 18 points. “We need to get better.”

Stephens suffered a scare of her own when she left the game with 3:40 in the third.

“I got sandwiched,” she said. “My head got knocked around. I was dizzy, but I knew I had to get back in the game.”

Stephens returned a little more than a minute later.

Lake built its halftime lead with full-court pressure defense. The Blue Streaks don’t have a player taller than 6-foot, but interior defense shut the Vikings down. Hoover only had five field goals in the first half, and Kelsey Peare scored all seven of Hoover’s first-quarter points.

After his team dropped to 12-3, Hoover head coach Tim Vick wanted his team to focus on improvement.

“We have to come back Monday and get better,” he said. “Our goal is still a month away.”

Vick said that goal is to “go on a run as long as we possibly can” in the tournament.

Cobb had sensed the Vikings would create havoc.

“Hoover is a good team,” he said. “Tim has done a good job with that program, and we knew we had our hands full.”

Sophomore Julie Worley led Hoover’s offense with 18 points, and Stroemple finished with 12. Baylen Dyrlund and Audrey Myers each had 10 points for Lake.