(La Porte County, IN) - The La Lumiere girls’ basketball team gave another No. 1 ranked team a run for their money in a losing effort at home.

 

The Lakers were defeated 55-44 by Fremd High School outside Chicago on February 3. The Vikings are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A in Illinois.

 

La Lumiere, led by McDonalds All-American senior Ashlynn Shade, exchanged leads with the Vikings often during the first half. Other players for La Lumiere factored into the scoring more often than Shade, who was double teamed and pressured in other ways on defense throughout the game.

 

Her first bucket came from a driving lay-up with about three minutes left in the first quarter.  Shade later nailed a three point shot in the second quarter to pull the Lakers to within two points.

 

The Vikings started the third quarter with two quick buckets to pull ahead by seven points but the Lakers quickly came back when Shade dished the ball to junior Shena Fleming for a lay-up.  Shade then sank a 10 foot jump shot after grabbing an offensive rebound to cut the lead to three points.

 

However, Fremd later went up by 12 points but the three point shooting of Fleming helped keep the Lakers in striking distance. The Lakers trailed by eight points with less two minutes to play but couldn’t get any closer.

 

La Lumiere (9-10) bounced back the following night by defeating Joliet West on the road 59-52.

 

The previous week, the Lakers had a second quarter lead against South Bend Washington ranked No. 1 in Indiana and No. 7 in the nation.

 

The Lakers wound up losing that game by 16 points.

 

Head Coach Matt Marvin praised the effort of his players in both games against teams with several players heading to major college basketball programs next season.

 

“I’m really proud of this team. They work so hard every single day.  They leave nothing out there,” he said.

 

Shade, who transferred from Noblesville, Ind., is committed to playing for the University of Connecticut next season.

 

Marvin said one of his other players, Gabi Hoover, a 6’2” senior forward, is beginning to draw some interest from collegiate programs.