Homer Lady Trojans Win 1st Annual Jessica M. Beal Memorial Basketball Tournament (Photos Included)

The Homer Lady Trojans won the 1st Annual Jessica M. Beal Memorial Basketball Tournament on Saturday against LaFayette with a score of 38-36.

It was a close game with Homer taking an 18-16 lead at the end of the first half.

The Trojans suffered a poor shooting night with only hitting a total of 12 out of 39 field goals, but their defensive efforts kept them afloat.

“The effort was incredible,” said Homer Head Coach CJ Kudla. “Ugly game though. Shots weren’t going in. Last night (December 3rd) we hit eight 3-pointers, but tonight we couldn't hit the water if we jumped out of a boat. It was ugly in that case, because you can’t control if the ball goes in or not. You’re either hitting them or you’re off, and tonight we were off so we had to dig in on defense.”

“We are tough,” Kudla continued. “I don’t think that there is a team tougher than us. There might be some teams that may beat us based on skills, but there’s no one that’s going to walk in and bully us around this year.”

The game came down to the very end with Sarah Sovocool hitting a 2-point floater with about 20 seconds left to give Homer the 38-36 lead they needed to win the game.

“Sarah (Sovocool) is a gamer,” said Coach Kudla. “I don’t think that was the best shot selection in the arsenal, but I can’t fault her for it. It went in, put us up by two, and put the pressure back on LaFayette. She loves doing those floater shots, and she’s getting better at them. She’s a tough kid, hard nosed, rough around the edges, and she’s not afraid to speak her mind.”

The Trojans were led by Catherine Apker (21 points, 11 rebounds & 5 steals), Sarah Sovocool (10 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists & 4 steals), and Kayla Miller (6 points, 10 rebounds & 4 steals).

LaFayette was led by Cianna Papineau (22 points, 12 rebounds & 10 steals) and Grace Caughey (7 points & 2 rebounds).