Lake girls basketball gets share of Federal League title with win over GlenOak
UNIONTOWN, Ohio - Lake senior Serenitee Johnson had one thought on her mind - cutting down the nets.
So even though she wasn't feeling her best, she stepped to the free throw line with 27.4 seconds remaining on Saturday afternoon and knocked down a pair of free throws, the final being the difference in a 49-48 win over GlenOak after the Eagles scored a basket in the final second.
The win gave the Blue Streaks a share of the Federal League title for the first time since 2012, as Lake and Jackson shared the title after Jackson defeated Perry on Saturday. The two teams each went 11-1 in the conference and split the two head-to-head meetings, both winning on their home floor.
"I had one goal and it was to get this string," Johnson said, holding up her piece of the net. "I was like, I have to make these. We practice these free throws every single practice."
The reason Lake was in the lead in the first place was the calmness of sophomore guard Hayden Croyle in the clutch.
With Lake trailing by one and just over a minute left, Johnson had the ball on the right wing and passed it to Croyle at the top of the key, about 25 feet from the basket. Croyle dribbled with her left hand and then made a move to her left around the defender.
When she got about 12 feet from the rim, she raised up off her left foot and let a one-handed floater fly that hit nothing but the net with 58 seconds remaining.
"I love Hayden, Hayden plays with so much heart," said Lake assistant coach Beth Mazzocca, who was in charge of the Blue Streaks Saturday after head coach Ashley Phipps-Komo gave birth to her son earlier this week.
Croyle's teammate had no doubt the shot was going in.
"I knew she had the confidence in herself," Johnson said. "Earlier this morning, she went to the (YMCA) to practice, she came in early to get shots up. So I knew she had faith in herself and we have faith in her."
After leading 41-35 heading into the fourth quarter, Lake's offense went cold and GlenOak grabbed a 46-43 lead with 3:06 to play on a 3-pointer by Mikayla Salmons, her second triple of the quarter.
But on the ensuing Lake possession, Johnson knocked down an 18-foot jumper to cut the deficit to one and the teams went scoreless until Croyle's heroics nearly two minutes later.
"I'm just so proud of how the team played, it was just crazy," Croyle said. "(The fourth quarter) was really a back-and-forth kind of thing. And I'm just really proud of how the team stuck through and we pushed it and we won the game together. I can't explain it. It's making my heart pound and it really was an exciting game."
Croyle and Johnson each led Lake with 16 points, while senior Emma Anderson knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 13 points.
Johnson did so while fighting off an illness. And even though there was never a question as to if she would play, there was still a question of what she could give the team.
"We weren't sure what kind of Serenitee we were going to get," Mazzocca said. "She pushed through not feeling great and played with intensity and as best as she can."
Lake girls basketball players and coaches celebrate winning a share of the Federal League championship with a win over GlenOak on February 3, 2024.
Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports
It's been quite a turnaround for the Blue Streaks, who were 0-12 in the conference two years ago, 8-5 last season and can now call themselves Federal League champions with just a single loss this season.
What the players didn't know was their head coach was watching them from the stands because even though she admittedly knew she should probably be at home resting, she wasn't going to miss them having the opportunity to finish the job.
"This is my 11th year (at Lake), so I've seen these kids since they started basketball in our league in third grade," Phipps-Komo said, holding a onesie that read 'Federal League champs' with the Lake Blue Streaks logo on it that was made for her newborn son, Koa Robert-Tsugio Komo. "Everything in me was wanting to be here to see them accomplish something that hasn't been done in a long time."
Even though Johnson was on the floor when it happened and had a major hand in making it happen, and was holding a piece of the net in her hand, the senior was still in disbelief 20 minutes after the game.
"I don't have any words," Johnson said. "I can't believe we just won the Federal League after not winning any games (two years ago). We really just won."
-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh
