Kara Lavalette's 23 points, including five 3-pointers, helped Essex to a 57-48 win over Rice.
After watching Rice jump out to an early 8-0 lead, and a 15-9 lead after the first quarter, the Essex girls basketball team did not panic.
“Coach always tells us to keep our poise and tells us to keep going, stay confident and keep your head up,” said Essex junior Kari Lavalette.
Lavalette and her Essex teammates did just that.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Essex | 9 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 57 |
| Rice | 15 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 48 |
Poise and confidence helped Essex battle back from as many as twelve points down and a two-point halftime deficit to top Rice 57-48. The Hornets used a 19-5 third quarter, which was fueled by Lavalette’s three three-point buckets, to remain undefeated.
“The end of the second quarter is where we got our momentum,” said Lavalette. “We always focus on the beginning of the third quarter to come out strong and keep the intensity up.”
Lavalette finished with a game-high 23 points and five rebounds—all on the defensive glass for Essex (8-0). Sophomore Kara Sheftic added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Essex finished 15 for 28 from the free throw line.
“The previous games we’ve been the aggressor,” said Essex head coach Shawn Montague. “We were playing a very good team who knocked us back on our heels a little bit. Even though we got down at the beginning, none of them got rattled.”
Junior Cassidy Derda led Rice (4-3) with 16 points while adding eight rebounds and four blocks. Hailee Barron added 15 points while Emma Chicoine added nine rebounds for the Green Knights. Rice converted 14 out of 22 free throw attempts.
The defending Division I champions fell into foul trouble early in the second half, with seven fouls called on Rice in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Essex attempted 18 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Essex looks to continue their unbeaten start January 21 at Burlington. Rice’s next game is January 20 at North Country.
