BY: Michael Shipma

The Pike Liberal Arts School’s girl’s basketball team used superior size and balanced scoring to cruise to a 53-23 road victory over Hooper Academy on Thursday.

The Patriots (2-2, 0-0 AISA AAA) were led by senior point guard Regine Parker, who scored 21 points in limited minutes. The visitors raced out to an early lead and never looked back, picking up the second win of the season at the hands of the Colts.

“(Parker) is a real talented player,” said PLAS head coach Robert Hawkins after the game. “We’ve been trying to get her in the flow of the game with the rest of the team. She had a really good game, even without really playing in the fourth quarter.”

Parker, alongside junior guard Lauren Johnson, combined for 15 of Pike Lib’s 22 points in the opening quarter, giving the Patriots a 22-5 lead after the first. Johnson finished with 19 points.

Thanks to a height advantage down low, Pike Lib was able to out-rebound Hooper on both sides of the floor, giving the Patriots the chance to earn quick buckets in transition, as well as second-chance points.

In the second quarter, Pike Lib continued to control both ends of the court. Tough defense from the Patriots set up their offensive attack, allowing them to make the score 33-13 in their favor going into the locker room.

Coming out of halftime, Pike Lib continued to widen the deficit, led by 10 points in the quarter from Johnson. Due to the lead they had accumulated, the Patriots were able to pull their starters and rotate multiple players into the game. The third quarter featured an 18-3 run by the visitors, making the score 51-15 going into the fourth.

Pike Lib rode its lead for the remainder of the contest, and secured a comfortable 53-23 road victory.

Hooper was led by Madeline Maxwell, who finished with 12 points.

“I challenged our team to go out, play hard, and get better,” Hawkins said. “I thought we played good defense and shot the ball well. The players really seem like their starting to mesh together as a team.”

The Patriots will return to action when they travel to take on Southern Montgomery County Academy on Thursday, Dec. 10. Tipoff is scheduled for roughly 5:30 p.m.