Laconia girls, Belmont boys win in Lakes Region Holiday tournament (2)

GILFORD — The Laconia High School girls beat Gilford 46-39 Friday to win the Lakes Region Holiday tournament held in Gilford.

The Sachems used a full court press to take a 15-2 lead in the first quarter and stayed aggressive the rest of the way.

Becca Howe led the Sachems with 15 points and three assists. Sophie George added 13 points and four assists and Meghan Gaspa had 15 rebounds and seven points.

Brooke Beaudet led Gilford with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.

Laconia coach Jeff Greeley praised the team, saying it was a well-deserved victory.

The Belmont boys’ basketball team won its second straight Lakes Region Holiday Tournament title on Friday night with a 62-35 win Kingswood.

The Raiders trailed 11-9 after the first period but bounced back to take a 25-18 half time lead. They were up by 14 entering the final period and racked up 24 points pull away for a convincing victory.

Senior point guard and tournament MVP Matt Pluskis led the Raiders with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Junior point guard Griffin Embree chipped in with 11 of his points in the second half.

Dylan Gansert had eight points, six rebounds and three assists while Matt Thurber added eight points to go along with four steals and a block.

Nate Sottak, a freshman guard, added seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Coach Jim Cilley praised his team’s defensive effort, which he said was strong throughout the entire tournament.