Bay Rockets Girls Basketball Falls 51-40 at Lakewood Despite Second Half Push

The Bay Rockets Girls Basketball team dropped a 51-40 decision at Lakewood High School on Saturday afternoon, unable to overcome an early deficit despite a stronger second-half response from the Rockets’ core contributors.

Lakewood seized control from the opening tip, building a 16-9 lead after the first quarter and maintaining steady pressure on both ends of the floor. By halftime, the hosts had stretched the margin to 13 points, forcing the Rockets to play from behind the rest of the way. Bay struggled to match Lakewood’s early scoring efficiency and tempo, which set the tone for the wire-to-wire result.

The Rockets responded after the break with their best stretch of the game, tightening up defensively and outscoring Lakewood 13-11 in the third quarter. Increased ball pressure and improved rebounding slowed Lakewood’s offense and allowed Bay to chip away at the deficit. However, each time the Rockets cut into the margin, Lakewood answered with timely baskets to keep Bay at arm’s length.

Offensively, Bay was led by Chloe Kazma, who finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals, providing consistent production on both ends of the floor. Kazma’s activity on defense helped fuel the Rockets’ third-quarter push, turning stops into transition opportunities and keeping Bay within striking distance.

Madelyn Lee added 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals, helping to stabilize the offense during the Rockets’ second-half surge. Anna Weingart gave Bay an important presence on the glass with 7 rebounds to go along with 6 points and 3 steals, helping the Rockets compete inside against Lakewood’s frontcourt.

Despite the 40-point effort and an improved second half, the early deficit and Lakewood’s consistent scoring proved too much to overcome. The Rockets’ defensive energy and the balanced production from Kazma, Lee and Weingart provided positives to build on as Bay looks ahead to tightening its starts and sustaining its defensive intensity across all four quarters in upcoming games. The Rockets are back in action on Monday night at 7:30 at home Vs. the Elyria Pioneers.