The North Tahoe girls finished 2-1 and won the consolation championship of the Truckee Invitational Tip-off Tournament this past weekend.

After opening with a 38-26 loss to Loyalton on Thursday, the Lakers bounced back to defeat Sierra Lutheran 30-23 on Friday before edging KIPP King 20-19 in the consolation championship Saturday.

North Tahoe senior Beverly Olivares earned all-tournament honors for her solid all-around play in every facet of the game and#8212; scoring, rebounding and defense in key situations of all three contests.

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In the championship game, the Lakers clamped down defensively to hold KIPP King of Oakland to only seven points in the first half. The Lakers had their share of struggles on the offensive end as well, as they connected on just 10 percent of their shots. But with 7.9 seconds remaining in regulation, North Tahoe senior guard Heidi Jimenez sunk a go-ahead free throw, and the Lakers held on for the win.

The Lakers applied the same lock-down defense against Sierra Lutheran to take the win.

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Junior post player Samantha Jeffers held down the middle on defense and had a strong offensive first half en route to scoring 11 points. Elizabeth Buhler had a game-high 12 points, with all but two of her points coming in the second half.

North Tahoe head coach Rick Buhler said turnovers plagued the Lakers in the tournament and#8212; something he expects to be corrected with more game experience. But strong defense made the difference in the end.