Abigail Hawes scored 20 points to lead Mountain Lakes to a 56-45 win over Park Ridge and its first state sectional title since 2006..

PARK RIDGE – When Park Ridge and Mountain Lakes met last year for the North 1, Group 1 section title, Park Ridge got off to a fast start and stayed on cruise control for most of the game en route to winning the program’s first-ever section title. For the Lakers, it was a blueprint of how to become section champions. When the two teams met again for the section title, it would be the Lakers who flipped the script and created their own history.

Abigail Hawes pumped in 20 points and Shea Sutter added 16 to offset one final fantastic performance from Park Ridge’s Allie Shenloogian as No. 2 seed Mountain Lakes won its first section title since 2006 with a 56-45 triumph over top-seeded and defending champion Park Ridge on Friday at Park Ridge High School.

Shenloogian’s step back 3-pointer gave the Owls an early lead. The Lakers were unflappable all game long and used an early run to gain control. Chloe Lin hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 16-4 run to end the quarter.

“Our motto this year was ‘Level Up,’ they worked really hard to get back to this spot and be ready for the moment when it arrived,” said Mountain Lakes head coach Joanne Smith. “Everyone contributed on both ends of the floor by working together. It was about going on runs and limiting theirs. We have done a great job on the boards all season and it’s a nice luxury to have four dominant rebounders on the floor at all times.”

Lori Graham’s 3-pointer from the wing cut the lead down to single-digits early in the second quarter. But on this afternoon, the Lakers were not to be denied. Sutter was a handful all game inside. She grabbed an offensive rebound that led to a bucket and then scored on a putback as the Lakers took control by halftime, 33-18.

Park Ridge senior Allie Shenloogian scored a game-high 30 points and finished her prep career with 2,337.

Shenloogian did everything she possibly could to keep her career in an Owl uniform going. The Lakers were too tough in the paint and too disciplined to let the lead slip away. While the intensity picked up in the third quarter for the Owls, they were unable to cut into the lead. In an odd twist, Park Ridge won last year’s section final by a final score of 43-28. At the end of three quarters in this game the score was exactly the same but it was the Lakers who held the cushion. Layups late by Hawes and Sutter all but put the game and the section crown away.

Shenloogian, the best player ever to put on a Park Ridge uniform, fouled out in the final minute and left to a standing ovation from the entire sell-out crowd with a game-high 30 points for Park Ridge (19-7). She finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer by a wide margin with 2,337 career points.

Mountain Lakes advances to the Group 1 state semifinals on Tuesday. They will face off against North 2 Group 1 champion Glen Ridge in an old school Colonial Hills Conference matchup. With all the pressure off getting over the hump in the section final, the Lakers can focus on trying to extend their run as long as they possibly can.

“It’s an amazing feeling to work hard all season for this and achieve that goal,” said Hawes. “(Shenloogian) is a great player. We tried to make it as hard for her as possible and really focused on making sure the other four players didn’t get going. I thought we followed our scout today to a ‘T.’ We’re so grateful that we get the opportunity to play another game. I’m super excited to stay on this journey and see where it takes us.”

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