Agape Freedom Sports LLC

By: Jeric Yurkanin

In the Losers’ Consolation Game tonight, the Lakeland Lady Chiefs and Carbondale Area squared off for Round 2 — a rematch of that early-December heartbreaker where the Chargerettes escaped 43–41 in a nail-biter.

Lakeland came in hungry. Not just to win… but to answer.

But the opening half? Whew. It was rough.

The Lady Chiefs came out flat — struggling to score, playing back on defense, and looking nothing like the aggressive, pressure-heavy team they’re built to be. And Carbondale wasn’t exactly in rhythm either. The first quarter (and the first half) turned into a grind: missed shots, shaky passes, and possessions that felt like they lasted forever with nothing to show for it.

It was the kind of half that would make longtime UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma shake his head and mutter, “What are we doing here?” because it just wasn’t pretty basketball.

After one quarter, Carbondale led 6–2. At halftime, it was 13–10 Chargerettes.

And the wild part? Both teams are way better than that. You could feel it in the gym — like everyone was waiting for somebody… anybody… to flip the switch.

Then the locker room happened.

And when Lakeland came back out… the switch wasn’t just flipped — it was ripped off the wall.

Four minutes into the second half, the Lady Chiefs were flying. Attacking downhill. Running the floor. Turning stops into layups. Pushing tempo like the game owed them something. Just like that, Lakeland stormed ahead 22–13, and suddenly the entire night shifted.

The energy was different.

The pressure was different.

The pace was different.

Lakeland looked like Lakeland again.

And they did it while shorthanded.

The Chiefs were without freshman starter Natalie Rude, who injured her ankle Saturday against Valley View. You could feel her absence in the first half — her quickness, her aggressiveness, her defensive spark, her ability to score and change the game. But instead of making excuses, Lakeland leaned on the simplest mentality in sports:

Next girl up.

And trust me… you were about to find out exactly who that was.

“At halftime, coach told us we weren’t being ourselves and we weren’t playing our game,” said Lakeland’s Kamri Naniewicz. “Coach told us to move the ball and beat them down on transition. We weren’t really hustling during the first half and we didn’t have any transition layups. At halftime we played better defense and took the ball down court faster.”

Head coach Kelly Vogt echoed the same message — and you could tell it wasn’t just coaching talk. It was a challenge.

“During halftime we were down. We told the girls they were flat — they lacked energy and motivation,” Vogt said. “We were a better team than what we were showing. We were slow, sloppy, and needed to be refined… and work on our transition. Once we got our transition game going tonight, we were much better.”

And that’s where the story turns into something bigger.

Because while Lakeland found its identity in the second half… one freshman stepped into the moment and turned it into a statement.

Olivia Beier.

Usually the sixth player off the bench, Beier didn’t just fill minutes — she filled the void. She brought instant energy: hustling for loose balls, rebounding in traffic, and making the type of winning plays that don’t always show up in a box score… until the moment gets big.

And then the fourth quarter hit.

That’s when it became the Olivia Beier Show.

Beier scored 10 points in the fourth quarter alone, added two more in the third, and finished with 12 points — turning hustle into buckets and confidence into control as Lakeland pulled away with a whole new swagger.

“Olivia really came into the game tonight,” Vogt said. “As a freshman, she was clutch today. She was able to step up and put in the baskets and use her soft touch and basketball skills to help us get the W.”

Senior Naomi Rude put it perfectly — because what Beier did wasn’t just scoring. It was poise.

“Olivia came out with great confidence and handled the ball well,” Rude said. “Nonetheless, she took control of the game when she needed to, including putting the ball in the hoop in clutch moments. She had a lot of mature defensive stops in big moments… she’s a natural-born athlete with a mindset of positive energy and hustle.”

So yeah… the first half was a grind.

But the second half?

That was Lakeland basketball — fast, aggressive, relentless… and fueled by a freshman who announced herself to everyone in the gym.

And after tonight, there’s no longer a question about who can step up while Natalie Rude heals.

Her name is Olivia Beier.

Remember it.

Write it down.

Because if you’re watching Lakeland basketball for the future…

you don’t want to forget that name.

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