Sydney Clark’s 17 points propelled the Ohio visitors to the championship at the New Castle Tipoff tournament.

The Lady Royals (4-2) built a 17-9 lead after the first, but New Castle (1-1) trimmed the deficit to 22-17 at halftime. Lake Ridge Academy pulled ahead, 38-26, after three quarters.

“We had our hands full. We came out in man-to-man defense and they got on us early. We got down 11-0,” New Castle coach Scott Dibble said. “We went to a 2-3 zone and cut it to five at halftime. We showed a lot of composure and grit in the first half.

“It was a loss, but I saw some really good things. It’s not fun losing your own tipoff tournament, but we got better in certain areas. I was happy with the effort and what they gave me. It’s baby steps. We’re doing all right.”

Darrian Johnson led the Lady ’Canes with 11 points, while Kelsey Scott had 10. Both were named to the all-tournament team.