Laila Harrison of Lawrence Woodmere Academy passes during a PSAA girls...

Laila Harrison of Lawrence Woodmere Academy passes during a PSAA girls basketball game against Portledge on Friday at Portledge. Credit: Neil Miller

Another day, another positive step for the Lawrence Woodmere Academy girls basketball team. 

Laila Harrison and Mya Brave scored 15 points apiece as Lawrence Woodmere beat Portledge, 58-56, in a PSAA matchup Friday for their seventh straight win. 

Not bad for a program that is returning from a six-year hiatus after not winning a single game in that last season. 

"We feel real good right now. I knew Portledge was going to be prepared from our last matchup," LWA coach Ashley Jackson said, referring to her team's 67-47 win Monday. "We knew they weren't going to let us just come to their house and beat us, but I trusted all of my girls."

It started with Harrison, who scored nine of her points — all on three-pointers — in the first four minutes of the game as LWA jumped out to a 15-2 lead. It led 25-12 after one quarter and 36-23 at halftime. 

"I know that my team trusts me with every shot I take," Harrison said. "We need each other on every single possession. It's just about being a team."

Laila Folkes' 15 points led Portledge (10-3, 4-2), which kept charging in the second half. But LWA (10-2, 8-1) always had an answer. Brave led the way, whether it be finishing at the basket or setting up her teammates with timely passes. 

"I do whatever to help my team; stats are just numbers to me, and the outcome we had was great to celebrate," Brave said. "Even though I played my game, I worried more about the win."

In the fourth quarter, Ronese Jones scored four key points to stop Portledge runs. Jones made a steal and a layup in transition with two minutes remaining to give LWA a 58-49 lead. 

"I just played my game, and we practiced for this," said Jones, who had eight points. "I want to do this for my team, and we got the dub."

Portledge closed on a 7-0 run to cut it to 58-56 and had a chance to tie or win it with nine seconds left. But LWA made a final defensive stop to secure the win and extend their streak — and good feelings about a revitalized program. 

"I just want to win and keep inspiring people," Brave said. "You don't have to be a big program to win big games like this one. We started this together, so I want to work as hard as I can, and it will all pay off."

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