The Lady Spartans fell behind by 19 points at the half and never recovered in a Section 2-AA road loss to Riverside.

Laurel (1-3, 3-8) missed nine layups, according to coach Jessica Shevitz.

“That’s 18 points right there,” Shevitz said. “That makes it a competitive ballgame if we make them. That makes a big difference in a game.”

The Lady Panthers (3-1, 5-5) outscored the Lady Spartans in the second quarter, 19-7, to forge a 31-12 halftime buffer.

“The girls worked hard, but they lacked intensity; particularly on the defensive end in the first half,” Shevitz said. “There just wasn’t the passion there that I had hoped to see.

“Riverside is probably the toughest place in our section to play.”

Ellen Shaffer led Laurel with 11 points.

Alexis Deep tossed in a game-high 22 points for Riverside.