Tired of losing to Class 1A teams this season, the LaSalle Lightning took out their aggressions Monday on the Brewster Bears.

Getting a balanced offensive attack and playing effective team defense, the Lightning handed the Bears a 53-44 loss in the Tourneytown.com Shootout on Monday morning at the SunDome.

LaSalle's Jasmine Stohr makes a shot over Brewster defenders Kyla Evans, left, and Kassidy Brown during Monday's first Shootout game.   BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic View all photos for this story.

Earlier this season, LaSalle (10-2) had lost to ranked 1A teams Freeman and White Swan. On Monday, they got their third crack at upending 1A competition and came through when it was needed most.

“We wanted to come in here and compete,” said Lightning head coach Todd Kent. “We focused and executed well. It’s a big win for us and our program. It makes us better.”

LaSalle forced Brewster into making costly mistakes with the basketball by causing chaos all over the court with a pressing, high-pressure defensive attack. The Bears (10-2) turned the ball over 26 times.

“We try to extend the court whenever we can and utilize our quickness,” said Kent. “Pressure defense and forcing the issue is what we do.”

La Salle junior forward Molly McGree tied a girls Shootout record with six steals, matching the 2005 mark by Kittitas’ Shawna Gibb. La Salle finished with 15 swipes in the game.

The Lightning outscored Brewster 16-10 in the third quarter and took a seven-point cushion into the final frame. Coming out of the locker room at the half, La Salle made a concerted effort to get the ball to sophomore forward Jasmine Stohr. She responded by scoring eight points in the quarter all while attacking the interior of the defense.

“We wanted to go after Kayla Evans and get some fouls on her. She’s a great player,” said Stohr. “When I drive I also look to kick it out. We’ve got great shooters on our team.”

Evans did have an impressive outing, putting up 21 points while pulling down 14 rebounds. She didn’t get a ton of support from her teammates; Whitney Scheller scored 12. The next highest scorer for the Bears managed only three points.

The Lightning shut the door in the beginning of the fourth. Stohr opened the quarter with a bucket. The ensuing inbounds pass was stolen by La Salle guard Theresa Anderton, who found Monica Schneider along the baseline. Schneider took a dribble and went up strong, hitting the basket and drawing the foul. She knocked down the free throw. LaSalle went on an 11-3 run to open the quarter, going up 50-35.

“It was big for our team to get this win,” said McGree. “We’ve been working hard. We knew we needed to get the win and played well as a team.”

Stohr finished with 18 points and six rebounds. McGree chipped in 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists. Schneider added 10 points and pulled in nine rebounds. She also had four assists but was plagued by eight turnovers.