Two-time defending state champion LaGrange embarks on another defense of its title today when the No. 11 Gators host No. 22 Lakeshore at 6 p.m.

The Gators (15-9) lost three starters from last year’s team to college, but the rebuilding season has yielded good results after a slow start, including another undefeated run through District 4-4A play.

Head coach La’Keem Holmes said the Gators have figured out how they want to play. Tenacious defense is the focus of the team and specialty of senior leader Miah Alexis.

“I feel like we’re playing well with room for improvement,” Holmes said. “We’ve found our identity and we continue to perfect it. We want to make a team uncomfortable through relentless pressure. To defend has always been this program’s mantra. This team plays with an even bigger chip on their shoulder. They play hard.”

Lakeshore (10-14) has won five of its last six games, with the lone loss by seven points to No. 8 Salmen. In that stretch, the Titans have averaged 68 points per game. Lakeshore started the season 1-9 before finishing with nine wins in 15 games.

Elsewhere

In Class 1A, Grand Lake will be looking to advance beyond the first round for a fifth consecutive year when the No. 10 Hornets (15-13) host No. 23 Sicily Island (5-16).

Grand Lake head coach Baylie Walters said the game will be a battle of wills, with the Tigers intent on slowing things down and keeping the score low.

“They like to pack the paint, which isn’t the most fun for us,” Walters said. “We’ll have to figure out a way to work around it.”

The Hornets pack plenty of scoring punch, led by Brynn Hardie, Rylie Bergeron and Kelli Ledoux. Walters said the team has grown over the course of the season.

“We have gotten better at ball-handling, moving the ball and making the defense move,” she said. “Now we are focusing on just controlling what we can control.”