By STEPHEN GLOVER

For the Call

With a three-game losing streak on its back, the Lindbergh High girls’ basketball team knew Friday’s home game against Oakville could be a turning point of the season, and it was.

The Flyers grabbed a 33-25 lead at halftime before outscoring Oakville 28-21 in the second half en route to a 61-46 bombing of the Tigers.

The Flyers (10-7, 3-1 Suburban West) had lost four of their last five games and the win keeps them just one loss behind conference-leading Parkway South.

The performance also should boost Lindbergh’s ranking in next month’s district tournament.

“We knew that it was a big game for us because it’s a conference game and they’re also in our district,” Lindbergh head coach Bill Thoele told the Call. “Since Christ-mas, we really haven’t given the effort we’ve needed in order to win games.”

Lindbergh trailed 9-0 before flying back to claim a 17-14 lead after the first quarter.

“The girls really responded well,” Thoele said. “We went after loose balls and I think the girls did a great job. That little extra effort paid off.”

Senior guard Amy Hake, Lindbergh’s all-time leading scorer, scorched the court for a season-high 32 points. She also recorded five steals, four rebounds and one assist.

Her previous high was a 30-point effort against Northwest on Jan. 4.

Hake leads the conference in scoring by a 100-point margin. She also tops the league with 88 steals.

“Amy did everything she could to make us win,” Thoele said. “Nobody out there was going to stop her.”

Sarah Buchschacher contributed 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. The junior center averages 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season.

“She really stepped it up and did a great job for us,” Thoele said. “That’s the Sarah that I think we’re going to see for the rest of the year. I really don’t see why she can’t get 7 or 8 rebounds and 10 points a game for the rest of the season.”

Rounding out the Flyers’ trio of double digit scorers was Aimee Ubriaco with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one blocked shot. Ubriaco is averaging 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game this season.

“We’ve been bringing her along slowly and she’s proven to be a hustler and a good ball handler,” Thoele said. “I think she’s going to be really good in a few years.”

The Flyers welcomed Marquette, University City, Pacific, Fox, Seckman, St. Charles and Fort Zumwalt West to the Lindbergh Invitational this week. The championship game will begin at 7 p.m. today — Jan. 27.

“I think we’ve got a balanced tournament this year,” Thoele said. “I think we’re going to have a lot of good and close scoring games.”