Often times, homecourt advantage and momentum go hand-in-hand in sports.

On Thursday night in the Lady Indian Holiday Classic championship, Lehighton was able to use those exact two aspects of the game to its advantage against rival Jim Thorpe.Hot shooting by the Indians, and a bevy of costly turnovers by the Olympians, gave Lehighton all the momentum it needed on its home floor. The result was a 66-54 win and the Holiday Classic title."I knew we had this type of game in us, we just had to go out and execute," said Lehighton head coach Eric Gidney. "They took it to us the first time around this season, but our girls bounced back and played with confidence tonight."The Indians set the stage early on with full-court pressure, getting out to a six-point lead after one. The theme of the game for Jim Thorpe would be turnovers, and Lehighton didn't waste any time getting to the first act, Thorpe committed nine turnovers in the opening quarter and a total of 16 in the first half.The Indians were hot from the outside throughout the first two frames, as they connected from behind the arc five times. Lehighton's big run started at the beginning of the second quarter off of two more Thorpe turnovers. Back-to-back triples by Jada Whiteman and Aubrey Blasiak extended the Indians lead to 12.Whiteman was responsible for three of the Tribe's five triples in that stretch and scored 15 of her 18 points in the first half."Jada's first half was a thing of beauty. She really got our offense going and hit the type of shots from the outside that can really change the momentum of the game," said Gidney."I also have to give some credit to Northern Lehigh. I saw that their pressure frazzled Jim Thorpe the other night a bit, so we came out with some pressure, which I think forced some of their other players to handle the ball that usually do not, and it worked out for us."In the third quarter, the Olympians closed the gap to 10, but a Lehighton triple halted the Thorpe run.A three by Blasiak put the Indians up 13 and then 30 seconds later, another deep hit from Skylynn Faust extended the lead to 44-29.Faust was the difference maker in the third quarter as she scored 14 of her team-high 19 points. The Indians scored 21 points as a unit in the third, which gave them a 53-35 advantage, heading into the fourth."We came out and had the momentum in the first game, and tonight give credit to them because they took it to us at the start of every quarter," said Thorpe head coach Rob Kovac. "They were prepared tonight and shot the ball really well. We have to do a better job of moving when teams play us man."We did a lot of standing around tonight, and when you're not getting quality possessions on either side of the floor, you're not going to be very successful."In the fourth, Thorpe made it interesting after Faust and the Indians top defensive stopper, Julia Frey, fouled out, closing to within 12 with about 1:30 remaining. But time was not on the Olympians side, and Lehighton closed out the game for the championship victory.TURNOVER CITY ... Both teams had their stretches of turnovers in this one. The Olympians committed 23 turnovers on the evening, while Lehighton committed 20. The Indians had just five turnovers in the first half, but committed 15 in the second half.SCORING CONTINUES ... Thorpe's Kayley Kovac continued her success in the box score, scoring a game-high 32 points on the night. Kovac scored 24 of her 32 in the second half.FAUST MVP ... The Indians Skylynn Faust was awarded with the Lady Indians Holiday Classic MVP for the championship-winning Tribe. Jada Whiteman joined Faust as a part of the all-classic team.JIM THORPERichards 1-0-0-2, P.Kovac 1-1-2-3, Condly 0-0-0-0, Ohl 2-0-3-4, Naranjo 4-0-0-8, K.Kovac 13-6-12-32, Lignore 1-2-4-4, Gabel 0-1-5-1. TOTALS: 22-10-25-54.LEHIGHTONBrown 0-1-2-1, Frey 1-0-2-2, Long 0-0-0-0, Whiteman 6-3-6-18, Blasiak 4-6-10-16, Miller 2-1-4-5, Faust 7-3-5-19, Buchinsky 2-1-2-5. TOTALS: 22-15-31-66.Jim Thorpe 7 11 15 19 - 54Lehighton 15 17 21 13 - 66Three-pointers: Jim Thorpe - None; Lehighton - Whiteman 3, Blasiak 2, Faust 2.