Staff photo / Neel Madhavan Lakeview’s Annabelle Humphrey, right, drives past Oberlin Firelands’ DiLynn Copley during a Division IV playoff game on Thursday in Cortland.

CORTLAND — In a clash of similar styles, Lakeview’s brand of tough, physical basketball proved superior in the opening round of the postseason on Thursday night.

After a tight first half, the 14th-seeded Bulldogs put together a dominant second half, as they pulled away to down No. 15 seed Oberlin Firelands 49-32 in a Division IV, Northeast 5 sectional final.

“Naturally, it was our defense. I know that Firelands prides themselves on defense, but I think we’re just a different brand of basketball,” Lakeview coach Jason Lee said. “We’ve tried to play that hard second half all year. I think we’ve held teams in that third quarter, fourth quarter really low all year. … Once the girls got going in that second half, I think our defense took control and they just didn’t have anywhere to go.”

Mackenzie Stowe got things rolling for Lakeview (16-7) in the opening quarter, knocking down a pair of early threes while scoring eight of the Bulldogs’ first 12 points.

She was matched point-for-point by Oberlin’s Jordyn Copley, who also scored eight of the Falcons’ 12 first-quarter points.

After Stowe’s first quarter, Annabelle Humphrey picked things up for Lakeview in the second quarter by scoring six points as the Bulldogs held a narrow 22-20 lead at halftime.

“They tried to face guard Mackenzie a little bit, they tried to face guard Kalyssa [Werner] a little bit and other people stepped up,” Lee said. “I think that’s big. When you have depth on your bench, and you got people willing to step up like that, that shows where we’re at as a team.”

In the second half, Lakeview locked down. The Bulldogs scored the first two baskets of the third quarter and went on to limit Firelands (17-6) to just three points during the quarter.

That allowed Lakeview to take a 32-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter, as the Bulldogs pulled away late as the Falcons ran out of gas.

Lakeview outscored Firelands 27-12 in the second half, while limiting the Falcons to 5-of-27 shooting.

“We knew that we had to come out with a lot of momentum,” Stowe said. “There’s a reason why they picked to play us, and we were going to show them that they regretted that. So in the second half, we had to just come out and control every single play and keep coming with intensity.”

For the game, the Bulldogs shot 51.4% from the floor, compared to 22.6% for the Falcons.

Stowe and Humphrey led Lakeview with 10 points apiece. Ella Gough also had eight points, as three other players had at least six points for the Bulldogs. Addison Schrader led Firelands with 11 points.

“On our team, you can’t really take one player away because we all contribute,” Stowe said. “Obviously, when they come out and face guard me and Kalyssa, our point guard, they want to take that away. But we can still set screens, and our teammates can still score. It’s just an opportunity to let our teammates shine. It’s not always all about one person.”

Since a rough stretch in early January where Lakeview lost four times in five games, the Bulldogs have been on a roll. Their win over Firelands now gives them nine wins in their last 10 games.

“I said to the girls, we’re in tournament mode,” Lee said. “A lot of times in tournament mode, when you have that lead, it’s about keeping that lead. I think that’s what really helped us out tonight — being able to control the ball in that third and fourth quarter. We spread them out, made them work hard, and it even helped our defense out in the long run.”

Lakeview will next face No. 12 seed Parma Heights Holy Name on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the district semifinal. Holy Name beat No. 20 seed West Geauga 66-29 on Thursday.