LEBANON — When there’s joy in the air, it’s difficult to stop the Cedars.

In the opening round of the L-L girls basketball championship, Lebanon’s playmakers found the basket often and led an infectious effort to come away with a win.

After the team’s 63-40 quarterfinals win against Columbia, Cedars’ coach Jaime Walborn said the group’s connection has grown with time — and shaped the latest outcome after taking a double-digit lead over the Crimson Tide early.

“We're a better offensive team when we lock in defensively, and (today) every possession was someone different doing what needed to be done,” Walborn said. “That was kind of our mentality going into the game, and I thought we did a good job of letting our offense feed off of our defense.”

Columbia was able to land some shots from the perimeter, but the Cedars swarmed the ball often to shake up any chance at consistent points.

Lebanon’s senior Kailah Correa said that having reliable effort has been a focal point on defense, and that the benefits come naturally.

“When we're energetic and we're getting loose balls, that gives us momentum in the game and transitions to our offense,” Correa said. “Coach (Walborn) harps on us about just being energetic, no matter what it is to have a positive impact.”

After delivering 39 of its points in the first half, Lebanon continued to fire on all cylinders through the remainder.

Within a game that saw her 1000th career rebound with the program, Cedars’ senior Liliana Harrison finished with a game-high 22 points and contributed to the team’s overall joy in action. The six-foot-three forward said that her teammates add to her fun experiences in competition, and that it leads to a better bond on the court.

“It gives us more energy, and so having fun on the court helps,” Harrison said. “Other teams we play argue instead of being there for each other — we don’t, we’re always laughing and talking.”

Finding ways to celebrate their teammates has been a theme for the Cedars all season, and continued to show up Saturday to deliver the team’s 12th consecutive win.

After the 23-point win over Columbia, Lebanon’s group continues to show why it's special around the entire lineup. The team’s bond has been clear all campaign, and will continue to see tests through the upcoming playoff stretch.

“When we know someone's having a big game, we'll feed her. If we know someone's trying to close in on a goal, we'll help out a little more and I think that's so great because we want to see each other win,” Correa said. “That's one of the biggest reasons why I’ve stayed here at Lebanon — I'm not gonna get this with any other team, and I'm so grateful for it.”

“It’s honestly a big part of why we're successful — We lift each other up, and we want to see each other win.”