Times Observer photo by Steve Younger Eisenhower’s Clara Steinberg drives around Mercyhurst Prep’s Olivia Kulyk during Monday’s Region 3 girls basketball game in Russell.

RUSSELL — The Eisenhower Knights had a tall task Monday night when they hosted the Mercyhurst Prep Lakers.

Region 3’s first-place Lakers (10-2, 5-0) showed why their record is as good as it is with a 70-36 victory over the Knights (7-5, 3-3).

Eisenhower’s starting lineup featured five sophomores, while Mercyhurst Prep had a mix of seniors and underclassmen.

The Knights had no answer for Lakers 6-foot-1 senior Olivia Kulyk, who scored 22 points through three quarters of play. Kulyk has already committed to NCAA Division I New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The game began with the Lakers pressing the Knights from the outset, which led to multiple turnovers. The lone bright spot for Eisenhower was the play of sophomore Clara Steinberg, who scored 9 of the Knights’ 11 points in the opening quarter.

Steinberg led all scorers in the game with 28 points. She was able to score from the outside with four 3-pointers and drove the lane multiple times against Kulyk.

At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led 23-11.

The second quarter was more of the same as Kulyick had 9 points and Steinberg had 8, with a pair of 3-pointers, but the Lakers were able to open up a 41-19 lead at the half.

The second half saw the Lakers work in their bench players, but they were still able to nearly double up the score on the Knights.

“They obviously have a very good team,” Eisenhower head coach D.J. Steinberg said. “Their shots were falling and ours weren’t. We just had too many turnovers. We know what we have to work on to eliminate the mistakes.”

There was no JV game.

The Knights are back in action Thursday when they host the Seneca Bobcats.

MERCYHURST PREP (70)

Thrower 2 1 6, Kaercher 2 0 5, Pierce 0 0 0, Mangini 4 4 14, Netkowicz 0 0 0, Nixon 6 3 15, Savko 0 2 2, Ferrick 2 0 6, Kulyk 9 1 22. Totals 25 11 70.

EISENHOWER (36)

Font 0 0 0, Childs 0 0 0, Belcer 1 4 6, Alcorn 1 0 2, Steinberg 10 4 28.

3-point goals–Thrower, Kaercher, Mangini 2, Ferrick 2, Kulyk 3, Steinberg 4.

Mercyhurst Prep 23 18 16 13 — 70

Eisenhower 11 8 13 4 — 36