Final answer:
The range of heights at Lake Middle School is larger, and River's players are closer to the same height.
Step-by-step explanation:
From the given data, we can infer that Lake's players are closer to the same height. This is because the range of heights at Lake Middle School is larger (9 inches) compared to the range at River Middle School (4 inches). A larger range indicates more variation in heights, while a smaller range indicates that the heights are more similar. Therefore, River's players are closer to the same height.