The Lakeland Lakers hosted the Edison State Chargers in the Region XII District C Campionship today and won in convincing fashion by a score of 68-50. The victory improves the Lakers record to 23-1. The game had a bit of a slow offensive pace for the Lakers early on as they were off the mark with many of their early shots. However, Lakeland's inside defense, led by Noah Berry, kept the game close. Berry blocked 4 shots and altered the path of a few others within the first 10 minutes of the game. As a result, the teams played evenly and the Lakers held a slim 15-14 edge with 9 minutes to play in the half. Following a Laker timeout, Lakeland put on a high pressure press defense that suffocated the Chargers offense and changed the game. The defensive front court pressure from Landon Tillman, EJ Hubbert, Marcos Vazquez, Datrey Long, Jaidon Lipscomb, and Blake Bluitt forced the Chargers into a half court violation and several turnovers as Lakeland increased their lead to 27-19 with 4:16 to play. The stake in the heart play came moments later when Datrey Long hit a big 3-pointer after another Charger turnover. From there, the Lakers were off to the races and would never look back as they took a 36-21 lead into the break. Offensively, the Lakers were led by Kyle Jackson and Datrey Long who each scored 10 points in the 1st half.
In the second half, the Lakers continued to hold the Chargers at bay as they continued with solid defensive play and good shooting. They had a balanced attack as 7 different Lakers scored in the half. Marcos Vazquez scored 8 points in the half including 2 3-pointers. Jaidon Lipscomb and Datrey Long each scored 6 points in the half. For the game, Datrey Long finished as the high scorer with 16 points. Kyle Jackson finished with 14 points while Marcos Vazquez added 10 points. Jaidon Lipscomb and Noah Berry each chipped in 8 points to help key the win.
Kyle Jackson was named MVP of the District C Tournament.
Mike Hunter received the Coach of the Tournament Award.
Hunter's Highlights: "It was a great accomplishment for the team. All of the hard work they put in during the pre-season and regular season paid off. We did a nice job sticking to the game plan as we were able to control the play in the paint. We played strong defense and that was key to the win. The entire team contributed - good effort by everyone. We are really looking forward to taking the next step and competing at Nationals."
Next Up: The Lakers will play in the NJCAA National Tournament March 15-19 in Danville, IL. The NJCAA will have a Selection Show on Tuesday at 2 pm when they will find out where they are seeded and who will be their first opponent.
