The Lakeland mens's basketball team played host to the Clark State Eagles today in OCCAC action and used strong defensive play coupled with an efficient offense to come away with a convincing 114-75 victory. With the win, the Lakers move to 10-3 in conference play (16-7 overall) and edged closer to cliniching a spot in the post-season. The Lakers started strong in the first half and never looked back. Trailing 2-0, Kaleb Wanamaker connected on a 3-pointer to get the Lakers going. Following a Clark miss, Devin Belle conncted on a 15' jumper. After an Eagles basket, Brandon Moore grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a put back for a 7-4 Laker lead. After another clark miss, Belle connected on an old-fashioned 3-point play as he scored a layup and then sank a free throw for a 10-4 Laker lead. Lakeland would sandwich an Eagle basket with a pair of their own before Moore scored on a reverse layup to put the Lakers up 10 at 16-6. Moore would then score again on a layup after a Clark turnover. The Lakers would then steal the ball on the Eagles next possession and Belle would score on a layup for a 20-6 lead just under 7 minutes into the half. From there, the Lakers would continue to dominate play both offensively and defensively and take a 54-32 lead into the break.
Lakeland came out determined in the second half not to let the Eagles back in the game. Aaron Ward got it started as he coverted a layup while being fouled and then scored the free throw for a 57-32 lead. Following a Clark miss, Eric Cook hit a 3-pointer for a 60-32 Laker lead and the game was essentially over. From there, Lakeland used strong all-around play from everyone as they cruised to the final victory.
Lakeland had 5 different players finish in double digits - 3 players with over 20 points. Devin Belle was the high scorer with 29 points while Aaron Ward finished his afternoon with 28 points. Brandon Moore recorded 21 points for the Lakers while both Kaleb Wanamaker and Ben Hamilton each scored 11 points. Eric Cook chipped in 5 points while Amarion Glenn finished with 4 points. Keenan Hughes added a 3-pointer and Elleion Williams connected for a couple of points in the Lakers win.
AC Harris' Hints: "It was a good game for us overall as we played strong defensively. We were disciplined and kept our focus - we liked our energy and hustle today. After a little rut, we are getting back to playing solid basketball. We will need to keep working hard as we have a nice challenge coming up next weekend."
Next Up: The Lakers will play host to the Hocking Hawks next Saturday (2/22) in an 11:00 am OCCAC matchup.
