The Lakeland Lakers, ranked 13th nationally, cruised to a 73-43 victory over the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats from Solon, OH on Wednesday night. With the win, the Lakers improve their record to 13-1 on the season. Lakeland wasted little time in jumping all over the Bobcats hitting 3 pointers and dominating the inside play. Lakeland finished strong to the basket and played a high energy defense in the first half coming away with a 43-18 edge. To start the second half, Lakeland put it on cruise control and just continued to carry the play the rest of the game. Lakeland shot almost 43% from the field going 26-61. They were only 25% from the arcing hitting on 5 of 20. From the free throw line, they shot 76% hitting on 16 of 21.
Armani Jackson led the way for the Lakers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Gianna Pegoraro scored 13 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Julie Hajdu scored 9 points including going 2-4 from the arc while Makayla Cooper also tallied 9 points. Rayonna Peterson added 8 points and 8 rebounds while Triniti Lee also chipped in with 8 points. Every Laker scored at least 2 points in the convincing victory.
Player's Perspectives
Makayla Cooper - "I'm proud of the effort we put forward after not playing for two weeks. It's a good conference win to start off the year."
Rayonna Peterson - "We came out strong in the first half and then kind of took a break in the 3rd quarter. We were able to pick it up again in the 4th quarter which is good. We did a good job of finishing around the basket." On playing Sinclair Saturday, "I hope we come out strong - we will need to play all four quarters."
Gianna Pegoraro – "I felt we moved the ball pretty well and were really able to push it up the court. Our defense struggled a bit at points, but we were able to pick it up as the game played on. I'm proud of the overall effort our team made tonight."
Julie Hajdu – "I thought it was a good game overall. There was a lot of physical play and contact around the basket and we were still able to finish and play well in there." On playing Sinclair Saturday, "It's a long trip. We need to be prepared and focused. We didn't beat them in three opportunities last year so we this year we have to get it done."
Gardy's Gab: "I felt we played a strong first half. We had good energy early and were able to come out strong – especially after being off for 14 days. We played good defense in the beginning and then coasted a bit in the second half. We've got to get ready for a tough conference challenge this weekend in Dayton. Sinclair is a good club and will be a good challenge for us."
Next up: On Saturday (1/11), the Lady Lakers travel to Dayton to play the Sinclair Community College Tartans at 1 pm. The next two games will be on consecutive Wednesdays as the Lakers play host to Lorain County CC (1/15) and then Cuyahoga CC (1/22). Tip-off time for both games is at 5:30 pm and admission is free.
