The NJCAA #13 ranked Lakeland Lakers wasted little time in this game as they jumped out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the 1st quarter and cruised to a 84-38 victory over the Lorain County Commodores. With the win, Lakeland improves to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play. Lorain falls to 3-12 and 0-3. The secondthrough the fourth quarters were much of the same as they also held leads of 43-14 at the half and 67-21 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Lakeland used a strong half court defense to create havoc for the Commodores.  Lakeland had 14 recorded steals in the game and shot 46.6% from the field.

Lakeland was led by Player of the Week Armani Jackson who recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 steals. Rayonna Peterson also had a strong game adding 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Gianna Pegoraro contributed 14 points and 6 steals while Makayla Cooper kicked in 16 points while shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc.

Player's Perspectives:

Rayonna Peterson: "We came out with good energy for 3 quarters, but got a little sluggish in the 4th. We did a good job finishing around the basket. I thought we had a lot of assists and did a good job passing the ball in general. We've been working on defense a lot; it was good to see some results." On weekend plans since the Lakers do not play on Saturday, "We're going to have a team dinner.  i'm really looking forward to that. I plan tpo bring cupcakes!"

Makayla Cooper: "I was proud of our improvement in defense. We've been working hard on it and it's starting to come together. Thereis still room for improvement, but it was good to see tonight." On weekend plans since the Lakers do not play Saturday, "i'm looking foward to our team dinner and resting! I'm bringing a smile to the team dinner. I'm cooking up smiles!!"

Julie Hajdu: "It was a good game today. We came together as a team. Our goal today was to play good defense and communicate. I felt we did that well." On weekend plans since the Lakers do not play Saturday, "Sleep and team bonding. We are having a dinner and I'm making cheesy potatoes - they're good!"

Gardy's Gab: "We jumped out on them early and really never looked back. This past week, we've really been working a lot on defense in practice and it showed. It's time for us to turn the page though and get ready for Tri-C next Wednesday. This should be a real good test for us."

Next up: The Lakers have the weekend off before playing host to Cuyahoga CC next Wednesday (1/22)at 5:30 pm. Admission is free. Lakeland will then travel to Columbus to take on league foe Columbus State at 1pm on Saturday, January 25. Columbus State is ranked #12 by the NJCAA in Division III.