The Lakeland men's basketball team traveled to Jamestown Community College to kick off their season against the Jayhawks. The Lakers used a dominating first half to take control of the game and then coasted to the victory. Jaidon Lipscomb led the way scoring 17 first half points on 8-14 shooting. Lipscomb also added 3 steals, 2 assists, and a blocked shot in the half. Elhadji Thiam also had a strong opening half as he recorded 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks to help pace the Lakers. Zach Wartley added 9 points on 3-4 shooting while Landon Tillman chipped in with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals to help give the Lakers the lead going into the break. The key to the half was the Lakers quick start. Brandon Lane scored the first basket of the season on a layup 16 seconds into the game to help spark the Lakers to a 7-0 lead. Lakeland continued to dominate the half and had leads of 14-3, 22-11, and 39-17 before going into the break at 46-33.
Lakeland controlled most of the second half keeping their lead mostly between 11-16 points. However, the Jayhawks were able to cut the lead to 6 with 3:30 to play before Elhadji Thiam sank two free throws and then another Lane layup pushed the lead back to 10 allowing the Lakers to coast to the win. For the game, Elhadji Thiam finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds. Thiam also contributed 3 steals, 3 assists, and 3 blocked shots. Jaidon Lipscomb picked up 23 points and added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Landon Tillman was close to a triple-double as he added 13 rebounds, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Tillman also had 4 steals in the contest. Zach Wartley finished the game with 12 points and 5 rebounds while Brandon Lane kicked in 7 points and 4 rebounds to help seal the win.
T's Thoughts: "It was a total team win tonight where everyone contributed. That's a real positive for our team. I was happy with their overall effort and am looking forward to getting back to work on some pieces moving forward."
Next Up: The Lakers will have their home opener on Friday night when they take on the Skippers from St. Clair County Community College. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00pm.