The Lakeland men's basketball team traveled to Niagara County Community College tonight to play the Monroe Community College Tribunes in the Thunderwolves Classic. The Lakers beat the Tribunes 76-72 to improve their record to 8-2 (2-0). The first half was marked by a series of runs by both teams in a hard-fought matchup. The Lakers would jump to a 7-0 lead 2:30 into the game as they took advantage of a Tribune turnover and missed shot. Keys to the lead were 3-pointers from Bishop Thomas and Jaidon Lipscomb. The Lakers would then go cold shooting and allow Monroe to tie the game back up at 9 before Jevon France hit a couple of layups to give the Lakers back a 4 point lead. Lakeland would later increase their lead to 8 after a Brandon Lane tip-in and a pair of free throws from Zach Wartley. The Tribunes would then take advantage of a few Laker turnovers, missed shots, and Laker fouls to take a 23-22 lead with 8:56 to play in the half. The teams would then go back and forth scoring for the rest of the period with the half ending with the Tribunes ahead 36-35.

To start the second half, the Lakers would miss their first few shots while Monroe converted theirs to gain a 10 point 35-25 advantage with 18 minutes to play. The Lakers would then take advantage of Tribune turnovers to narrow the gap 45-44 with just over 15 minutes to play in the game. Key plays were a couple of buckets by Jaden Woods, a 3-pointer form Jaidon Lipscomb, and a Landon Tillman jump shot. With the score 48-47 in favor of the Tribunes, Jevon France would score two baskets around a Tribune miss. After another Monroe miss, Jaidon Lipscomb would drain another 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 54-48 edge. The teams would trade baskets until Landon Tillman converted two free throws to increase the Laker lead to 61-52. After a Tribune basket, Dondi Harper II made a 3-ponter to give the Lakers a 10 point advantage at 64-54 with 8:18 to play. Lakeland then missed a few shots and had a turnover enabling Monroe to close the gap to 64-62 with just over 5 minutes to play. Bishop Thomas would then make a layup and later steal the ball which would lead to a Lipscomg basket to push the Lakers lead back to 6 at 68-62 with under 4 minutes to play. After a Monroe basket, Lipscomb would connect on another 3-pointer and then Tillman would hit a jumper after a Monroe turnover to give the Lakers a 73-64 lead with under 2:30 to play. Lakeland hit it's free throws down the stretch to ice the game in the win.

Jaidon Lipscomb led the Lakers with 20 points and and 5 rebounds. Lipscomb connected on 5-8 from beyond the arc. Jevon France finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds while Landon Tillman added 13 points and 5 rebounds in the Laker win. Elhadji Thiam recorded 3 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Lakers shot just under 64% as a team from beyond the arc (7-11) and just under 73% from the line (13-18).

T's Thoughts: "We played tough and more physical in the second half. We also limited our turnovers and their second chance points. Everybody played and contributed big time!"

Next Up: The Lakers will face off against tournament host Niagara County tomorrow at 6:00pm.