The NJCAA's 9th-ranked Lakeland Lakers started the second half of their season today by traveling to Buffalo, NY to face off against the Erie Kats. Lakeland defeated the Kats 78-73 back in mid-November. The Lakers were hit by the flu bug coming back from break and had limited players available for practice all week. Despite that, they were able to have 11 players available today and they used a balanced attack to build a big lead and then hang on for the 83-80 win. Both teams battled back and forth for most of the first half. With the score tied at 28 with 3:19 to play, Lakeland went on a 10-0 run to go into the break with a 38-28 lead. Justin Covington keyed the strong finish as he scored 6 points (a basket and 4-4 from the free throw line).

In the second half, the Lakers were able to keep the Kats at bay for most of the half. Both teams went on little runs as the lead went from 8-19 points throughout the half. Following a Dondi Harper jump shot, the Lakers held a 80-70 lead with under 2 minutes to play. The Lakers let the Kats back into the game as they committed a few turnovers and missed some open shots down the stretch. Jareon Mayo sank a pair of free throws before Bishop Thomas connected on 1 of 2 free throws to seal the Laker victory.

Lakeland had three players finish in double digits. Jareon Mayo led the way with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Justin Covington had a strong offensive game recording 19 points while Alex Benson just missed a double-double finishing with 12 points and 8 rebounds. PJ Daniels picked up 7 points and 4 rebounds while Bishop Thomas added 6 points and 4 rebounds. Nate Houston recorded 6 points and 3 boards in the Laker win.

T's Thoughts:  "It was a nice team win. We've been off a bit for the holiday and then with so many players not feeling well and so out of practice for most of the week - it was a tough week. They worked hard today and I'm proud of their effort as we were able to get a nice road win against a quality Erie team. We've definitely got some areas they we need to continue to work on and improve. With everything that we faced this week though, it was a good job by the team overall."

Next Up:  The Lakers will hit the road again on Wednesday (1/10) as they travel to Lorain County to face the Commodores. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.