The Lakeland women's basketball team played host to the Hocking Hawks today with the need for a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Lakers came away with a convincing 74-53 win over the Hawks that puts them in a tie atop the conference. With the win, the Lakers record improves to 12-8 and 8-3. In the first quarter, the teams battled back and forth with neither team being able take advantage. At the end of the quarter, the score was tioed at 14. The second quarter proved to be the pivotal point of the game as Lakeland held the Hawks to just 5 points while exploding on offense. The quarter started with a Hocking technical foul. Batoul Khaleefah sank 1-2 free throws to take a 15-14 lead before the clock even started. On Lakeland's first possession, Monica Devine grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a layup for a 17-14 lead. After a Hocking missed shot, Lauren Perry scored on a driving layup for a 19-14 lead. Both teams would then miss on their possessions before Trinity Jackson hit a 15-foot jumper. After another Hocking miss, Batoul Khaleefah would drain a 3-pointer with 7:30 to play and a 10 point 24-14 Laker lead. After a Hawk basket, Khaleefah sank another 3-pointer for a 27-16 Laker lead. After a Hawk turnover, Trinity Jackson sank a turnaround 10-foot jumper. With 4:30 remaining after a Hocking miss, Lauren Perry would connect on 2 free throws for a 31-16 Laker lead. Lakeland would then force a Hawk turnover and Perry would hit a releasing Mya James with a long pass allowing James to score on a layup for a 33-16 lead. After a Hawk basket, James would grab an offensive rebound and get fouled. James connected on both free throws for a 35-18 Laker lead. The Hawks would then hit 1-2 free throws before James was fouled again and connected on both free throws. The Lakers would then collect a Hawks turnover and then Jackson would hit another 10-footer for a 20 point Laker lead, 39-19, going into the break. From there, the Lakers cruised to the victory.

Lakeland had 8 different players score and 4 different players finished in double digits in the balanced scoring attack. Batoul Khaleefah led the Lakers with 20 points while Monica Devine finished with 17 points. Trinity Jackson recorded 15 points while Mya James picked up 11 points in the Laker win. 

Gardy's Gab: "We had a couple good days of practice this week. It was an opportunity for us to take care of the home court and we did. I was pleased with our defense in the 2nd quarter as it really picked up and allowed us to turn the game. Monica (Devine) is playing her best basketball of the season which has been a boost. Batoul (Khaleefah) also really shot the well in the first half. Everyone played a part - it was a nice team win."

Next Up: The Lakers will play their final home game of the season next Saturday (3/2) against the Edison State Chargers. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 pm.