The Lakeland men's basketball team has been in a little funk. They have played well enough to win each of their past 3 games, but somewhere along the lines they were unable to finish. Today they hosted the Edison State Chargers who were looking for some revenge after an earlier defeat to the Lakers. The Lakers were looking to get back on the winning track and hoping to help solidify their position for a post-season berth. This turned out to be a game of runs as Edison State took an early lead only to see the Lakers come back and take the lead in the first half. Early in the second half, it happened again as Edison State battled back before the Lakers took control and then earned the 70-61 win. In the first half, Edison State was on fire when shooting and took an early 25-16 lead. The Lakers would then steal the ball on consecutive Charger possesions while Devin Belle finishing both with buckets to bring the Lakers within 5 at 25-20. Following a Charger miss, Bell would score again on a short jumper. After a Charger turnover, Belle would get fouled and convert 1 of 2 free throws before hitting a 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead at 26-25 with 4:30 to play. The Chargers would score and then Aaron Ward connected on a layup for a 28-27 Laker lead. Following misses by both teams, Ward went to work again as he converted an old-fashioed 3-point play scoring a layup and a free throw to put Lakeland up 31-27. The Lakers would then hold the lead and go into the break leading 31-28.
To start the second half, Edison State would go on a little run and take a 45-43 lead early in the period. Eric Cook would then score a layup to tie the score at 45. The Chargers would then miss a pair of free throws before Adam Williams scored on a driving layup to give the Lakers a 47-45 lead. After Edison sank 1-2 free throws, Williams would again drive the lane and score a layup. After a Charger miss, Adam Williams stepped back and hit a big 3-pointer to give Lakeland a 52-46 advantage. Following an Edison missed shot, Eric Cook connected on a 3-pointer and the Lakers lead was now 55-46. From there, every time the Chargers scored a basket, the Lakers would answer with a score of their own as Lakeland sailed to the victory.
Lakeland had 3 players finish in double figures as Devin Belle led the way with 22 points. Aaron Ward finished his afteroon with 18 points while Adam Williams recorded 15 points in the Lakers win. Kaleb Wanamaker added 6 points while Eric Cook finished his afternoon with 5 points. Brandon Moore also chipped in 4 points in the Laker win.
AC Christian's Corner: "It was a good way to get back on the winning track. Credit Edison State as they are a good team that played hard. We had a tough 3 game stretch - that may have been good for us - hopefully help us regain our focus. We still have some things we need to work on as we reverted back to some bad habits defensively - but we came together and everyone conributed. We will get back at it and look to finish the season strong as we try to set ourselves up for the post-season."
Next Up: The Lakers will travel to Terra State on Wednesday (2/12) to face the Titans in OCCAC play. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
