The Lakeland men's basketball team played host to the Jamestown Jayhawks in non-league action tonight. In the season opener, the Jayhwaks took it to the Lakers, but tonight, the Lakers avenged that loss by defeating the Jayhawks in convincing fashion, 88-67. With the win, Lakeland improves it's overall record to 6-2. Lakeland started off firing as Isaiah McAdams, Jadallah Suleiman, and Marlon Landingham all hit 3-pointers to give the Lakers an early 12-4 lead. The Jayhawks would take advantage of a Laker miss and turnover to trim the Lakeland lead to 2 at 12-10. Taylor Blanton then drained a 3-pointer for a 15-10 lead. After Jamestown hit 1-2 free throws, Micah Blackmon scored on a layup. Following a Jayhawk miss, McAdams would score on a 6-foot floater. After Jamestown converted a 3-point play, Isaiah McAdams would answer with a 3-point play of his own as he made a layup and converted the free throw for a 22-14 Laker lead. After the Jayhawks cut their deficit to 5, 23-18, Alikai Creque would be fouled and convert both free throws on consecutive plays. The Lakers would then force a turnover before Blanton scored on a layup to put the Lakers up 29-18. Following a Jamestown free throw, Amarion Glenn would nail a 3-pointer deep in the corner. The Jayhawks would then turn the ball over and foul Marlon Landingham. Landingham calmly converted both free throws for a 34-19 Laker lead. Following a Jayhawk missed shot, Isaiah McAdams would feed Micah Blackmon inside for another Laker score. McAdams and Jadallah Suleiman would then take turns trading baskets with Jamestown as Lakeland held a 44-29 lead with under a minute to play. Following a Jayhawk turnover, Marlon Landingham would drain another 3-pointer to send the Lakers into the break with a commanding 47-31 lead.
Early in the second half, the Jayhawks took advantage of Lakeland mistakes to climb back into the game. With the Lakers holding a 55-48 lead, Chauncey Brashers would score on a driving layup. After a Jamestown miss, Brashers would score again on a reverse layup. Both teams would then trade misses before Marlon Landingham sank another 3-pointer to put the Lakers up 62-50 with just under 10 minutes to play. From there, the Lakers continued to grow their lead in front of an enthusiastic student crowd (shout out to the baseball team for their support)! With that extra energy, the Lakers seized control of the game and sailed to the victory.
The Lakers had 4 players finish in double digits tonight. Isaiah McAdams led the way with 23 points while Jadallah Suleiman finished with 20 points. Marlon Landingham added 13 points while Alikai Creque added 10 points for the Lakers. Micah Blackmon finished his night with 8 points while both Amarion Glenn and Taylor Blanton added 5 points. Chauncey Brashers chipped in 4 points in the Lakers win.
Players of the Game: Isaiah McAdams, Jadallah Suleiman, and Marlon Landingham
Coach T's Talk: "I was pleased with our overall team effort. Due to illness, we've been off a bit and haven't always had everyone able to go full-go. It was good to see the defensive effort given tonight as it really got our offense going. We'll turn the page quickly as we have a good challenge coming up this weekend."
Next Up: The Lakers will head to the St. Clair County Basketball Tournament this weekend where they will face the Skippers on Friday night (12/5) at 8:00 pm. On Saturday (12/6), the Lakers will face the Region 12 foe Glen Oaks Vikings in a 1:00 pm tip.
