The Lakeland men's basketball team played host to the Terra State Titans tonight in OCCAC action looking to avenge their only league loss of the season. The Lakers left no doubt in this game as they cruised to a 93-79 victory. With their 8th straight win, Lakeland improve to 16-5 overall and 10-1 in league play. For the first 10 minutes of the game, the two teams traded baskets. Leading 19-18, Lakeland's Chauncey Brashers stole the ball and scored on a layup. After a Titan Basket, Isaiah McAdams hit a 3-pointer to put Lakeland up 24-20. After a Titan miss, Juwan Turner would feed Marlon Landingham for a 3-pointer and a 27-20 Laker lead. The Titans would miss again and this time Micah Blackmon scored on a thunderous dunk. The teams would exchange baskets over the next few minutes with the Lakers slowly increasing their lead after 2 Landingham free throws and an Alikai Creque free throw. Leading 43-31 with under a minute to play, Jadallah Suleiman connected on a turnaround jumper. After a Titan basket, Maxwell Bollin drained a 3-pointer as the Lakers went into the break leading 48-33.
To start the 2nd half, Marlon Landingham connected on a 3-pointer. Following a Titan basket, Landingham then recorded a 4-point play as he sank another 3-pointer and then made the free throw after he was fouled. Leading 55-35, the Lakers appeared in control. Unfortunately, for the next 4 minutes, Lakeland committed a few turnovers while missing shots as the Titans climbed back into the game at 57-51. The Lakers answered the call as Maxwell Bollin connected on another 3-pointer for a 60-51 Laker lead. After a Titan free throw, Chauncey Brashers scored on a driving layup. Following a Titan miss, Isaiah McAdams hit another 3-pointer as Lakeland rebuilt a 12 point lead at 65-53. Lakeland would then maintain an 8-13 point lead over the next several minutes before putting the game away with solid play down the stretch.
In a balanced scoring attack, Marlon Landingham led the way for Lakeland with 20 points. Juwan Turner connected on four 3-pointers to finish with 18 points while Micah Blackmon finished his evening with 13 points. Isaiah McAdams recorded 10 points while both Jadallah Suleiman and Maxwell Bollin scored 9 points for the Lakers. Alikai Creque added 6 points while Amarion Glenn and Chauncey Brashers each chipped in 4 points in the Lakers win.
Coach T Talks: "It was a nice team effort. We made some real strong defensive plays that set up our offense. At times in the 2nd half, we got a little sloppy when we got up big, but it's always good to get a W this time of year. Credit Terra as they continued to battle us throughout the game. We'll keep working to continue to improve - we've got a tough trip coming up this weekend."
Next Up: On Sunday (2/15), the Lakers will travel to Niagara County Community College to face the Thunderwolves in non-league play. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
