The Lakeland men's basketball team closed out the regular season by hosting the league foe Clark State Eagles. It was also sophomore day and womens basketball players Kennedy Coleman, Emerson Hren, and Monetta Hilory were honored prior to the game. Additionally, mens basketball sophomores that were recognized included Isaiah McAdams, Marlon Landingham, Amarion Glenn, and Chauncey Brashers. After the ceremony, the Lakers overcame an uneven first half to take a 101-87 victory. With the win, Lakeland's overall record stands at 21-6. Additionally, the OCCAC Conference Champion Lakers finished with a 15-1 record in conference play.
The first half was a series of spurts for both teams. Lakeland would fall into a 6-2 hole to start the game before battling back to tie the game at 10 on the strength of Marlon Landingham and Juwan Turner's 3-pointers. The teams would trade baskets and be tied at 20 when Alikai Creque hit a 3-pointer. Following an Eagle miss, Turner would score a 3-point play after making a layup and the free throw after being fouled. The Lakers would then steal the ball and Landingham would score a layup. After another Eagle miss, Jadallah Suleiman would feed Micah Blackmon for a dunk and a 30-20 Laker lead. The Lakers would then go cold allowing the Eagles to get back into the game. The teams would then trade baskets until the end of the period when the Lakers went into the break trailing 45-43.
The Lakers exploded in the first 2 minutes of the second half. Marlon Landingham got it started with a 3-pointer. Lakeland's defense tightened as they forced a few turnovers and a miss by the Eagles. The Lakers took advantage as Landingham and Juwan Turner both scored a layup before Turner hit a 3-pointer to put the Lakers up 55-45. Lakeland would again go cold and also committ a couple of turnovers to allow the Eagles to get back in the game. Leading 66-63 at the 11:01 mark, Chauncey Brashers nailed a 3-pointer to push the Lakers lead to 69-63. Following a pair of Eagles free throws, Amarion Glenn scored on a driving layup. The Lakers would force an Eagles turnover before Brashers hit a jump shot. After a Clark State miss, Marlon Landingham scored on a layup to put the Lakers back up 10 points, 75-65. From there, the teams traded baskets the rest of the way as the Lakers closed out the win.
In a balanced attack, Lakeland finished with 6 different players scoring in double digits. Marlon Landingham was the Lakers leading scorer with 17 points while Amarion Glenn, Alikai Creque, and Juwan Turner each scored 15 points. Isaiah McAdams and Jadallah Suleiman both scored 11 points while Micah Blackmon finished his afternoon with 9 points. Chauncey Brashers added 8 points in the Lakers win.
Coach T Talks: "There was a lot going on off the court today with it being sophomore day and everything. Fortunately, we were able to come out with a strong run early in the second half and take control of the game. Credit Clark State as they played hard. Congrats to all of the sophomores recognized today. We have an opportunity now to go to Districts and compete. We're looking forward to that challenge."
Next Up: The Lakers will participate in the Region 12 Great Lakes District A Tournament at Mott Community College. As the #1 seed out of Ohio, Lakeland will play the winner of Oakland vs Schoolcraft on Thursday, March 5th. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
If the Lakers were to win that game, they would then play in the championship game on Saturday, March 7, at 1:30 pm. Lakeland would play the winner of the Kalamazoo Valley vs Montcalm/Delta winner.
The champion will earn an automatic bid to the DII Men's National Basketball Tournament held in Danville, IL March 16-21.
