The Lakeland Lakers, ranked 13th nationally, cruised to a 73-43 victory over the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats from Solon, OH on Wednesday night. With the win, the Lakers improve their record to 13-1 on the season. Lakeland wasted little time in jumping all over the Bobcats hitting 3 pointers and dominating the inside play. Lakeland finished strong to the basket and played a high energy defense in the first half coming away with a 43-18 edge. To start the second half, Lakeland put it on cruise control and just continued to carry the play the rest of the game. Lakeland shot almost 43% from the field going 26-61. They were only 25% from the arcing hitting on 5 of 20. From the free throw line, they shot 76% hitting on 16 of 21.
Armani Jackson led the way for the Lakers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Gianna Pegoraro scored 13 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Julie Hajdu scored 9 points including going 2-4 from the arc while Makayla Cooper also tallied 9 points. Rayonna Peterson added 8 points and 8 rebounds while Triniti Lee also chipped in with 8 points. Every Laker scored at least 2 points in the convincing victory.
Player's Perspectives
Makayla Cooper - "I'm proud of the effort we put forward after not playing for two weeks. It's a good conference win to start off the year."
Rayonna Peterson - "We came out strong in the first half and then kind of took a break in the 3rd quarter. We were able to pick it up again in the 4th quarter which is good. We did a good job of finishing around the basket." On playing Sinclair Saturday, "I hope we come out strong - we will need to play all four quarters."
Gianna Pegoraro – "I felt we moved the ball pretty well and were really able to push it up the court. Our defense struggled a bit at points, but we were able to pick it up as the game played on. I'm proud of the overall effort our team made tonight."
Julie Hajdu – "I thought it was a good game overall. There was a lot of physical play and contact around the basket and we were still able to finish and play well in there." On playing Sinclair Saturday, "It's a long trip. We need to be prepared and focused. We didn't beat them in three opportunities last year so we this year we have to get it done."
Gardy's Gab: "I felt we played a strong first half. We had good energy early and were able to come out strong – especially after being off for 14 days. We played good defense in the beginning and then coasted a bit in the second half. We've got to get ready for a tough conference challenge this weekend in Dayton. Sinclair is a good club and will be a good challenge for us."
Next up: On Saturday (1/11), the Lady Lakers travel to Dayton to play the Sinclair Community College Tartans at 1pm. The next two games will be on consecutive Wednesdays as the Lakers play host to Lorain County CC (1/15) and then Cuyahoga CC (1/22). Tip-off time for both games is at 5:30 pm and admission is free.