The Lady Lakers played host to the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats tonight in the semi-finals of the OCCAC tournament. It was one of those nights for the Lakers where things just didn't go their way. Lakeland had a tough shooting night early on as they missed several close range shots. Additionally, Lakeland committed several unforced turnovers which the Bobcats capitalized on as they connected for 5 3-pointers in the first half to help key their lead. That combination proved to be their undoing as the Lakers fell 80-68. Despite that, Lakeland played with a lot of effort and energy in the first half as they trailed by 5 at the end of the first quarter and then 8 at the break; 39-31. Delaney Sullivan had a strong offensive game and scored 10 of her 14 points in the 1st half. Elisha Quinn added 10 of her 12 points in the first half, too. The 3rd quarter, which has been their staple all season, was not kind to the Lakers tonight. The turnovers and tough shooting continued and they finished the quarter trailing 60-43. Lakeland continued to battle until the end though and they were able to cut into the lead; it just wasn't enough tonight. Shar'Da Williamson played tough for the Lakers down the stretch as she scored 11 of her 15 points in the 4th quarter. Madison Fueger also had a solid second half pouring in 12 of her 15 points in the second half.
The Lakers finished their season with a 12-11 (7-7) record and in 3rd place in the conference.
Bryant & Stratton will head to Edison State on Saturday to play in the OCCAC finals. The winner qualifies for Nationals.
Gardy's Gab: "We've played a lot of very good basketball over these past couple of weeks. I''m very proud of our team for the season they have had and the development they have made. I've really enjoyed the team this year and I'm looking forward to watching our sophomores move on and be successfl and also to getting the opportunity to work with our returning core next year. Our future is bright. Tip your caps to B&S as they played well tonight - we wish them luck."
