By coach Brian Walker

The C-Squad boys hosted Sauk Centre last Friday looking to avenge an earlier five point loss in early December.  SC jumped out to a quick lead and went on to earn a 49-35 victory.  Conner Erickson scored all seven of his points in the first half, as the Lakers trailed 28-15 at the break.  Tristan O’Neil also had seven points, while Drew Bleick and Caleb Kath both had six points, Marshall Kopp scored four, Carter Huckle knocked in a 3 pointer and Ben Johnson had two. 

A few days later, the team played at Benson and the Braves started out with a 25-15 lead at halftime.  The Lakers played much better in the second half, but Benson held on for a 45-42 win.  Tristan O’Neil led the Lakers with 16 points, after missing time in the first half with an ankle injury, while AJ Svec played his best game of the season, scoring nine points, Conner Erickson had seven points, Drew Bleick scored four, Ben Johnson had three, and Ike Spychalla added the final two points.  In the second half the Lakers knocked in 12 of 29 shots and would out score Benson 27-20, but could not complete the comeback. The Braves had 21 free-throws in the game compared to two for the Lakers.

The Lakers finished up the week with a trip to Morris, Thursday, losing to a strong Tiger team, 55-22.  We struggled to convert on the offensive end, hitting just  4-of-14 shots (29%) from the floor in the first half and 5-of-19 (26%) from the floor.  We were getting decent shots, but they weren’t falling.  Conner Erickson led the Lakers with nine points, wile Riley Week finished with four, Ben Johnson had three, and Drew Bleick, Oliver VanderHagen and Ike Spychalla each scored two points.  Morris made 14 free-throws to 0 for the Lakers, so that was a big difference in the game.  The team will be at EVW on Monday, and close the season with four-straight home games.