Last week was full of impressive comebacks for Lakeland (3-1) basketball. On Dec. 8, the boy’s team was able to defeat the Lewiston Bengals (2-3) 69-64 at home in front of fans and an electrified student section.
The first quarter of the game was very even between both teams. In the start alone, Lakeland was able to shoot seven free throws.
The second quarter is when things truly took a turn for the worse. Lewiston went on a run and chipped away at the Hawks. Midway through the quarter, Lakeland was down by 15 points and only decreased that number to eleven by halftime.
A quick halftime talk to assist the team in understanding where they were going wrong allowed them to exit the locker room with more energy. Due to this, the third quarter deficit was only a few points, providing hope.
The fourth quarter also consisted of battling back and forth. In the end, the Hawks were able to come back and win the game due to perseverance and free throws.
Gabe Harris was arguably the player of the game for Lakeland, as he was able to put up 23 points, a game-high.
“The refs definitely helped, and I don’t normally get those calls; in total, I shot 14 free throws,” Harris said..
Seniors Kenton Ferguson and Ben Ryan each had 14 points in the game, heavily contributing to the comeback.
“I thought we played well,” Ryans said. “We really kept our heads up throughout the game even though we were down at halftime.”
Understandably, the team is very happy with the game’s outcome, but there are always certain areas that can be improved. A primary component that is hard to control but is affecting the team is their overall health.
“There are some injuries within the team, and we can improve on our defensive rebounding,” said Harris.
The Hawks need to be much stronger defensively while also working on their three-point shooting, as it has not been.
“You go into every game with a mindset that you are going to win because if you don’t, you really aren’t into the game,” Ryan said.
After facing the Bengals, the Hawks have only one loss on their record after losing to West Valley by only four points.
“Lewiston felt like a a better team than West Valley, so that loss to the does not feel great, but we’re moving past it,” Harris said.
The Hawks know they must come out with more energy, as they typically come out very slowly. Doing this gets the team into a hole, which they then have to dig themselves out of.
The Hawk’s upcoming game is set against Moscow, a definite league rival. Last season, the team played the Bears three times. The first two games resulted in unfortunate losses, but they won the third game, paving their road to the state tournament.
“I think there will be a revenge factor when we face them, as their record was better than ours last year,” Harris said.
Lakeland has the opportunity to get their revenge at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15, at home.
