MOUNT Gambier Lakers cruised to a 35-point victory over the Portland Coasters in Saturday night’s Country Basketball League Round 4 clash at the Icehouse.
The Lakers were never troubled throughout the contest, apart from a first-quarter flurry from the visitors, with Kane deWit having yet another night out, with 33 points in a dominant performance around the boards.
Mount Gambier was then forced to work hard for a nine-point win over the Colac Kookas on Sunday, with deWit again showing his strength in the league, finishing that game with 31 points.
The victory in the top-of-the-table clash now sees the Lakers with a clear margin at the pointy end of the field after four rounds of competition.
Lakers 95 d Coasters 60
SATURDAY night was a walk in the park for the home side, despite the Coasters coming out hard in the opening term.
While the visitors found two early baskets, Dellon Brown and deWit soon hit back to level the scores.
After five minutes of play the Lakers held the lead, but only by a solitary point, before Sam Stafford found a two and the Lakers began to find some offensive energy.
The Coasters responded again, but back-to-back baskets from deWit and Matt Berkefeld gave the Lakers some breathing space.
A time out was called with two minutes to play and deWit followed up with a three-point play, after collecting a foul on the way to the hoop.
Back-to-back threes from Luke Black and deWit then took the Lakers to the first break with a solid 10-point advantage.
The momentum continued in the second and after five minutes of play a Brodie Jolley two put the home side out to a 24-point lead.
From there it became a formality, with the Lakers holding a 19-point lead at the long break.
The home side added 34 points in the third stanza and never let up as the game wound down.
The final 95-60 margin simply showed the dominance of the Lakers on home soil, with deWit is game-high total complemented by Zach deWit (13), Brown (12) and Berkefeld (11).
Lakers 86 d Kookas 77
THE match of the round on Sunday lived up to expectations, with both sides looking to claim the bragging rights early in the season.
That was apparent from the tip off, with Zach deWit draining a three-point bomb just 20 seconds into the game.
But as he did against Millicent the night before, Jacob Pupavac soon found his range for the Kookas, with a successful free throw, followed by a trio of two-point baskets to give the visitors the ascendancy.
Not to be outdone, Kane deWit followed up with a pair of successful free throws, plus a two, with Brown adding a couple more points to the tally before a time-out was called with three minutes remaining in the term.
The Lakers managed to break away slightly from there, with a five-point ascendancy at the first break.
A 9-0 run in the second term gave the home side some breathing space, before the Kookas broke it through a two-point basket from Marko Vekic.
Varley followed with the same soon after, but Jack Wirth drained a three for the Lakers to put them back on track.
Mid-way through the term a Berkefeld two put the home side up by 12, but the visitors continue to chip away and just a few minutes later were back to within three.
Kane deWit drained another triple late in the quarter, but Pupavac had the last say, with a two-point field goal to head to the long break trailing by just four.
Brown and Zach deWit combined early in the third term, with a pair of three-point bombs to stretch the margin.
The 12-point lead was looking comfortable and mid-way through the term that had grown to 15.
Stafford, Brown and Berkefeld continued to put up points, but a Sam Barrow three gave the visitors some hope heading to the final stanza.
All was set for a cracking last term and again it was Barrow who found the basket to reduce the margin further.
However, Brown added another triple to his tally for the night and Berkefeld contributed another two to keep the Lakers in the box seat to claim the win.
With five minutes to play the Kookas went on a 9-0 run, but an unsportsmanlike foul against Varley sent Brown to the line for a free throw and possession at the half court, breaking the momentum.
With the Lakers leading by just 10 points with 2.33 on the clock, the fouls began to play their part, with the home side remaining composed down the stretch for a comfortable 86-77 victory.
Brown was next best to Kane deWit on the scoreboard for the Lakers, contributing 19 points, while Berkefeld (11) and Stafford (10) also reached double figures.
