THE Mount Gambier Lakers men were a cut above their Victorian rival on Saturday night, when they made the trip to Warrnambool to face the Seahawks in round 11 of the Country Basketball League season.
At the final buzzer the Lakers emerged 49-point victors, thanks to a consistent effort across the board.
It was no surprise to see Simon Berkefeld at the fore, with a game-high 24 points, while Sam Stafford was the next best with 17.
Both Lachie Hunter and Kyle Tipene bagged 16 points each to finish the double-figure scorers, but aid from Toby de Wit (9), Braiden Ousey (9), Kurt Rodis (8) and Mitch Hunter (8) pushed the scoreline out to the eventual 110-point total.
The opening quarter was the closest of the match and the Seahawks trailed by just seven points at the first break.
The teams traded blows throughout the term and were it not for a couple of fouls, Warrnambool may have been even closer at the change.
However, some serious damage was dealt in the second term, with Rodis opening the ledger for the quarter with a two.
That was followed by a Berkefeld two and a three-pointer from Jordan Hollitt before the Seahawks could answer through a free throw opportunity off an Ousey foul.
The two successful free throws merely put the Lakers’ momentum on pause and when play resumed De Wit drained a three and Lachie Hunter shot consecutive two-pointers.
Warrnambool’s Jack Patterson answered with his own three, but De Wit nullified the shot when he hit his mark from outside the arc again.
Tipene and Lachie Hunter both chipped in with twos to see the margin out to 24 points, before the Seahawks could find consecutive scoring opportunities.
A late charge reeled in the deficit to 17 at the main break, but the hosts remained on the back foot heading into the second half of the game.
A Berkefeld three-pointer started the third term and again the Lakers were on the move.
They continued to pepper the scoreboard and a 14-point quarter from Berkefeld, backed up by teammates, saw the visitors carry a 41-point advantage into the final stanza.
From there Warrnambool stood little chance of recovery, but to the Seahawks’ credit they played the game out to restrict the margin to a mere eight-point growth.
Rodis opened the term with a two-pointer, before Tipene drained consecutive threes.
The Seahawks responded with two threes and a two of their own to even the playing field and from there the quarter was relatively even.
However, the Pioneers remained the better team and finished strongly to wrap up the game.
Looking at the championship standings, the Lakers men remain in second to Geelong United, but have two extra games to play to catch the ladder leaders.
This weekend the Lakers hit the road again for a meeting with the Bellarine Storm, who sit two positions bellow Warrnambool in eighth on the ladder.
