Trevor Jackson
A CONSISTENT three quarters, followed by a final-term blitz saw the Mount Gambier Lakers men claim a dominant 92-60 victory over the Warrnambool Seahawks on Saturday night.
The Round 6 Country Basketball fixture played out at the Icehouse, with the Lakers enjoying support from die-hard fans.
An even first term saw the Lakers lay the foundations for a strong performance, with a 20-17 quarter where the Seahawks threw everything at them.
That began to change in the second quarter, with the Lakers then finding their range, with shots falling to win the term by eight points and further extend the margin.
Another even third quarter saw the Seahawks with some hope of chasing down the growing margin, but that was put to rest in the final stanza as the Lakers banged on 31 points to the Seahawks’ 13.
Much of the damage came off the hot hand of Kyle Tipene, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
Simon Berkefeld also showed some brilliance, with some tough shots on his way to 16 points.
Ben Young (13), Duncan Reid (12) and Toby deWit (11) reached double figures as well, proving the depth of the Mount Gambier side.
Warrnambool looked to Ashley Keen under the hoop with 13 points, while Harry McGorm also reached double figures with 11.
However, the Lakers were just too strong on their home deck and remain undefeated for the season after four games.
The result keeps them in second place, just behind Ararat Redbacks, with the latter having played and won five games.
The Lakers will now look forward to a double-header round at home, with the first to be a clash against the Redbacks, before Sunday sees the Surfcoast Chargers visit the Icehouse.
