Trevor Jackson
ROUND 8 of the Country Basketball League season promised a blockbuster at the Icehouse and lived up to all expectations.
The women kicked off proceedings, with the Lakers hosting Millicent in was panned out as an entertaining clash, with nothing in the contest until the final buzzer, which set the scene for the men’s clash to follow.
Millicent had proven to be the team to beat this year, undefeated at the top of the ladder and taking care of business unhindered.
However, the Lakers were equally impressive, with four wins from four outings prior to hosting the Magic and claimed a nail-biting victory, along with top spot on the ladder, as the clock wound down.
Both sides started the game with depleted rosters and it was the young Mount Gambier girls who kicked off proceedings in style.
The low-scoring contest showed the defensive intensity of both sides, as the Lakers pushed for an early advantage, with Sophie Miles the driving force around the attacking zone.
She teamed up well with Mikaela Horrigan and Maddy Wormald to provide a real headache to the Millicent defenders.
While many expected the Magic to run away with the contest, the Lakers took a six-point advantage to the first break to put Millicent on notice.
The Magic bounced back in the second term, with the experienced Alana Berkefeld and Pioneer Jasmin Howe showing the youngsters the way.
They closed the margin to two points, but the Lakers refused to go away and continued to push hard in the third term.
Again just one basket split the two sides in the third quarter, favouring the home side.
Neither side was able to make a decisive break, as the contest continued basket-for-basket.
Edie Easterby and Tayla Rowe were proving a handful for the Lakers’ defence, while at the other end of the floor, Sarah Ritter and Cara Nulty were causing headaches for Millicent.
The final stanza came down to case of discipline, as the two sides battled for the cross-town honours.
With just minutes on the clock a couple of successful shots was all that separated the two sides, as coaches called time outs to draw up plays and look for the advantage.
In the end the Lakers won out, as the took care of the ball as time ticked away, with the a final scoreline of 57-52.
For the victors, Miles top scored with 13 points, while Mikaela Horrigan (12) and Wormald (11) also added double-figure scores.
For Millicent, Howe finished with a game-high 24 points, while Berkefeld contributed 10.
