By Trevor Jackson
THE Mount Gambier Lakers men reversed the women’s result in Round 15 of Country Basketball League on the weekend.
The men suffered at the hands of Horsham, with the Hornets claiming a tight 87-81 victory, while Portland were no match for the Lakers at the Icehouse, as the home side was dominant with a 97-62 win.
Mount Gambier found Horsham to tough to overcome on Saturday on the road, after giving the Hornets too big a lead in the opening half.
The Lakers trailed by 12 points at the first break, with the Hornets extending it to 16 at half time.
That left a lot of work for the Lakers after the break and they appeared up to the task.
Mount Gambier outscored Horsham by three points in the third term, then seven in the final stanza, but it was not enough to overtake the home side.
Simon Berkefeld top scored for the Lakers with 14 points, while Toby deWit and Kane deWit contributed 13 each.
Kyle Tipene and Braiden Ousey finished with 12 points each.
It was the complete opposite at the Icehouse on Sunday as the Lakers dominated their clash with Portland.
The Coasters put in a solid first term, but from there, apart from the final stanza, it was all about the lakers.
The homes side claimed the first term by six points, then stamped their authority on the contest in the second with a 25-11 term.
The third was a similar result, with the Lakers on top 26-13, while the final stanza saw the home side win by just two points.
However, it was enough to claim a big victory to finish the weekend and the minor rounds in style.
Berkefeld did much of the damage for the Lakers, with 20 points, while Tipene was close behind Ben Young (16) and Nelson Forbes (14) rounded out the double-figure scorers.
The Lakers now enjoy a bye before the playoffs begin.
