Despite a rally and the looks of a potential comeback upset in the third quarter, Lakewood ultimately dropped their winter tournament game to hosts Hobbton, 64-51.
“It was a heck of a ball game. I told my guys if we come out and play defense against Lakewood, we’ll have a good shot at it,” said Hobbton head coach Alfonza Hooper. “We worked hard as a team and while they did some things to make it interesting, we got it together in the fourth. We have to get better at free throw shooting, but overall I’m happy to get the win.”
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 20-6 lead but Lakewood was able to stop the bleeding a bit in the second quarter, the lead expanding by just three more points over the first quarter deficit, the halftime score standing at 35-18.
In an impressive display, Lakewood came back hard in the second half. Through aggressive moves, quick playing and good teamwork the gap had shrunk from 17 points to just six by the end of the third quarter, the score at 41-35.
That momentum went by the wayside in the final quarter, any chances of a possible comeback thwarted by the Wildcats, who would go on to the eventual 64-51 victory.
“We came back in the third quarter but just ran out of gas,” Lakewood coach Todd Wheeler explained. “We’re going to practice and run to change that. We had a good defense in the third quarter, played man to man, so I was happy to see that.”
Hobbton moved on to its tournament title game, while Lakewood will be playing Rosewood Tuesday, Jan. 2, at 7:30 p.m. Lakewood remains winless on the season, at 0-7.