Lakeside overcome gallant Buccs

Lakeside Lightning overcame a determined effort from Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers to win 113-90 in the men's State Basketball League on Saturday.

The Buccaneers fought through the absence of veteran centre Matt Wundenberg - who suited up but did not take the court - to stay competitive for the majority of the match, before foul trouble caught up with them late in the game as the Lightning extended their incredible winning streak to 14 games.

Geraldton trailed by just five points late in the third quarter but the hosts showed their class from there, outscoring the Buccaneers 41-23 for the rest of the game to win easily.

The momentum of the game changed entirely early in the fourth quarter when the Buccaneers were called for two unsportsmanlike fouls, one technical foul and one regular foul within 34 seconds. That allowed Lakeside to score nine points in that brief period and extend its lead to 23, from where it was never truly challenged.

Despite a far less polished performance than usual from the Lightning, Ben Beran was still able to score 25 points, while fellow American Luke Payne added 20 and youngster Darrell Morgan scored 15 in one of his most impressive performances of the season.

Geraldton imports Michael Lay and Todd Brown each finished with 21 points while veteran centre Ben Pepper had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Forward Aaron Ralph was held to just eight points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

The performances of youngsters Luke Wrensted and Jordan Myers would have been one of the most encouraging aspects for the Buccaneers. Wrensted started at point guard and held his own in his 29 minutes, finishing with six points, while Myers had 10 points from his 20 minutes.

Although Lakeside already had the minor premiership wrapped up and Geraldton was out of finals contention, it was a heated match with both sides desperate for the victory.

The Lightning looked rusty early but were still able to take a seven-point lead midway through the first quarter, only for the visitors to fight back to tie the score at quarter-time.

The home side appeared to have blown the game open when it went on a 21-2 run early in the second, but the Buccs' showed tremendous spirit to bring the margin back from 17 to five late in the third.

But Lakeside finished the third quarter on a 12-2 run to ensure it remained undefeated at home this season.

Geraldton wraps up its final road-trip of the season when it faces Perry Lakes on Sunday before hosting Stirling and Kalamunda, while the Lightning faces Mandurah and Southwest over the last two weeks of the regular season.

Article by Jacob Kagi at Lakeside Recreation Centre
Photo by Grant Lauterbach

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