NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA LAKERS
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In need of a big weekend, the Orillia Lakers U15 boys had just that, sweeping three games in the National Junior Circuit (NJC).
The Orillia Lakers U15 boys haven’t had it easy in the NJC. Beginning the weekend 1-5 in the NJC, the Grade 9 team had shown signs of inexperience. Despite being consistently competitive in first halves, they had trouble finishing games. With three big wins this weekend, the team is showing signs of improvement and that it won’t be easily beaten even in the best high school junior league in the country.
The first game of the weekend against St. Jude’s Academy saw the Lakers come out strong. Hot shooting by Nathan Litherland, who finished five of six from three-point range, helped chase St. Jude’s out of their preferred zone defence. From there, Caden McFee, who finished with 28 points, and Takoda Plett with eight assists, helped pace the team to a 26-point third-quarter lead. The Lakers then came face to face with their second-half issues when the lead was trimmed down to only eight with four minutes to go, but they were able to regain control and finish with an 85-74 win.
Next the Lakers faced SC Academy and the Lakers had easily their best game of the young season. The Lakers were poised and precise against an aggressive full-court press, which led to easy baskets in transition. Litherland continued the best weekend of his career with an efficient 31 points to lead the team, while McFee had 21 and Darius Wilson had 19. Wilson and William LePage combined to neutralize SC Academy’s top threat as the Lakers pulled away for a 107-74 win.
The final game of the weekend provided the most drama as tired legs seemed to take away all the poise and precision. Jungle Prep forced the Lakers to commit 37 turnovers. The Lakers made up for it by out-rebounding Jungle Prep. Dmitri Zakiev led the team with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while McFee wasn’t far behind with 24 and 14. LePage finished with 10 assists and five steals as the Lakers pulled away late for an 87-83 win.
The team would like to thank sponsors JL Construction, Rama First Nation, Flynn Group, Simcoe Development, Telford Property Management, and Cubic Feet Designs. The team is now 4-5 in the National Junior Circuit and 8-6 overall.
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