NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA LAKERS
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The Orillia Lakers U14 boys’ incredible Hoop City Basketball League season came to a quick end this weekend in the semifinals.
Having earned the third seed in the 23-team league, featuring many of the best teams in Ontario, the Lakers received a bye to the semifinal due to a forfeit. Sunday’s semifinal showdown was against the Durham Gators, who would go on to win the championship that night.
The first half featured many lead changes after the Lakers battled back from an early deficit. Though they didn’t make a three-pointer until late in the half, the Lakers used their defence and speed to score on the fast break and led 28-27 at the half.
The Gators opened the second half on an 11-0 run to take control of the game, but the Lakers kept chipping away at the lead. By late in the fourth quarter, the Gators were attempting to run as much time as they could each possession as the lead steadily shrunk down to a single point in the final minute. The Lakers forced a turnover when Nathan Litherland’s smothering defense caused a five-second violation to get possession back.
The Lakers then briefly took the lead on a short jumper from William LePage on a great pass from Kelechi Nwokeke. The Gators responded with a basket with 11 seconds left and the Lakers failed to score on a couple of tough late chances, which could have sent them to the final. The final score was Gators 58, Lakers 57.
The team’s next action is Ontario Basketball League play this weekend in Hamilton.
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