by Matt Wright
The Lakeland Lions boys and girls teams kicked off the 2020-2021 season Thursday evening with both teams cruising to victory over the Millington Trojans.
Varsity Girls
The Lady Lions are led by several experienced players that dominated the Trojans from the opening buzzer to the end. Lakeland had multiple opportunities for second chance points after crashing the boards and racking up offensive rebounds, many times 3 or 4 offensive rebounds in a row. Millington simply could not compete under the glass and the final score reflected that with the Lions winning 59-12. While every Lions player contributed to scoring, Campbell Funk (8th grade) lead all scorers with 15 points while Kayla Taylor (8th Grade) kicked in 14 points. The entire team also handled the ball efficiently breaking down the Millington defense.
Coach Candice McGuire is once again coaching the girls’ team and she bragged on the their play after the victory. “I’m proud of our team and their collective efforts to get the win last night. My girls played well and demonstrated a true team mentality.” She continued saying, “the girls have been putting in hard work in practice daily to improve and learn to trust each other and in their individual abilities as we incorporate 3 new-to-Lakeland players to the varsity team. I am excited to watch these girls play and be a part of their success.”
The Lady Lions had a very successful season last year and returned some of their best players which should position them well in municipal league play over the next few months.
Varsity Boys
After a bit of a slow start, the varsity boys team also cruised to a dominant win over the visiting Trojans ending in a final score of 56-24. The varsity team for Prep is made up of five 7th graders and seven 8th graders. Head Coach Chance Coleman was pleased with the effort after the game, even though it took a quarter to get going. “We are extremely proud of the boys tonight. We got off to a slow start, but as the game progressed the team started to relax and play.”
Jackson Lyons (8th grade) lead the team in scoring with 12 points, with Gino Rouss (8th grade) and Quinn Wright (7th grade) adding 8 points apiece. Lyons was also efficient on defense, blocking shots and altering others. The big man for the Lions also grabbed multiple rebounds which allowed for kick-outs and second-chance points. Point guard Zeke Cowell (7th grade) did a great job leading the offense and distributing the ball in the motion offense. An additional positive sign, everyone on the Lions team played, and either contributed points or great defense, something that excited Coach Coleman. “Defensively, when we switched to man, we urged the players to be more aggressive and apply more pressure on the ball. The entire team answered the call and we were able to take advantage of several created turnovers. We feel this was the difference maker in the game,” Coach Coleman said. That was especially evident when Prep switched to a 2-2-1 full-court press that caused several turnovers by the Trojans.
According to Coach Coleman practice has been good for both the JV team (6th graders) and the varsity alike. Coach Coleman bragged on the kids saying, “During practice, Coach Posey, Coach Godwin, and myself spend a lot of time pushing both the 6th Grade and Varsity teams to work together and help each other get better. We’re very pleased how the kids are exhibiting great work ethic and coachability. In just a few weeks of practice, both teams have made great strides fundamentally on offense and defense.” He finished by saying, “this will serve as a good foundation to build on as we go further into our schedules.”
Lakeland Prep plays again next Thursday facing off against a very good Elmore Park team.
