Basketball Game Preview: Lakeland Lakers vs. Eastside Blazers

The Lakeland Lakers and the Eastside Blazers will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The timing isn't great for Lakeland: they have been struggling with five straight losses at home, while Eastside has snatched up seven consecutive wins on the road dating back to last season.

Lakeland is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Angola on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Lakeland lost 70-44 to Angola. The Lakers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-18.

Despite the defeat, Lakeland got top-tier performance from Dulce Canedo, who went 9 of 17 on her way to 26 points. Canedo's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Eastside). They blew past Lakewood Park Christian 78-51 on Tuesday. The Blazers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 20 points or more this season.

Eastside's victory bumped their record up to 11-0. As for Lakeland, their loss dropped their record down to 3-9.

Lakeland was taken down by Eastside 63-28 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Will Lakeland have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.