It was a good run, but the Lakeside Panthers unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of Evans by a score of 65-63. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Lakeside has suffered yet this season.
Lakeside's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ty Jones, who scored 20 points. Jones has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last five times he's played. Mi?keal Grissom was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Even though they lost, Lakeside smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Evans only pulled down four offensive rebounds.
Evans' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Taj Ford, who scored 26 points along with five rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Ford has scored at least a third of Evans' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rayshaun King, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds.
Lakeside's defeat was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 9-5. As for Evans, their victory bumped their record up to 7-9.
Lakeside will take on New Hampstead at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. New Hampstead has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games. Evans won't have much time to rest: their next match is against South Effingham at 3:30 p.m. on January 13th. South Effingham is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'.
