WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) men's basketball team (8-2, 1-1 GLIAC) came back to take down the Saint Leo Lions (6-5, 1-2 SSC) in overtime by a final score of 74-65 to wrap up the JustAgame Classic on Tuesday.
The Lions were able to start the game hot, racing ahead to a 9-1 lead, but Tyson Edmondson (Ypsilanti, Mich.) was able to slow them down, hitting from beyond the arc. However, Saint Leo continued to press onward, leading by as many as 15 points, but the Lakers were not ready to go down so easily. Late in the half, Xander Okerlund (Empire, Mich.) and Devin Womack (Ypsilanti, Mich.) each hit on a three ball to chip into the lead, and Blake Cassidy (Pellston, Mich.) scored five straight points to have the Lakers only trailing 36-28 going into the break.
The momentum the Lakers gathered at the end of the opening half carried over into the second as Okerlund and Womack quickly erased the eight-point deficit less than two minutes into the second stanza. Then, Kingsley Perkins (Ypsilanti, Mich.) was able to start to find a rhythm after being held to just a single point in the first half, scoring three of the next LSSU baskets to give the Lakers their first lead of the game.
Both teams would then go back and forth, but the Lions would soon find themselves back up by five at the under-12 media timeout as their defense held the Lakers scoreless for just over five minutes of game time. Perkins continued to press the attack, getting inside for a layup and then hitting on another after Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.) secured the defensive rebound before launching an outlet pass up ahead to stay within three. Both defenses would then lock in, holding one another scoreless for three minutes going into the under-eight media timeout. Edmondson would end the scoring drought with a jumper, but Soper would follow that up by sinking a shot from distance to have LSSU right back within one with five minutes to go.
After Saint Leo went back up by three, Perkins was able to get himself back to the free throw line where he was able to hit on the first, but after missing the second, Soper was right there to clean it up with the put back to knot up the score at 55-55 at the final media timeout of the game with less than four minutes to play. Then, after the Lions were able to go back up by two, Okerlund hit a clutch three with just over 30 seconds left to give the Lakers the lead, but the Lions quickly raced down the court to tie up the game with two seconds left on the clock to send it into overtime.
Perkins was able to score first in overtime, hitting both attempts from the line after drawing a foul, but after the Saints tied up the score at 61-61, the Lakers jumped out to a six-point lead with three straight layups underneath. Then, after Edmondson secured a key offensive rebound, Andy Soma (Traverse City, Mich.) hit the dagger from beyond the arc as the Lakers closed out a thrilling 74-65 overtime victory in Wisconsin Dells to finish 2-0 at the JustAgame Classic.
Perkins and Okerlund led the Lakers in scoring with Perkins also dishing out a career-high nine assists from the post. Meanwhile, Womack was right behind them with 13 points and eight assists of his own while playing a full 40 minutes of action.
The Lakers will now return home where they will host the Lewis Flyers on Saturday, Dec. 30 in Bud Cooper Gymnasium to close out 2023 with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.