“We got off to a great start again,” said head coach Gary Grzesk. “I think our guys really enjoy playing at home in front of a nice crowd. The crowd really energized us in the first half. I thought our intensity on both ends was really good, especially to start the game.”
For the second game in a row the Muskies used great outside shooting to pull out to a quick lead that they would never relinquish. Lakeland shot 60 percent from behind the arc in the first half in a game that was tied up twice early, but the Muskies never trailed.
“It is not really by design,” said Grzesk, “but we are going to take our open looks. It worked out tonight that we took extra passes and had some good dribble penetration. The guys were unselfish and moved the basketball. We are not going to pass up open three’s.”
Sophomore Kris Saiberlich went 4-9 from the field, including 4-8 from behind the 3-point line, while freshman Matt Rogers was 2-2 from behind the arc. Rogers and Saiberlich tied for the team lead with 15 points each.
“Matt (Rogers) is so strong with the ball and can really finish around the basket,” said Grzesk. “The guys did a good job of setting him up with some nice passes. I thought Germayne (James) did a good job setting up some guys tonight, especially Kris (Saiberlich).”
The Muskies shot 51 percent from the game, while holding the Warriors to 37 percent shooting.
Lakeland extended its winning streak to eight games, improving their overall record to 15-4. They will play their second game of a three-game home stand on Tuesday, Jan. 24 when they host Concordia at 7:00 p.m.