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Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference "To be Canada's premiere collegiate athletic conference by developing and inspiring leadership through excellence in academics, sport and citizenship"
Posted: Feb 11, 2023

Lakeland Cruises to Victory Over Briercrest

Box Score
Game Leaders
LAKE
Pts: Noah Horobetz Simpson - 20
Reb: Noah Horobetz Simpson - 13
Ast: Abdul Al-Tamimi - 3
BC
Pts: 3 Players (#4, #6, #13) - 11
Reb: Danny Mullens - 8
Ast: 3 Players (#5, #8, #9) - 1
Team Stats
Full stats

by Jeff Misener

The Lakeland Rustlers (11-6, 3rd in North Division) rode into town to square off against the Briercrest Clippers (2-17, 7th in South Division) in a Saturday evening showdown. The playoff- bound Rustlers hoped to fine tune their game, while Briercrest sought to further their growing reputation as a never-give-up, fight-to-the-end team.

Both squads attacked the rim to start the game, with Lakeland forward Noah Simpson converting several excellent looks. The Rustlers, under the leadership of point guard Johnny Mims, used their size and quickness to great advantage as they surged to a double-digit lead. A three from Clippers' Ben Macdonald complemented the physical interior scoring of Matthew Bryant, but the overall strength of Lakeland was evident in their 28-13 lead.

A pair of Riley Seaborn threes opened the second quarter scoring for Briercrest as both teams freely ran the floor. Simpson and teammate Abdul Al-tamimi led the offensive assault on the inside, and Al-tamimi teamed up with De'Andre Anderson for some long distance success. Triples and a buzzer-beater from Clippers' Oroma Bongomin gave the crowd a brief surge of joy but the visitors carved out a healthy 56-28 advantage.

In the second half, Lakeland was content to run a controlled halfcourt offense and use most of the shot clock, while Briercrest pressed the issue with a combination of short jumpers and shots beyond the arc. Briercrest's Brolin Simes and Al-tamimi traded threes in the last seconds and Lakeland held a commanding 79-45 lead.

When Mims subbed out, Lakeland's Marius Avelino captained the offense. Noah and Jordan Simpson forced the issue in the paint for Lakeland, punishing the smaller Clipper rebounders and scoring at will. Lakeland's bench expanded the lead down the stretch, and the Rustlers won going away, 101-58.

One of six Lakeland players scoring in double figures was Jordan Simpson, who stepped in off the bench to score 14 points and add nine rebounds for Player of the Game honours. Teammate Noah Simpson led all players with 20 points and 13 rebounds. For Briercrest, Oroma Bongomin registered 11 points and six boards.