The Lambton Lions men’s basketball team closed out a four-game home stand with a pair of double-digit wins against the visiting Sault College Cougars inside the Lambton College Athletics & Fitness Complex over the weekend of October 26-27.
On the heels of a heartbreaking loss to the Mohawk Mountaineers in their last outing, the Lions came into the weekend looking for a bounce-back performance to close out their home stand. When the dust settled, the Lions added two more wins to their resume.
Lambton picked up a 95-74 win on Saturday afternoon, and they followed that up with a 77-59 win on Sunday to complete the two-game sweep.
While Saturday’s end result was a 21-point win for the Lions, the Cougars made the home side work for the win in the second half.
The Cougars were riding an emotional high after notching their first regular season win in more than three years the game prior, and they were looking to make it two in a row against the Lions. Just when it looked as though the Lions were going to run away with the win, the visitors hit a few shots to go on a mini run and made Lambton work through to the final buzzer.
Lambton’s lead was never seriously threatened down the stretch despite a game-high 27 points from the Cougars’ Simon Wal, and the Lions picked up the 95-74 win.
Guard Tyvell Peters (Jane & Finch, Ont.) led all Lambton scorers with 24 points in the win, while Jason Watts (Detroit, Mich.) recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in as many games.
On Sunday, the Lions were without guards Kardon Edwards (Brampton, Ont.) and Kam David (Brampton, Ont.), both of whom play at the point guard spot. Despite their losses in the back court, the Lions were still up to the challenge from the Cougars.
Sault College led by four after the first quarter, 25-21. Lambton flicked a switch in the second frame, turning a four-point deficit into a six-point advantage for themselves at the break. The Lions built on their lead in the second half, rolling to the 77-59 win over the Cougars.
Watts led all scorers on the afternoon, posting 19 points to go along with eight rebounds in the win. His double-double streak ended at three games as a result. Despite shooting just 5-of-17 from the field, Deiondre Reid (Scarborough, Ont.) finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Journee Joseph (Brampton, Ont.) came off the bench and had himself a productive outing. In 27 minutes, Joseph posted 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals while shooting 50.0% from the field.
With the weekend sweep, the Lions improve to 3-1 on the year, while the Cougars dropped to 1-2 as a result.
On the heels of their four-game home stand to open the year, the Lions now head on the road for five of their next seven contests to close the fall semester. Lambton will head to Ancaster, Ontario to take on the high-powered Redeemer Royals on Friday, November 1st.
Opening tip on Friday is set for 8 p.m.