By Tyler Bennett
SARNIA – Onto the next one.
On Sunday afternoon, the Lambton Men’s Basketball Program went to battle with the fourth-ranked Humber Hawks and were looking to extend their winning streak to three games in the process. The Lions remained within striking distance for most of the day, but Humber’s depth proved to be too much in the end as the visitors came away with the 86-73 win inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex.
The loss drops Lambton to 2-2 on the year, while the Hawks improve to 4-0.
Tyrelle Miller (Brampton, Ont.) had a team-high 16 points to go along with five assists. Tadre Morse (Toronto, Ont.) had 15 points and seven rebounds in his return to the starting lineup.
Guard Kam David (Brampton, Ont.) flirted with a triple-double, finishing the day with 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Coming into the game, the focus for the Lions was to contain the Hawks’ high-powered offense, one that came into Sunday’s tilt averaging more than 103 points per game over their three contests. Lambton held the Hawks well below their seasonal average, and they limited the Hawks to 38.8% shooting from the field and 18.8% from three-point range.
It was a back and forth start to the game, as the Hawks and Lions traded leads as they got a feel for one another. A late three from Miller helped the Lions take a four-point lead after the opening 10 minutes. Journee Joseph (Brampton, Ont.) gave the offense a spark in the first quarter, going 3-for-3 from the field for six of his 15 points.
The second quarter saw Humber flip the script, taking a four-point lead of their own into halftime. Lambton quickly regained the lead with five points in the first minute of the third quarter, but Humber responded on their next possession to retake the lead.
From there, they wouldn’t relinquish the lead again. The Lions continued to fight down the stretch but weren’t able to overcome the Hawks in the end, falling 86-73.
The Lions will look to regroup ahead of what will be a busy week. Lambton returns to the court on Wednesday, February 23rd when they open up a three-game road trip against the Fanshawe Falcons. The game also marks the first of three games in a five-day stretch for the program.
Wednesday’s game is set to tip off at roughly 8:00 p.m. at the conclusion of the Women’s Game.