Bruins repel Lakeside’s 3-point barrage
Lakeside flashed its lethal outside shooting Thursday morning, but, in the end, Pulaski Academy guard Tra Johnson would not be denied.
Known more for his skills on the gridiron as a wide receiver for the fourtime reigning state champion Bruins, Johnson scored a game-high 20 points as PA withstood Lakeside’s 3-point barrage for a 60-53 win in the Chartwells Spa City Shootout at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
“He was just so much stronger than our kids and he could get to the rim at any time,” Lakeside coach Eddie Lamb said of Johnson. “We knew going in that he was going to be a tough matchup. He’s not a great shooter, but a really good player. He’s so physically strong.”
PA guard Grayson Koller connected on a shot from behind the arc to give the Bruins a 47-37 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the
Rams refused to back down.
Lakeside guard Patrick Davis buried three 3-pointers of his own before two free throws from senior Phillip Gayle pulled the Rams within 57-52 with 1:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“We’re showing that resiliency that we’ll get down and we’ll fight to get back into it,” said Lamb. “I know coaches say the same thing, but we really don’t have any quit in this team. They’re not just giving up the ship when they get down 10 or 11. We found a way to get right back in it and we made some plays.”
Gayle later converted on
1 of 2 shots from the line to trim the gap to 57-53 with less than a minute to play, but Lakeside got no closer. Brett Lynch found an opening for a layup and later iced the game by completing a three-point play at the free throw line to set the final margin.
Withstanding six points from Johnson, the Rams traded shots with PA in a back-and-forth first quarter. Lakeside guard Josh Villano opened the game with a
3-pointer, while Tazz Glover, Andrew Igbokidi and Sawyer Lamb each scored two points.
Koller’s trey gave the Bruins a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter before Lakeside started to heat up from outside. Sawyer Lamb connected on two 3-pointers in the second quarter, while Davis and Villano each knocked down one.
Lakeside finished with 10 3-pointers in the loss, Davis and Sawyer Lamb combining for seven baskets from behind the arc.
“We practice it a lot and, finally, it started clicking today and we hit some shots,” Eddie Lamb said. “Patrick seemed like he was playing a city league game. He was just pulling it from wherever he wanted and we give him the green light to do that. Sawyer has free reign to do what he needs to do because he’s our guard, and Phillip really stepped up today.”
Johnson scored seven points in the second quarter, going coast to coast for a buzzer-beating floater that gave the Bruins a 31-25 lead at the half.
A 3-pointer from Gayle had the Rams within 35-34 midway through the third quarter before PA started to pull away. Lynch answered with a trey of his own, and big man Griffin Newby scored four straight points inside as the Bruins stretched their lead to 42-36 entering the final frame.
“It’s the little things that we do, leading to four or six points a game, that is costing us,” said Eddie Lamb. “If we could shore up some of those things, like free throw rebounding or a turnover that turns into an easy basket the other way, we’ll be fine. Offensively, we are executing well and, defensively, we are holding our own.”
Sawyer Lamb paced the Rams with 15 points, while Davis finished with 12 points, Igbokidi had eight points and Gayle scored seven points. Lynch had 11 points for the Bruins and Newby finished with eight points.
PA will face Mountain Pine in the consolation bracket at 11:30 a.m. today. Lakeside (1-11) resumes conference play against visiting El Dorado Tuesday night at Lakeside Athletic Complex.
“I feel great about us,” Eddie Lamb said. “We just battled two really good teams and went down to the wire. I just hope the community sticks with us, and I know they will. We had one of the biggest crowds we’ve had all year in our last home game. I just encourage our people to come back out Tuesday and support these kids.”