With Walter Sampson out to injury, the Lakers need to retool themselves a bit in a must win game against the SUNY New Paltz Hawks, they didn’t disappoint. After a shaky first few minutes, the Lakers dominated the remainder of the game to cruise past the Hawks.
Without regular starter Walter Sampson, who will miss some time with a high ankle sprain, the Lakers plan of attack did not change. They went about their regular offensive game plan of passing the ball until an open look was found.
They found their offensive stroke early and it did not stop. After the Lakers went ahead 11-10 with 13:59 left in the first half they never lost the lead.
Both Brian Sortino and Kyle Covley stepped up in Sampson’s absence, putting up a combined effort of 45 points.
“He’s one of the best point guards in the conference,” Sortino said. “I haven’t played point guard in a while, but I held my own and Kyle played exceptionally well.”
Sortino scored 21 points along with game high scorer Covley’s 24.
The pair were marksmen from behind the three-point line in the first half, helping the Lakers shoot 9-for-18 from beyond the arc. The two of them had a streak where they hit five in a row between them. The Lakers went on a 16-2 run highlighted by Sortino and Covley’s efforts to overturn a 10-5 deficit to a 21-12 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Hawks were not doing themselves any favors on offense either, committing their usual turnovers and failing to give themselves clear opportunities. Credit should be given to the Lakers’ defense however, as they didn’t let Hawks get much space. The Hawks went 19-for-54 from the field, as they struggled offensively all night.
“Our mindset was on the defense, coach told us to keep getting defensive stops and that it’ll eventually lead to offense,” Sortino said.
The Lakers controlled the game after they had grabbed the lead. They shot 16-for-34 from the field overall in the first half.
Sortino hit three first half three-pointers, which helped fire him to 16 points in the first 20 minutes. Covley was second in points at the half, he hit four three pointers as well and had 12 points.
“After the last game I didn’t think that I shot well so I made sure that I worked extra hard at it in practice this week, my teammates helped me out a lot.”
Looking ahead, the Lakers face a quick turnaround as they’ll take on an Oneonta team that beat them by 38 points in their first meeting this season. The Lakers are still striving to make their playoff push.
“We’ve got nine games left now so it’s now or never to define our season,” Covley said. “We just have to go finish out strong.”
Despite the absence of their starting point guard, as a unit the team looked primed to play. And in the second half it became a forgone conclusion of the result, the Lakers simply played a superior game.
The Hawks attempted to put pressure on Sortino as he brought up the ball. But the Lakers stayed patient and showed why they are the fourth best team in the country in not turning the ball over. They stayed patient, kept their passing crisp and efficient, and took the open shot when they finally had it.
“I thought the players came out with a very energetic and competitive mindset,” Coach Jason Leone said. “And it always helps when the ball is finding its way into the basket.”
With his team in the thick of its season, where every win or loss could mean something different at the end, Leone knows that his team can right itself for the stretch run.
“I’m happy for Kyle, he was impressive,” Leone said. “He came in and got extra work in this week. And Brian is Brian, over the last four or five games he’s been on an incredible tear scoring the ball.”
The Lakers will take on the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Max Ziel Gymnasium as they attempt to win two straight home games for the first time this season.
