By Drew Hansen
Iowa Lakes entered the weekend on a sour note, but exited with a pair of commanding double-digit victories over Iowa Central.
After dropping two to NIACC Thursday, the men’s and women’s basketball teams picked up a pair of wins over the Tritons on Saturday, Feb. 2. The women kicked off the doubleheader with a 72-61 win and the men closed the night with an 84-64 victory in Estherville.
Charity stripe favors Lakers
The Laker women capitalized on a plethora of trips to the free throw line Saturday, scoring 34 of their 72 points from the charity stripe in a convincing win over the Tritons.
Iowa Lakes shot 40 free throws while the Tritons shot just 26.
Iowa Central coach Kelly Kruger received a technical foul late in the third quarter after a heated discussion with the referees.
Iowa Lakes coach Ashley Martin thought her athletes put together four good quarters of basketball.
“Great win by our team today,” she said. “I am very proud of our effort on the defensive end, holding a very good Iowa Central team to 61 (points). I really liked our energy and focus today. Hoping we can build on this and continue to improve.”
Brianna Wendland paved the way for the Lakers. The freshman tallied 27 points — 13 of which came from free throws. Fellow frosh Sharice Smith added 19 points and also knocked down 13 free throws.
Justice Crooks led the Tritons with 15 points off the bench.
Iowa Lakes improved to 18-5 overall on the year and 6-3 in conference play.
Laker men push pace in 20-point win
The men’s team duplicated the women’s success Saturday with a victory to complete the doubleheader sweep. The Lakers defeated the Tritons in dominating fashion, outscoring the visitors 84-64.
Iowa Lakes jumped out to a commanding 46-23 halftime lead and never looked back.
Iowa Lakes coach Troy Larson was happy with his team’s win, but saw room for improvement.
“We still have to work on the little things and this team will come together,” he said.
Sophomore Jacob Rau thought defense was key in the victory.
“We had to come together as a team and play better defense and we did,” he said.
Lamontae Lewis led the charge for the Lakers with 21 bench points. He credited his teammates for his performance.
“I look forward to my teammates to help me get my shot going and helping me come off the bench and produce,” he said.
Solomon Clayton recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Jennings added 12 points.
Iowa Central was led by Royshawn Webb and Dallas Bailey, who both scored 17 points for the Tritons.
With the win, Iowa Lakes boosted its record to 15-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
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