Leopards squashed by Gators
Feb. 2—The Lady Leopards took a devestating loss at home to the Gators in a chaotic game that saw them flounder on the hardwood, desperately trying to rally only to fall flat. East Columbus took the convincing win, 52-22.
In the first five minutes of the contest, the Lady Leopards had held their own, going toe to toe with the Gators. Those opening minutes were the highlight of Lakewood's evening as the game devolved quickly. Lashaunta Joyner and Honestee Williams aided in keeping the momentum rolling, with Joyner sinking a beautiful three from range and Williams fighting through defenders to create an opportunity at the net.
The Leopards were manhandled by East Columbus from there however, and would be held to just eight with the opposition tacking on 19 to close out the first.
East Columbus came out swinging in the second but were plagued by traveling call and various other penalties. Unfortunately, it was the same for the Leopards who in addition to penalities, couldn't handle the ball and gave away possession frequently. As seconds ticked by, the Lady Gators were relentless despite the stoppages and were able to put up seven more points, holding Lakewood to nothing for a majority of the quarter. It was Joyner who'd break the cycle of scorelessness and swished a jumper from close range.
With limited time the Leopards couldn't do anything else to add more to the board and were forced to go into halftime carrying an 18 point deficit, 28-10.
After the break, East Columbus made quick work of the Leopards as they were thrown into the woodchipper immediately. Point after point, the deficit grew immensely and the Gators began pouring it on. The mishandling of the rock was apparent which held to a multitude of errors and giveaways allowing Columbus to make easy work of Lakewood.
The Leopards made some plays as they turned up the aggression and began making plays in the paint which was a weakness in the beginning. They were coming down with rebounds on offense and defense but the lackluster transition game hindered them from progressing any further. Lakewood managed to put up only seven point to the Lady Gators 17, which put them in even deeper going into the final frame, 45-17.
In the fourth, the Leopards were clearly downtrodden as they were helpless to slow down the Gators. It was much of the same as passes soared over teammates, shots flying into the backboard and bouncing back, or mishandling of the rock giving possession away. Lakewood would manage only five points in the frame as they ran into a brick wall. East Columbus tore them apart and took the win handedly, 52-22.
Lakewood fall to 7-8 after the loss and will close out the week facing the Union Spartans (12-4). They will be looking to take out this loss on Union, given their last meeting ended in a four point defeat with their county neighbors taking the win. The game is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 2. at 6 p.m.
Reach Anthony McConnaughey at amcconnaughey@clintonnc.com, X @SampsonSports or on the Sampson Independent Facebook page
