Men's Basketball Weekend Recap | November 6, 2017
The Lakeland Rustlers Men's Basketball team swept the Concordia Thunder on the weekend, with a 93-86 overtime victory in Edmonton Friday night and an 80-71 win in Lloydminster on Saturday.
The Rustlers defeated the Thunder 93-86 in overtime Friday night in a game in which the Rustlers let the Thunder come back in the second half. The Rustlers got out to a quick start, opening up an 11-2 lead just over two minutes into the game. The Thunder cut the lead to four late in the quarter, but the Rustlers scored late to lead 29-22 after one.
Both teams got out to a quick start in the second quarter, before going on scoring droughts. The Rustlers were able to break their scoring drought thanks to two layups by 3rd-year guard Lual Ateam, and then 4th-year forward PJ Garnder and 1st-year forward Michael Shelast each hit a three-pointer to open up the Rustlers lead to 46-29. At the half, the Rustlers lead 55-36.
In the third quarter, the Rustlers struggled to score, only score 15 points. The Thunder were able to take advantage of the Rustlers struggles, scoring 23 points of their own and cutting the lead to 70-59. The Rustlers struggles continued in the fourth, with the Thunder making it a four-point game two minutes into the quarter.
It was another low scoring quarter for the Rustlers, who only managed 10 points, while the Thunder clawed their way back, scoring 21 points to force overtime. The Rustlers came out quickly in overtime, scoring the first eight points. The Thunder could not overcome the lead built by the Rustlers as they pulled out the 93-86 victory.
The Rustlers were led by fourth year guard Terrell Murdaugh who had 23 points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals. The Rustlers also got 17 points, five rebounds and three steals from Gardner while third year forward Artavis Holiday added 15 points and eight rebounds.
Saturday night, the Rustlers defeated the Thunder 80-71. The teams started off slow and went back and forth early in the first quarter, with the score tied at nine halfway through the quarter. The teams would continue to go back and forth for the rest of the first before the Rustlers took an 18-17 lead after one.
The Rustlers came out strong to start the second quarter, opening the quarter on an 8-0 run. The Thunder responded with a 9-0 run of their own by drawing fouls to tie the score at 26. The Rustlers were then able to get stops and draw offensive fouls on the Thunder, allowing them to open up a 38-32 lead at the half. The Thunder cut the Rustlers lead to 2 early in the third quarter, but the Rustlers responded by going on a 6-0 run, regaining an 8 point lead. The teams went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, and the Rustlers led 54-52 after three.
The Rustlers came out with lots of energy to start the fourth quarter and increased their lead to 6. The Thunder tried to cut into the Rustlers lead, but every time the Thunder made a push, the Rustlers responded. The Thunder could not overtake the Rustlers, as the Rustlers won 80-71.
The Rustlers were led by second year guard Brandon Isaac who had 22 points, earning himself Player of the Game honors. The Rustlers also got 11 points, four rebounds and four assists from Garnder.
The Rustlers continue to find themselves having someone different lead the team in scoring nearly every night. "We have so many good players, everyone one shares the ball, so anyone could be the leading scorer any night," Isaac said.
Gardner echoed Isaac's thoughts. "We like our team," Gardner said, "everyone can contribute. Each week we are coming together more and every game we find improvements and what we need to work on."
Rustlers Head Coach Sheray Thomas like the improvements he sees from his team. "We are playing gritty and playing together," Thomas said. "In the loses we had, we only lost a quarter in each game. When you have guys that are playing together and unselfishly, good things happen."
The Rustlers have their bye weekend November 11th and 12th but will return to the court November 17th and 18th as they host the Keyano Huskies.