In the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference boys’ basketball game that took place on Thursday at Lakeview High School, Lakeview defeated Battle Creek Central 51-50 in a close, back-and-forth classic rivalry game that was resolved in a final, frantic 30-second period.
Five takeaways from the game on Thursday:
Sophomore Moves forward
Nothing had been decided in a game in which neither team had a lead larger than two possessions throughout the night.
Sophomore LeBron Campbell made LeBron Campbell, a sophomore, Two crucial plays in the most important game of his young varsity career, which included numerous big plays at crucial points.
With 24 seconds remaining, senior Walter Brown converted a free throw to give Lakeview a one-point lead. The BCC then tried to bring the ball upcourt against the Spartan press, which resulted in Campbell’s theft. With 14 seconds remaining, he was fouled immediately.
He would then miss two free throws, but Brown got the rebound and went back up with a shot. His second attempt also missed the mark, but a big rebound from Campbell, who stands at 5 feet 10 inches, allowed the Spartans to retain possession.
“That’s a big moment. You probably wouldn’t want a sophomore in the game. But at that point, you have to go with your gut. He did what he always does at practice. He has a great nose for the ball and makes big plays. Steve Wichmann, Lakeview coach, said, “What a great job by him.”
It was Campbell’s take and bounced back of the game, and he just had three focuses. However, his plays were the game-champs. In addition, once he had the ball, he threw it to the perimeter, allowing Lakeview to play keep-away until the final:07, when the buzzer sounded, giving the Spartans the victory and allowing the home fans to rush the court.
Wichmann added, “It has been kind of a veteran team, and that showed up in the end.”
“Almost everyone was aware of what they needed to do. There was no thought given to shooting or exuding.
Until the clock ran out, they passed the ball on to the next player.
Rivalry Lives Up To The Hype
With 3:30 left in the third quarter, a three-point play by Ke’Marion Tucker gave the BCC its most significant lead of the second half, 34-30.
Ethan Bagent’s 3-pointer toward the end of the period brought Lakeview back to within one, scoring 40-40.
They were too close for either team to escape.
Exhaust again hit a draw-up jumper off the break to give the Bearcats a 46-43 lead with 3:28 leftovers. With 1:43 remaining, Lakeview finally tied the game when Jashaun Boggerty hit a short floater, fell to the floor and was fouled for a three-point play, making it 48-48.
Wichmann stated, “How we kept our composure is what I’m most proud of.” Despite our numerous errors, we never stopped playing. While they occasionally made errors, they never stopped playing. It was simply a traditional dog fight.”
Ethan Rizor scored 11 points, including two early 3-pointers, and had four steals, while Brown had 11 points and ten rebounds to lead Lakeview. The Spartans improved to 2-1 with nine points, five rebounds from Bagent, nine points, and three steals from Boggerty.
Missed Opportunities
BCC also had a chance to take the lead or keep the information in the final minutes.
The Spartans gained another possession after forcing a BCC turnover on the full-court press after Lakeview tied the game at 48-48. With that additional opportunity, Lakeview posted its huge man Brown, who scored on a power layup to put the team up 50-48.
However, with 42 seconds remaining, BCC had a chance to take the lead when Tucker made a nice spin move in the lane but was fouled on a short jumper, making it 50-50. However, the Bearcats were penalized for lane possession when he attempted a free throw, and the game remained tied.
“It was the perfect rivalry game. Both teams put in a lot of effort and had a shot at winning. “In the last couple of minutes, who made the better decisions and the ball bouncing in the proper direction was what was important,” BCC coach Durant Crum said. When the game is in jeopardy, you can’t turn the ball over like that late in the game.
“But we still had a shot. We had too many squandered opportunities.”
Tucker led the Bearcats with 16 points and six rebounds, while Mark Lane had 12 points and five steals, and Kierre Youthful and Larenz Smith each had eight focuses as the Bearcats tumbled to 3-2.
What follows?
Before the holidays, both teams play on Tuesday, with Lakeview taking on Charlotte and BCC host Lansing Everett. However, the following high-profile games will be played at the BCC Fieldhouse’s traditional Chuck Turner Classic. On December 28 and 29, BCC will play Ypsilanti and Pennfield in two games spread out over two days. On December 29, Lakeview will take on Harper River, a rival.