PEARCY, Ark. – Lakeside took over third place in the boys 5A South race Friday night at the Wolf Den with an impressive 68-47 win over Lake Hamilton (11-7, 5-3).
The Rams improve to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in conference. Pine Bluff was unbeaten going into Friday’s action, and Texarkana Arkansas High is second at 6-2.
Lakeside’s head coach Eddie Lamb was still celebrating, and asked the attending media to interview his assistant Brandon Burton.
Third place is fine right now
“We just had some players step up and make some big plays,” said Burton. “We had a nice run in the third quarter and was able to hold on. Coach Lamb and I really like these kids and the team we have. When we share the ball we’re pretty good.”
Burton noted how well senior Caleb Campbell and Taevon Johnson played. Campbell just missed a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Tyler Frederick led the Rams’ offense with 15 points. Seth Poindexter scored his 6 points during Lakeside’s 12-0 run in the third quarter.
The Wolves led on a couple of occasions in the first half, but Lakeside took a 28-23 advantage to the dressing room at halftime. A 3-pointer by Campbell with 2:59 left in the third period put the Rams on top, 42-30. Twenty seconds later Campbell scored a conventional three-point play. It was 50-35 going into the final eight minutes.
Sophomore leads Lake Hamilton
Lake Hamilton rallied within 10 early in the fourth quarter behind sophomore Zac Pennington. The six-foot guard led the Wolves with 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Post Chase Jessup added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the host team.
“Zac (Pennington) is a really good young player,” said Burton. “We hate that we’ve got to deal with him the next two years. He runs the show for them, and does a good job. Tonight our guys really played well.
“Every conference game left is going to be tough and important. As a league I think some folks tend to overlook us. I know every night is a grind for us, and any road win is a good win.”