Try as they might, the Brandon Blackhawks could not rally from a first quarter deficit against visiting Lakeland Jan. 6.
Lakeland outscored the Blackhawks 16-8 in the opening stanza on their way to a 45-40 victory, dropping Brandon’s record to 2-3.
The Blackhawks got out of the gate slowly, as Lakeland’s offense made several long-distance passes downcourt to beat the Brandon defense for layups. Lakeland took an 11-5 lead before Brandon coach Denny Butcher called time out.
However, the Blackhawks fell behind even further as Lakeland established their eight-point lead at the end of the first.
Brandon’s offense got untracked in the second quarter, powered by the inside game of Joe Turcsak (15 points, including 7-of-11 from the free throw line) and the slashing of Gjon Nicaj (six points).
However, the Blackhawks could not make a significant dent in the score, as Lakeland took a 30-24 lead into the half and held on for the victory.
Kevin Ward scored 14 points to lead Lakeland, while Tom Schaefer and Adam Howard helped out the Brandon cause with seven points each.
The Blackhawks return to action Jan. 13 when they host Hamady at 7:30 p.m.