THUNDER BAY – Earlier this week, Lock Lam said he wanted another shot at the Guelph Gryphons.
Thanks to a second-half comeback he helped power, the Lakehead Thunderwolves might just make his wish come true.
The Wolves on Friday night battled from eight back at the half to torch the second-place Brock Badgers 94-74 at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse to jump McMaster into fifth place in the OUA West at 10-13. A win on senior’s night against the Badgers, or a McMaster loss to Western would give Lam, who lost a tooth in a game against the Gryphons, the match-up he wants.
For now, the rookie forward is just happy his team had the fortitude to battle back against a tough opponent like the Badgers, who came into the game hping for a first-round bye, but saw that dream die in Thunder Bay after dropping a game behind Western with one to go and on the wrong side of the tiebreaker.
Lam, who battled foul trouble in the first, returned in the second half to provide the spark at both ends of the court, finishing with 18 points, six boards and give blocked shots.
“We just had to come and bring it in the second half. That was it,” Lam said. “We buckled down defensively and we hit shots.”
It sounds rather simple when you put it like that.
It also took focus, taking on a team that wasn't about to roll over at any point.
After falling behind by nine early in the fourth, the Badgers went on an 8-0 run to close the gap to 67-66, but foul trouble struck.
Noah LaPierre was handled a technical fouling Davarius Wright on a breakaway dunk attempt and three foul shots later, the Wolves lead was back to five.
A Quincy Johnson no-look hoop and a steal and dunk by Wright pushed it to nine again and Lakehead never looked back, Nick Burke answering a Johneil Simpson three with one of his own that seemed to take the bite out of the Badgers.
The Wolves then scored the final 14 points of the contest to turn a six-point game into a laugher.
It was a fantastic effort, said Burke, who on Saturday will be honoured for five years of service at Lakehead and will also play his final regular-season home game.
It was a tale of two halves, he said.
“The first half we didn’t come out with a lot of energy. The second half we definitely locked in defensively and we were able to limit their chances on offence and capitalize on our own chances,” said Burke who finished with 20, two fewer than teammate Isaiah Traylor’s game-high 22.
For Traylor, it was the sixth time in eight games he’s crossed the 20-point threshold, the Wolves going 7-1 over that span.
Lakehead coach Ryan Thomson said he got on his troops to play with a little more energy, after the Badgers out-scored the Wolves by eight in the second quarter and took a 42-34 lead into the break.
“The first half we just looked so tired and slow and everything we were doing was just a step late, whether it was getting a close-out or being ready to shoot it, everything was just a second slow. Those guys just adjusted and were ready to play in the second half.
Cassidy Ryan, Brock’s 6-foot-7 forward, led the Badgers with 20, including 15 in the second half, but drew two quick fouls and was forced to sit much of the second quarter.
The two teams tip off again on Saturday night at 8 p.m.
