Lake Highlands basketball started the new year right, securing an 84-50 win at home against Berkner on Tuesday.
Lake Highlands basketball coach Joe Duffield leads his team from the sidelines. Photography by Brandon Gonzalez.
The Wildcats went 2-1 at the In Season Showcase in late December, finishing with wins over Rockwall-Heath and Rowlett. Now, with tournament play in the rearview mirror, Lake Highlands (10-8, 2-0 District 7-6A) can focus solely on district play.
A quick start for the Wildcats began the game, but the Rams (4-17, 1-1) weren’t going to go down so easily.
First, Berkner guard Justin Shell spun and drove to the rim, drawing a shooting foul. He nailed the subsequent free throws and then Quentin Battle stripped the ball from Lake Highlands, getting an easy fastbreak layup.
The Wildcats called timeout with 1:19 in the first quarter to stop the bleeding, but a one-for-two from the free-throw line drew the Rams a point closer at the end of the first.
Lake Highlands’ lead was 19-9, but the five-point burst could have given Berkner the momentum it needed to spearhead a comeback.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, though, Lake Highlands’ offensive woes that plagued the end of the opening quarter wouldn’t last long.Â
Shell opened second quarter scoring, driving baseline and spinning for an easy basket to cut the deficit to eight. With pressure mounting on the Wildcats, big man Uyiosa Osawemwenze converted on a putback lay-in to stretch the lead back to double digits.
Debraylan Randle made it his job to get in the paint in the second, finishing shots through contact. With 4:35 left in the quarter, Randle drove baseline, went up-and-under and converted a beautiful reverse layup high off the glass to extend the Lake Highlands lead to 29-15.
The teams were about even through the rest of the second, giving the Wildcats a 36-22 halftime advantage.
Jamion Broom set the tone for the second half, nailing a left-wing 3-pointer for Lake Highlands on the first possession. He would end with 11 points.
On the next offensive set, Eli Johnson got to his midrange jumper and converted an easy shot. After Shell scored for the Rams, Johnson drove baseline and finished a tough reverse layup to strike back.
A few plays later, the Wildcats’ Jay’Sean Wilkerson secured a defensive rebound and pushed ahead to Johnson. Then, from the same spot that Broome hit from earlier, Johnson swished a three to stretch the Lake Highlands lead to 46-24.
That must have gotten Wilkerson going, because not long after, he was the one making shots for the Wildcats. He opened with a corner 3-pointer before hitting three shots from the paint down the stretch to make it 60-35, Lake Highlands entering the fourth.
The final quarter offered more of the same, with the Wildcats getting easy buckets from all over the court. Osawemwenze scored six of his 12 points in the final frame as Henry Moore and Quincy Perkins added five apiece.
Wilkerson led scoring for Lake Highlands, finishing with 14 points. Johnson, who hit a pair of 3-pointers on the evening, contributed 12.
Berkner was led by Battle, who scored 16 by bulldozing his way to the rim and forcing contact. Shell finished with 11 points and Christian Hickey added nine.
The Rams will look to get back on the right track at 7 p.m. Friday at home, as Berkner hosts Irving (3-15, 0-2).
The Wildcats aim to remain undefeated in district play with a trip to Irving at 7 p.m. Friday at Nimitz (10-6, 1-1) High School.
