Lakeland Uses a Stifling Defense for Season Opening Victory

WHITE LAKE - It is largely understood that in most sports, including basketball, defense wins championships. If that statement is true then Lakeland may have some titles in its future.

The Lakeland girls' varsity basketball team made a statement by surrendering only a single point in the first quarter during its season opener Monday night. That was enough for an Eagles' 37-29 victory over North Farmington. 

In what was a defensive battle to begin the game, and that trend continued as the Eagles forced Raider turnovers all night. North Farmington junior Jasmine Harris opened up the scoring for her team with a single free throw and the Eagles held a 11-1 lead after one quarter.

Some of the Raider turnovers were unforced. Yet the Lakeland defensive pressure seemed to bother North Farmington all night, something that was part of the plan for the Eagles.

"In pregame we talked about having a great first quarter, and we did," said Lakeland head coach Mike Head. "Overall, I think we played pretty well in the first half (for the season opener) so I can't complain. We were up 10. So, it's a good first half of basketball."

The second half was a different story for both teams as it saw the Eagles' lead dip into single points for a large portion of the final 16 minutes. The Raiders made it close with a finger-roll layup by Harris and a quick steal and bucket to make it 35-29 Lakeland with less than a minute remaining in the game.

Eagles' senior captain Stephanie Lock sealed the deal with two free throws to put it out of reach for Lakeland (1-0). Lock at times seemed to take over the game on both sides of the court, finishing with a game-high 22 points.

"We do our best to not be hard on ourselves if we miss a shot. But we also want to keep our tenacity up on defense," Lock said. "They cut it close there in the last minute, but we never gave up and we didn't let up defensively either. We worked hard."