Welcome back Ranger sports fans!
This week was full of hard work and well-earned wins for the Lakewood Rangers including the boy’s basketball varsity team. On Tuesday, February 7th, the boys took on the Bay Rockets in the opening round of the GLC tournament. This team is down many key players to the team due to injuries including Myles Harper, Lucas Seguine, and Luke George. With only 6 players in the action on Tuesday, the boys had to dig deep and give that game every ounce of energy they had. Many of our boys never left the floor, including lead scorer senior Brayden Volcansek (14 points), sophomore Luke Vannucci (8 points), and junior Drew Jablonowski (11 points). Any athlete or spectator knows that in a game like basketball, breaks are crucial to re-energize and hydrate. So the dedication and skill these boys had to play 4 8-minute quarters with only 1 sub were outstanding.
Now, by far the highlight of the night had to have been the half court shot by the previously mentioned Drew Jablonowski on the buzzer to finish out the third quarter. Due to blood on his jersey, Drew needed to find another one to continue playing and it just so happened that the only one available for him was injured senior Myles Harper’s jersey. Myles Harper recently had surgery and has been unable to attend the last few games due to required rest. It was a beautiful moment to watch Drew put on his teammate’s jersey to honor his number. Minutes after he put on this jersey, time was running down on the clock and he only had seconds to shoot. He threw the ball up a little before half-court and the crowd held their breath as it rolled right into the basket. The crowd beamed with excitement and cheers. These are the moments remembered most by players and their teammates, their coaches, the student section, and the community.
The boys ended up securing their spot in the next round of the GLC Tournament with a thrilling 41-40 win over Bay. Lakewood hopes there are many more games filled with this level of excitement to come! Their next game is Friday, February 10th against Fairview Park at the LHS gym.
