Laker Men Fall Short Again
By Christopher Martlew


	On Saturday, Laker Mens Basketball resumed their quest for court supremacy. This time, the Lakers were the team who was expected to win the match up over the Northwood basketball team(0-4). 
	As the first half began, the Lakers came out much like they did against Findlay in the previous game. They were full of energy, making good decisions with the ball, taking good shots, and presenting a very tough defense to the opposing team. Northwood was not making it any easier on them as they missed shots left and right. Much of the half was constant, with good play by Lake State and ugly play by Northwood. It was nice to finally see some control from this young Laker team. As the half ended, the Lakers were out shooting, out rebounding and out scoring the Timber wolves, 23 to 17. Let it be known, however, that there are two halves in college basketball, not just one.
	There is at least one consistent thing about this Laker mens team. They are consistent in not being able to finish a game. As Laker fans have seen before, the Lakers came out with nothing in the second half. Northwood opened up with a 10-2 scoring drive to put them ahead 27 to 25. Though the Lakers Ryan Khule was playing tough under the basket, he was not getting much help from the rest of his team. The rebounding control of the court was now turned over to Northwood. The men found themselves in an unexpected tough battle late in the game. Once again as they begin to fall behind, sloppiness and fouls begin to take a toll on them. Finally the Lakers got a break when Scott Perkins hit a big three point shot, tying it up at 47 with 2 minutes remaining in the game. With 45 seconds left, Northwood regains the lead putting the pressure on Lake State. The ball was then fed down low in the paint to Ryan Khule. He went up strong with the ball making his lay up and drawing a foul. The Laker crowd goes wild at the call. This gives Khule an opportunity for a three point play, putting the Lakers back in the lead with 20 seconds left. However, the ref claims that the foul was committed before the shot. The best chance for a Laker victory went out the window. Though the questionable call from the ref ended up costing the Lakers the win, can you really blame the call? This Laker team, as before, failed to finish a game in the second half. Yes, if the foul call had gone our way, we would have won. Yet, it shouldnt have come down to that lone fact. The 52 to 50 loss stifled the crowd, the coach and the players. As Coach Fitzner has said before, it is time to learn from the mistakes. 
