The Laker boys’ basketball team overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Rocori Spartans on a buzzer-beater Tuesday night on their home court, 68-67. The Lakers, who were down 30-13 in the first half, outlasted the Spartans as senior Caden Strand netted the game-winning shot in the last second. Strand, held to just two points in the first half, finished with a team-high 15 points in the winning effort. The Lakers also saw Damarion Moss and Nick Buboltz get into double figures in the scoring department as they earned their second win of the season.
With 8 seconds left in the game, the Spartans missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw, and with time running out, Strand ran the full court to lay in the shot as time expired. The Lakers had only led at one other point in the game, and that was in the first minute of the ball game when the score was 3-2. The Spartans built on an early lead by using their size in the low post and did a great job rebounding in the first half. TJ Starkey and Grant Tylutki led the Spartans in scoring, finishing with 21 and 19 points, respectively.
The Lakers improved to 2-3 on the season, while the Spartans saw their record drop to 1-4 on the year. The Lakers will return to action on Friday night when they take on the Hawley Nuggets.