INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Lake Superior State (LSSU) basketball program (23-9) fell to the Ferris State Bulldogs (28-7) in the closing moments of the Midwest Regional Championship in a hard-fought game by a final score of 86-81 on Tuesday.
“The finality of it always hurts no matter what time of the year it is, especially deep into March like this, but I wouldn’t trade spots with any coach in the country,” said LSSU Head Coach Steve Hettinga.
The Lakers started off the game strong, jumping out to a 15-2 lead after an emphatic dunk from Kingsley Perkins (Ypsilanti, Mich.). The Lakers would then push their lead to as many as 16 points after draining their first six shots from beyond the arc. Ferris State was able to cut the lead back down to three with a run of their own, but timely shots inside by Perkins and Devin Womack (Ypsilanti, Mich.) were able to hold them at bay, and a three from Xander Okerlund (Empire, Mich.) had LSSU back up by ten with the score at 39-29. However, the Bulldogs managed to close within five to end the half with the Lakers leading 45-40 at the break.
Ferris State came out swinging to start the second half, opening the second stanza with a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game. The Lakers kept fighting with timely buckets from Womack and Tyson Edmondson (Ypsilanti, Mich.), but both teams continued to go back and forth. The Bulldogs were able to pull ahead, but an 11-2 Laker run had LSSU back in front 73-70 with just over four minutes to play. Ferris State tied up the game with a three, but Womack countered with a three of his own before a pair of free throws from Perkins had his team up by five. However, the Bulldogs were able to come back to steal the game away and break the Lakers’ hearts.
All five of the Lakers’ starters once again finished in double figures, led by Womack with 20 points and 6 assists. Perkins had a solid outing with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists of his own. Edmondson had 14 points and 4 steals, and Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.) and Okerlund finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
“We left it all on the floor tonight, and unfortunately for us, it just wasn’t enough,” Hettinga said.
The Lakers will now turn their attention to the offseason, looking to build upon their success next year.
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