Lake Park reaches 20 wins by holding Geneva to 18 points
Thursday night was memorable for Lake Park’s Camden Cerese for more than one reason.
In addition to being his 18th birthday, the senior scored 22 points in the Lancers’ 53-18 win over DuKane Conference rival Geneva.
It was the 20th victory of the season for first place Lake Park. The squad has lost only three games with a league record now an unblemished 9-0.
“Great way to celebrate his birthday – a win and 22 points,” said Lake Park coach Billy Pitcher. “Cam is such a factor. If he’s not scoring, he’s getting rebounds and he’s finding his teammates. Guys get open because the opposition have two, three set of eyes on him – he draws so much attention.”
Pitcher credited Lake Park’s defense for the lopsided win. The host Vikings’ 18 points are the fewest the Lancers have given up all season.
“We weren’t expecting this tonight. Our defense was really solid, and they had a cold night shooting,” said Pitcher. “I was really proud of our defense.”
The first quarter was competitive. Hudson Kirby’s basket from underneath opened the game’s scoring for the Vikings. The junior led Geneva (11-11, 3-6) with nine points, but the Lancers led 14-9 after the first eight minutes.
Lake Park (20-3) took control of the game in the second quarter, scoring 13 points to Geneva’s three for a 27-12 halftime lead.
“It was a two- or four-point game during the first four or five minutes. We did some nice things and then they went on a run,” Geneva coach Scott Hennig said. “They are pretty elite defensively. They are really good at what they do. They guarded us well, they shut down passing lanes, driving lanes. Plus, we didn’t take care of the ball very well. We had too many turnovers.”
The Lancers extended their lead to 41-18 during the third quarter.
Senior Matt Geraci was the team’s spark plug Thursday night according to Pitcher.
“Matt was the key to the game. We had him for seven or eight steals. He really changed things. He took them out of what they wanted to do offensively,” the Lake Park coach said. “He is such a fast, quick, smart player. It was great for him to have a game like he did tonight.”
Geraci said his strength and speed aided him in getting balls away from his opponents. The guard agreed protecting the basket is the key to wins.
“Defense is always the first thing,” Geraci said. “If you give up only 18 points, it’s hard to lose.”
Geraci scored 10 points for the Lancers.
Junior reserve Robert Munaco closed out Lake Park’s scoring in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from the right wing.
Dennasio Lagioia tallied eight point for Lake Park, including two 3-pointers.