Forget the thirteen wins.
It’s not their seven straight victories either, or even the 24-point average margin those wins have come by.
Nope, the Lumber Company Lakers’ most significant number is just one.
Basketball’s Premier League leaders are but a game away from securing the league’s first postseason berth after they went on a decisive 16-7 fourth-quarter run to upend ardent rivals British American Insurance Jackson 68-60 on Thursday at the Wildey Gym.
The win put the former two-time champs (13-6) within sight of reaching the play-offs for the seventh straight season.
They just have to win one of their last three games or wait for another Jackson (11-6) loss.
But the latter option isn’t a desirable one for Jackson, who can ill afford to drop any more games after falling a half-game behind defending champions Cavs (12-6) for the fourth and final postseason spot.
It’s the unfavourable position they now find themselves in after failing to turn up for what was billed as one of the league’s most enthralling rivalries.
About the only thing close to captivating about this latest matchup was Ian Alexander’s open-court, two-handed throw-down, which proved the highlight of a game-changing 16-7 surge that turned a 47-46 Lakers lead into a 65-53 cushion.
It was as if Jackson wanted no part of the paint while hoisting several quick, contested jumpers – all of which led to easy rebounds and transition baskets the other way.
And when they weren’t busy firing away from outside, Jackson seemed content to turn over the ball while struggling to get it over quickly to the weak side against Lakers’ constant double-teams of Peter Alleyne.
The strategy was of necessity for Lakers, who clearly had issues containing the six-foot-four point guard in the mid-post after he twice led rallies – the last of which brought Jackson within one (47-46) at the start of the fourth.
This was after Lakers literally ran out to a swift 20-8 first-quarter advantage, with Adrian Allman hitting a pair of treys in transition and Ricardo Jemmott propping up the offence on the few occasions it was forced to play in half court.
However, Lakers would only add a further 11 points for the rest of the half, which proved one fewer than Alleyne’s second-quarter output that helped reduce the deficit to three (31-28).
The sides then traded baskets in a somewhat listless third-quarter spell where Jackson never got any closer than two (41-39) on the heels of a Kevin Austin jumper and Gavin Robinson’s free throw.
But the game seemed primed for a certain plot twist when Austin sized up Matthew Moore for a face-up jumper before Alleyne’s drive put Jackson within one (47-46) with eight minutes remaining.
Jemmott finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Allman scored 15 and Keefe Birkett missed out on a rare double-double with ten points and nine boards.
Alleyne led Jackson with 19 points and ten rebounds while Austin also scored 19.
In the earlier game, defending champs Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers moved into fourth after becoming the third team to register triple digits against the lowly Patriots in a 100-65 blowout.
Jason Smith had five treys in scoring a game-high 22 points for Cavs, getting a further 17 points from reserve swingman Darren Hunte and 15 from candidate for the Most Improved award Jamai Puckerin.
The result came just three nights after Patriots (4-14), who are in a tight demotion battle with Cougars (4-15), surrendered a league-high 108 points to Clapham in a 45-point rout.
