Lumber Compaany Lakers might not be as good as advertised.
They’re possibly better.
Basketball’s defending Premier League champs are already proving their worth as heavy pre-season favourites, after Jamar King had 17 points to lead five players in double digits in Tuesday’s opening round 87-63 knockout victory over First Works Warriors at the Wildey Gym.
The game was even worse than the 24-point margin suggested as Lakers led by as many as 35 (85-50) while seemingly cruising to a certain 100-point outing after putting up 75 through three quarters.
It was the type of domination expected of a champion squad that added three quality starters to an already deep bench in the off-season.
And they beat a perennial playoff side without the injured playoff MVP Keefe Birkett – arguably the country’s best jump shooter.
You couldn’t tell that Lakers were missing an outside threat though, not after Andre Lockhart started the contest three of three from deep for the team’s first nine points.
Adrian Allman got in on the act moments later and, in a matter of seven minutes, the typically sound defensive Warriors had given up 20 points in an early 11-point hole.
That deficit soon ballooned to 20 (43-23) just midway into the ensuing period when King came off the bench for a 13-point second-quarter outburst that thwarted a brief rally from Tremaine Shaw and Justin Maloney.
It was just a question of who was going to score next, with Lockhart feeding Ian Alexander for an alley-oop in transition before Adrian Allman went one better with a feed above the ring for Ricardo Jemmott.
Not even the presence of NCAA Division One big man John Jones was enough to bother the champs, as their only scare proved one of injury when Jemmott was forced to leave the floor after banging his left shoulder.
Lockhart finished with 15 points, Alexander added 13 while Allman and Jemmott chipped in with 12 and ten points, respectively, for Lakers, who advanced to play Pinelands on Saturday.
Shaw and Nicholai Williams led Warriors with 14 points apiece and Maloney ended with 11.
In the opening game, the tournament almost got its first upset as Premier League side Warrens Sports Club – the rebranded Jackson – squandered all of a 23-point fourth-quarter lead before holding on for an 84-78 double overtime win against Lakers’ third division team.
Playing without retired MVP Peter Alleyne and injured Defensive Player Of The Year Pearson Griffith, Warrens still seemed comfortable with their new-look side after cruising to 49-26 cushion.
Manuel Alleng scored nine of his team-high 17 points over those two extra periods to see Jackson home as Levar Greaves and Richie Walker added 15 and 13 points, respectively. Wilbert Holder had a game-high 25 points for Lakers.