Lake College has a vastly improved men’s basketball program, a program on the rise in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
The Storm aren’t quite there yet. But they’re getting closer.
LEC second-year coach Kyle Conley is convinced of that after a 65-59 loss to G-MAC-leading and nationally ranked Findlay on Jan. 6 at the Osborne Center. He felt the same way on Jan. 4, too, after the Storm played well but came up short, 68-62, against second-place Hillsdale College, also at the Osborne Center.
“Even though we were beaten twice by really good teams, our guys are starting to see they’re capable of playing with anybody in this league,” Conley said after the Storm fully extended a Findlay team that came in ranked 21st in the newest NCAA Division II coaches poll.
“The more games we play like this now, the better chance we’ll have to finish on the right side of the scoreboard later in the season,” Conley said.
The Storm slipped to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in the G-MAC.
Findlay, making the move with LEC to the G-MAC this season from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, extended its winning streak to 12 games. The Oilers improved to 16-2 overall and 10-0 in the G-MAC.
“I am ecstatic to get this win,” Findlay coach Charlie Ernst said. “That’s how much respect I have for Lake Erie and the job Kyle is doing over there. Especially on defense, they are 100 percent better than they were last year.”
Indeed, the Storm limited Findlay’s output to 20 points below the per-game average the Oilers brought to Painesville.
As the Storm learned, however, Findlay can take the same physicality it uses to score points to clamp down on opponents’ offenses. LEC came in averaging 75.6 points.
“Our defense is an underrated part of our game,” Ernst said. “We have the capability to lean on defense when the shots aren’t falling. That’s what good teams do.”
Findlay’s dynamic duo of senior forward Taren Sullivan and Martyce Kimbrough paced the Oilers with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Kimbrough was only 5-of-14 from the field overall and 2-of-8 from 3-point range, but his trey with 3:46 remaining in the second half gave the Oilers a 59-53 lead and some much-needed breathing room for the stretch run.
“It wasn’t a good shooting effort for Martyce, but that 3-pointer was a clutch make,” Ernst said.
LEC got 10 points apiece from sophomore guard Gabe Kynard and junior forward Brogan Scott. The Storm decisively won the rebounding battle, 44-29.
The Storm established from the outset they were ready to hang with a deep, experienced Findlay team gunning for a second straight trip to the Division II NCAA Tournament. LEC lead at halftime, 28-27, and forged a 41-41 tie seven minutes deep into the second half. A layup by Sullivan at the 12:54 mark gave the Oilers a 43-41 lead. They never again trailed despite several runs by LEC that narrowed the gap to three points.
“We stayed close because we were defending at a high level, but Kimbrough and Sullivan are talented, experienced guys who make plays when it matters the most,” Conley said.
Women
Findlay 83, Lake Erie 62
Senior shooting guard Lynsey Englebrecht was the catalyst for the Oilers in the decisive third quarter as Findlay pulled away from the Storm.
The former North High School standout, limited to three points in the first half, scored 12 points in the third quarter and made four 3-pointers as the Oilers used a 27-11 surge to turn what had been a close game into a rout.
Englebrecht finished with 18 points as the Oilers improved to 13-2 overall and 10-1 in the G-MAC.
“I started out pretty rough, but I tried to clear my head and let my body flow into it rather than force up stuff,” Englebrecht said.
Findlay also got double-figure scoring performances from junior center Anna Hintz (19) and junior guard Jenna Stegmaier (14).
LEC senior forward Kayla Gabor (Mentor) had game-high totals of 23 points and 15 rebounds. The Storm slipped to 6-6 overall and 3-4 in the G-MAC.