By Patrick Gordon/Lakeland Sports Information

Kirtland, OH---Nationally-ranked Lakeland raced out to a 20-4 lead in the opening five minutes and never looked back, cruising to a 112-76 victory over visiting Sinclair on Saturday afternoon to improve to 14-4 overall and 4-0 in conference play.  The perfect start to the OCCAC slate marks the best ever under tenth year head coach Terry Bowe.  The win, coupled with a loss by Edison on Saturday afternoon, gives Lakeland sole possession of first place in the conference.

The No. 12 Lakers carried a 59-38 lead into the break and led by as much as 45 in the second half.  Deran Banton led the way with a career-high 29 points in just 17 minutes of action.  The sophomore guard picked up where he left off on Wednesday, connecting on 10-of-12 attempts from the floor to go along with a team-high eight rebounds.

Lakeland outscored Sinclair 71-29 in the paint and held a 52-38 advantage in bench points thanks to 17 and 14 from Daishon Robinson and Michael Turman, respectively.

Sophomores Charles Oliver and Martell Medley combined for 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won seven straight and ten of their last 11.  Richard Smith, already one of the nation's top defenders, denied five shots in the win.

Drew Moore led Sinclair (15-7, 1-3 OCCAC) with a season-high 31 points off the bench while Charlie Byers and Gavin Schumann added 15 and 14, respectively.

Lakeland heads to Butler, Pennsylvania on Monday (Jan. 28) for a non-conference tune-up at Butler County CC before traveling to local rival Cuyahoga CC on Wednesday.

Notes:

·         Lakeland is third in the nation in scoring (92.8 ppg) and seventh in field goal percentage (50.7%).

·         Defensively, the Lakers are second in the nation in blocks per game (7.2) and eighth in steals (13.9).