OBSERVER Staff Report
CHEEKTOWAGA - Wade Bergum hit a pair of clutch free throws with nine seconds left on the clock to help Lake Shore (3-1, 2-1) avoid a major collapse, Thursday against ECIC Division 3 foe Cheektowaga (2-2, 1-2).
The Eagles were up by as many as 16 in the second half, but the Warriors closed the gap to just a single point late in the fourth quarter before Lake Shore held on for a 66-63 win.
"(Cheektowaga's) pretty athletic," Lake Shore coach Dan Gerken said. "We jumped on them early. They went into a zone defense and we were able to stay on top of them.
"We hung in and did the right things when we needed to," he continued. "They're a good group of kids. They really play together."
Ryan Joslyn dropped 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the double-double. Clark Brueckl was Lake Shore's leading scorer with 17 and Bergum added nine points and eight assists.
A big reason for the Eagles' success was their 16 made free throws.
Lake Shore takes on St. Francis on Saturday before taking a breather for winter break.
