In their second matchup of the season, the Lakers and Golden Eagles played a hard fought game from start to finish. After the opening tip, Brockport took an early 8-6 lead before the Lakers went on a 14-2 run. With 2:42 left in the first quarter, Oswego led 20-10. Danielle Caivana scored nine points in the quarter, shooting 3-3 from behind the arc. Heading into the second frame, Brockport stormed back to knot the game up at 20. However, eight points from Logan Castiglione helped the Lakers regain the lead and go into the half up 37-25. After a back-and-forth third quarter, Brockport brought the deficit to seven entering the final ten minutes. The Golden Eagles continued to fight down the stretch and pulled the game within two points with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Castiglione, who was great defensively in this game, came up with a clutch steal to maintain the Oswego lead with 30 seconds remaining. After some scrappy play, an Oswego foul put Brockport on the free throw line down just one point. The Golden Eagles nailed both free throws to take their first lead since the opening quarter. The Lakers got a last-second shot off in time, but it would fall short, giving Brockport the victory. Shania Iglesias finished the contest with 16 points while Caivana (15) and Castiglione (10) both scored double-digit points.
Before the tip-off of Saturday’s senior night game, Oswego celebrated Caivana and Encarnacion for their accomplishments with the team. Both teams exchanged a flurry of baskets throughout the first quarter, with Fredonia up 18-16 heading into the second. The Lakers quickly took their first lead of the game off a Diamond Pickett three-point shot. The Blue Devils and Lakers went shot-for-shot throughout the frame, with Fredonia escaping the the quarter up 32-27. To begin the second half, Fredonia went on a small scoring run. Though, Encarnacion scored two buckets and a free throw to bring the deficit to five. Despite Oswego’s persistence, Fredonia went into the final quarter with a nine point lead. The Lakers would bring the game within six points with 30 seconds remaining, but it was too little, too late for the home team. Diamond Pickett finished with her fifth double-double of the season, putting up 19 points, 16 boards, three assists, and three steals. Encarnacion and Caivana combined for 25 points in their final game as Lakers. With this win, the Blue Devils clinched the sixth and final playoff berth in the SUNYAC Championship.
Although it wasn’t the outcome the team was hoping for, the Lakers have a bright future lead by their young star athletes. Oswego saw major contributions from the likes of Catie Lilly, Chastin Giles, and Diamond Pickett throughout the course of the season and will look to build upon their performances from this season. The team will reload in the offseason and look towards the 2022-23 season, where they hope to make it back to the SUNYAC playoffs once again.
Image Provided By Will Rogers, WTOP 10 Photography Department
-
Men’s Basketball drops tight conference match up to Oneonta
OSWEGO, NY — Men’s Basketball dropped a conference game to the Oneonta Red Dragons 76-66 for only their second SUNYAC loss of the season. The Lakers seven game winning streak snapped as the Lakers would allow 43 Red Dragon points in the second half in the defeat. Freshman Jeremiah Sparks once again lead the Lakers with 23 points as he hit seven field goals in his 40 minutes played. Joe Sullivan tallied 19 points and also hit seven field goals along with two 3-pointers.
Oswego falls to 5-2 in conference and hold the 4th spot in the standings as the Lakers look ahead to Potsdam Friday night. The Bears are 6-1 and tied for first in the SUNYAC standings. The Lakers will play right after Women’s Basketball as the Men’s game is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. in Potsdam.
-
Men’s basketball dominates Red Dragons on senior day
OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Lakers men’s basketball team looked to continue their win streak to 17 this past weekend when they hosted the Cortland Red Dragons for senior night on Saturday evening. The first half ended up being controlled by the Lakers but Cortland held Oswego tough in the first half. After the first ten minutes the score was 13-10 Lakers until Jamal Achille became the offensive spark for Oswego and started a Laker 6-0 where lone senior Devin Green chipped in and added four points over that same stretch. After that run the Lakers exploded on offense going on a 41-18 run the last 10 minutes of the first half shooting similarly from the field and from three-point range (58.06% FG%, 58.33% 3PT%). Oswego got out ahead and had a 54-28 at the half.Cortland tried to start off the half stronger as reigning SUNY-AC player of the year Austin Grunder made a couple big shots to start for the red dragons. But it wouldn’t last long as Kaleb Cook took over during a four-minute stretch during the second half, scoring ten points, while Cortland could only get 4. By that point Cortland couldn’t get anything to go and Oswego would cruise to a 102-62 for their 7th game over 100 points in this season. The Lakers also keep their 17 game streak alive, not losing since the loss to Brockport at home in December. Jeremiah Sparks and Devin Green both had 14 points for the game in a great shooting game for Oswego, but the game was led on Oswego’s side by Kaleb Cook, whose ten point outburst in the second half helped him score 16 for the game. Cortland’s Austin Grunder ended up with another double double in this game and was the only Cortland player that was a positive in this game leading all scorers with 24. Oswego’s bench outscored the Red Dragons 47-18. and the Lakers dominated in the paint beating Cortland 48-10.
Coach Leone gets his 300th career win as a coach and the Lakers move to 21-2,(15-1 SUNYAC). The men’s team will travel to Brockport, NY to face Brockport on Friday, February 17 in a revenge game as Brockport was Oswego’s only previous SUNYAC loss.
IMAGE COURTESY OF ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
-
Oswego Baseball cancels Spring Break trip
OSWEGO, NY — Oswego Baseball has gotten off to a hot start this season as the team sits at 6-3. The team has been traveling all over the East Coast to play colleges as Oswego hasn’t been warm enough to host baseball yet this season. The group recently got two wins in a double header against Arcadia this past Sunday. The 4-3 and 6-4 victory came at the end of a three game road trip that featured a lose to Salve Regina Saturday in Glenside, PA. Ryan Wiess leads the team with a batting average of .444 with 18 at bats. Lukas Olsson is the only Laker to hit multiple home runs so far this season as three Oswego players have hit balls out of the park.
Oswego was getting set to head on the road for Spring Break which would feature 8 games being played in South Carolina. Recently, this trip was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Now the team will get set to kick off their conference games as Oneonta is the first team on the schedule after their short break. The Lakers will head to face the Red Dragons on the road for a Saturday game, on March 27th, and a double header on Sunday, March 28th. Oswego has been the SUNYAC champion the past three seasons as the group looks to continue their success in the conference.
WTOP 10 will have coverage of Oswego athletics until further notice. The television station will stay up to date on whether Division III athletics will continue moving forward.
