Clark State Doubleheader Recap: Boys Stop #1 Lakeland; Girls Fall in Tight Game

 The Clark State Eagles had a doubleheader on Saturday as they would face Lakeland CC. 

Here are the results.

Late FT Gives Eagles Mens Squad Huge Victory Over #1 Seed  

The Clark State Eagles lost to Lakeland on the road in a tight battle on Friday afternoon, but was able to suck it up and grind out a gritty 88-87 win at home on Saturday against the 13th ranked team in the nation to keep their playoff hopes alive.

In the first half Clark State would have control as they used their defense to set the tone. The offense was on fire, as the Top 5 offense in the country (95ppg) rolled up 53 to take a lead at half.

However in the 2nd half  Lakeland would chip away at the lead,cutting it to under 5 late. 

Down 86-82 Lakeland hit a layup to cut it to 86-84. Clark State would be fouled and would make a free throw and miss one to give the Eagles a 87-84 lead.  Lakeland would hit a 3-point bomb to tie the game  up which set up the final play.

Clark State was fouled and missed the first free throw, but hit the second to give them the lead at 88-87. 

Lakeland shot was off target and the Eagles stormed the court in jubilation.

Rynell Echlos was the star of the game as he dropped 20 points to go with 7 boards and 2 steals while Isaiah Masteller continued his torrid play with 22 points to lead the Eagles in scoring. 

Jareon Mayo led all scorers with 32 points while Alex Benson dropped 22 in the loss for Lakeland. 

With the win it keeps Clark State in the hunt, only a half game out of 3rd place. Lakeland falls to 10-2 and it now pushes Hocking into first place solely by themselves with just a few weeks remaining. 

The Eagles will face Edison State and Cuyahoga at the end of the season, and that could have a huge decision on who makes it to the Regional Tournament. 

This week they will face #1 ranked Hocking today. 

The Eagles are now 8-4 in the conference and 12-10 overall. 

"That was a tremendous win for us." Coach Alstork stated.  We're still in the thick of it. We love it! We gotta keep working hard, staying locked in." 

LADY EAGLES  FALL TO TOP SSEED LAKELAND

The Clark State womens team fell to the top seed in the League, as the Lakeland CC Ladies team came and handled business, staying undefeated in the process. 

The Lady Eagles have hit hard times and are looking to get out of a losing streak and back in the winners column. The effort was there, but injuries and hard times have hurt Coach Steinke and the Lady Eagles.