For Lakeside's senior boys, the third time was not the charm against Camden Fairview in the first round of the 5A-South conference tournament Tuesday night.
After winning both regular season meetings with the Cardinals (13-13), Lakeside (8-18) struggled to keep up in a fast-paced second half. Within 25-22 at halftime, the Rams were outscored 40-26 in the second half of a 65-48 loss at Trojan Fieldhouse, falling one game short of the Class 5A state tournament.
"It was a different Camden team than we've seen all year," Lakeside coach Eddie Lamb said. "They brought three guys tonight that we haven't seen on film or on scouting reports, and they were all really good. Camden beat us, and they looked really good tonight."
Erasing an early nine-point deficit, the Cardinals entered the second half with confidence and opened the third quarter with a statement. Fairview's C.J. Mitchell came away with a steal on Lakeside's first possession of the period and flushed home a slam dunk in transition to give the Cardinals momentum that they wouldn't relinquish.
"It got their mojo going and put a little bit of doubt in our minds," said Lamb. "We had to play catch up from there."
Five points from junior guard Sawyer Lamb had the Rams within 33-30 late in the third quarter, but Fairview's Jalen Moore and Brandon Smith combined for six points to give the Cardinals a 39-30 lead entering the final period.
Behind six points from Lamb and five points from junior guard Tazz Glover, Lakeside hung around in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Lamb's and-one had the Rams within 43-35 with 5:33 remaining and a 3-pointer from Patrick Davis cut Fairview's lead to 46-38 with 4:18 to play.
Lakeside missed a shot from behind the arc on each ensuing possession and found itself no closer the rest of the game.
"There was one in the corner where we penetrated and kicked, and if we hit it, I think it goes 44-38," Eddie Lamb said. "If we hit that, we could have put a little more pressure on them. It's easier to play up 10 instead of up four. So, yes, it would have been nice if we could have hit a three there."
Mitchell and senior Niles Smith combined for 15 points in the final frame as the Cardinals stretched their lead to as many as 18 points before Smith set the final margin with two free throws in the final seconds.
Lakeside opened the game on an 11-2 run as senior forward Phillip Gayle scored seven points, including a shot from behind the arc to score the game's first points. Moore scored four points of his own as Fairview answered with an 8-0 run to pull within 11-10 at the end of the first quarter.
"I think in the first half, we really executed well," said Eddie Lamb. "We got what we wanted on offense, and played pretty good defensively."
Sawyer Lamb opened the second quarter with a quick basket for the Rams before the Cardinals started to make their run. A 3-pointer by Smith gave Fairview its first lead of the game at 15-13.
Lakeside answered with a trey by Davis and baskets from Glover and Lamb, but Fairview closed the second period on a 6-0 run, including a buzzer-beater from Christopher Strahan that gave the Cardinals a 25-22 lead at the half.
"We had to start getting on them a little bit more once we got down, and that's not our game," Eddie Lamb said. "They're so athletic, and once we had to start playing a faster pace, that's not good for us."
Sawyer Lamb finished with a game-high 17 points and five assists, while Gayle scored 11 points in his final game for the Rams. Mitchell paced Fairview with 16 points and Moore had 15 points.
Snapping a five-game losing streak, the Cardinals will face host Hot Springs (20-11) in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Despite falling one game shy of the state tournament, first-year coach Eddie Lamb believes his team made significant improvement this season after winning just three games last year.
Rebounding from a 1-11 start, the Rams went 7-7 down the stretch, including three wins in four games to close the regular season.
"We've made such big strides," he said. "We have a lot of work to do though. I didn't take this job thinking we'd win a championship in the first year. It's a process and it takes time, but we definitely laid the foundation this year."
Sports on 02/21/2018