Men's Basketball Preview: OCCAC Lead at Stake
No. 2 Triceratops Take on No. 1 Lakers Wednesday
The No. 1 and No. 2 Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) teams clash Wednesday when Lakeland Community College's Lakers (19-4, 11-1 in the OCCAC) visit Cuyahoga Community College (22-4, 10-2).
Tri-C enters the contest on an eight-game winning streak. Its last loss was to Lakeland, 97-59, on Jan. 18. The Triceratops are unbeaten at home.
Devin Haid, a 6-foot-5 freshman wing, leads the Triceratops with 19.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Next is Manny Hill, a 6-foot freshman point guard, with 13.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg. Tyishawn Smiley, a 6-7 freshman wing, averages 12.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Jordan Persad, 6 feet tall and the only sophomore on the team, has 9 ppg and 4.3 apg.
The Triceratops are averaging 88 points a game, an 11.5-point differential over Lakelands' average of 76.5 points per contest. Tri-C is averaging 16 assists and more than eight steals a game. (See the "Showdown" chart below.)
Lakeland's floor leader and one of the National Junior College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) top scorers is sophomore Jaidon Liscomb, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard/point guard averaging 23.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg.
"They have one of the nation's most efficient scorers in Lipscomb," said Tri-C coach Aaron Nixon.
Other top student-athletes for Lakeland include freshman Elhadji Thiam, a 6-foot-7 forward averaging 16.4 ppg and 8.2 rpg; 6-foot sophomore point guard Landon Tillman at 13.3 ppg and 6.4 rpg; and freshman forward Chris Tackett, 6-foot-7, 5.1 rpg.
Lakeland averages 80.8 points per game and is shooting 49.5% from the field for the season. They're also hitting more than 76% from the free throw line and bringing down 36.7 rebounds a contest. (See the "Showdown" chart below).
Lakeland is ranked 12th among all NJCAA Division II men's college programs. The Lakers finished fifth in the nation in NJCAA DII with a 26-2 record last season ― best ever in the school's history. Their only postseason loss came to eventual national champions South Suburban.
Keys to victory
"Lakeland is a very well-coached team with experienced players," Nixon said. "To beat them, we must play tough on both ends of the floor, pay attention to details and limit their second-chance points. We can't gamble defensively, because they will make us pay if we do. We must play mistake-free basketball."
Terrell Eskridge, Lakeland's coach, knows the Triceratops will be a challenge.
"We will have to play defense and match their energy," Eskridge said. "It's hard to beat a team twice, so I know their coach will have them well prepared. Tri-C is a well-coached team that plays extremely hard. Every time we step on the court, we need to put out our best effort."
THE "X" FACTOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT
The presence of NBA Hall of Famer Ben Wallace[ZJ1] at the game and Tri-C's retirement of Wallace's No. 4 jersey at halftime will likely bring out a crowd and has the potential to add intensity to the Triceratops team.
The men's basketball game is part two of a doubleheader. The first game, featuring Lakeland's women's team against Tri-C, will begin at 5:30 p.m. The men's contest starts at 7:30 p.m. Both games are free and take place at Tri-C's Metropolitan Campus Recreation Center, Community College Avenue and East 30th Street.
Tri-C to Retire Jersey of Ben Wallace on February 15th - Cuyahoga Community College