The Lanier Falcons Black defeated the Zeta Alpha Pi Hawks last Thursday by a final score of 67–29.

In the first half, the Hawks were able to keep the game relatively close, but the Falcons jumped out to an early lead due to a speed advantage.

Not only were the Falcons fast, but they also had an obvious height advantage in the post.

Braden Jacquot and John Reece were able to repeatedly post up and find their way into the paint, while Rioin Oshiro was able to convert Falcon turnovers into easy fast-break layups.

Lanier used an early 7–0 lead to jump ahead 16–7 and never looked back.

While the Hawks were overmatched, they never gave up as Luke Brubaker and Jonathan Johnston repeatedly attacked the rim.

At the half, however, Lanier still led with a comfortable 30–16 margin.

In the second half, the Hawks ran out of energy, and Lanier capitalized. The Falcons went on a 16–0 run to start the half, highlighted by two semi-successful alley-oop dunks from Ethan Reagan to Kaipo Sotelo.

The Hawks managed to find the basket a few times, but the Falcons went on a 15–6 run by dominating the defensive end.

The final score was 67–29.

After the game, Jacquot pointed to excellent team play and strong defensive work for their big victory.

“We were trying to run the fast break. That’s kind of our game,” Jacquot said. “We’re [also] trying to open up the lane more by going five-out [on offense].”

Oshiro led the Falcons with 21 points. Sotelo recorded 13 points, while Reece, Jacquot and Nathan Schell each tallied 10 points.

Jesse Mallory led the Hawks with 14 points.

With the win, Lanier moves to 5–2 with a +128 point margin, good for fourth place in the National League.