BELLEVILLE- The Lakers capped off a busy weekend with a resounding 64-62 victory over Belleville High School at the Fastbreak Invitational, just a night after losing to Hazel Park at home, 69-64.

This back-to-back provided consecutive challenges to the squad as Hazel Park came into the game undefeated and as the number 1 team in the state as ranked by many polls, and as Belleville featured one of the top players in the state in MSU basketball commit Gabe Brown.

Hazel Park proved to be a formidable opponent on Friday night, though the Lakers did not shy away. Despite suffering an early deficit, West Bloomfield battled back to within one at the end of the first half and swapped leads with the Vikings throughout the rest of the game. Junior Donovan Moore and Tre Harvey, who were the Lakers’ leading scorers at 21 points and 24 points, respectively, collided midway through the 3rd quarter and remained sidelined until the 4th period. When they returned, the two teams continued to do battle until the final seconds of the game, as at a score of 65 to 65, Vikings’ guard Carl Bow was fouled on a drive to the rim with only 6 seconds remaining on the game clock. His two free throws and a Hazel Park steal on the ensuing possession sealed the Lakers’ fate, providing a disappointing finish to a scintillating battle.

The aforementioned collision between Moore and Harvey proved to be costly, as both headed to the emergency room following the game, with Harvey receiving staples in his head and Moore stitches in his lip. Despite these maladies, the two suited up against the odds on Saturday night to take on the Belleville Tigers on their home floor. The Lakers started the game hot and went into halftime leading by 11. However the Tigers answered with their own run in the 3rd quarter, putting the Lakers in a familiar position: a battle to the end. The teams traded buckets until the final minutes once again, but a floater from Moore with under 30 seconds remaining proved to be the deciding points, as Belleville’s Gabe Brown went on to miss three consecutive 3-point attempts within the last 20 seconds of regulation. West Bloomfield was led by Donovan Moore, who tallied 28 points and 8 rebounds, as well as the event’s MVP award, and Tre Mosley, who contributed with 14 points and excellent defensive effort.

Coming out of the weekend, the Lakers are 5-4 on the season and 3-1 in OAA Red conference play. Their schedule ahead remains difficult, as they will travel on Thursday, January 25th  to face a familiar foe in Clarkston, and will have Troy at home next Tuesday, January 30th.