It was a big win in the season opener for the Russell County High School Lakers as they rallied to defeat Somerset 58-50 on the road last night.
The Lakers fell down early, trailing by nine at one point in the second quarter, but closed the gap and used a 12-6 run in the final minutes to secure a season-opening win over the Briar Jumpers.
On a night that saw Russell County’s two returning leading scorers fall into foul trouble, the Lakers received contributions from across the roster to get the win.
Juniors Trace Stringer and Braydon Cerrato led the scoring with Stringer scoring 17, including six in the final minutes of the game, and Cerrato scoring a career-high 16 points to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds.
Freshman Maddox Shearer came off the bench to score 11 points and made two three-pointers while also making key plays on the defensive end.
Owen Loy finished with eight points and Logan Walters and Dylan Stanelle each added three.
Sophomore Mayes Gosser, who led the team in scoring last season, was held scoreless in an off-shooting night, but accounted for seven rebounds on the night.
The Lakers were 21-33 from the field, an impressive 63.6% shooting effort. The Lakers also knocked down 5 of 8 three-pointers on the night, but struggled from the free throw line, connecting on 11-22.
The Lakers also out rebounded the Briar Jumpers 29-22.
The Lakers are back on the road this Friday for a 4th Region matchup with the Greenwood Gators.
