Oswego State men’s basketball came out on top 70-64 over SUNY Fredonia to improve to 6-3 on the season. The Lakers now extend their home winning streak to five. The Lakers were led by Senior Brian Sortino, who put up an astonishing 26 points.
“He’s great,” head coach Jason Leone said. “Brian is used to these type of situations, he never gets rattled.”
Sortino, also the ball handler up and down the court recorded six assists on the night. Sortino now boasts a season stat-line of 20.0 points per game, 4.0 assists and 36 minutes per game.
Mykelle Krecko shined once again with a dominant performance on the low block. The 6’10” senior managed to grab 16 rebounds while also putting up 16 points. Another double-double under his belt, and he now has four on the season. His points and boards did not come easy. Krecko was matched up with the Blue Devils’ shinning star, Ian Helps.
“He has improved as much as any player we have had here,” Leone said. “Like most big guy’s once they start to see positive reinforcements statistically they get the ball and makes them more confident.”
Krecko’s improvement has been huge for the Lakers this season. His stamina has boosted along with his strength and most importantly, his effort on every play.
The Lakers overall had a decent performance as they squeezed this victory out against a scrappy SUNY Fredonia basketball team.
“I thought we were a little lethargic at the beginning of the game but we gotta come out better and tomorrow we just gotta come out ready,”Sortino said.
A lackadaisical performance in the first half defensively for the Lakers, as they were constantly second on 50/50 plays and failed to box out consistently.
“Our effort was not where it needed to be in defensive transition, even in the beginning of the second half as well,” Leone said .
A little slow in the first 25 minutes but, the Lakers began to show fire in the final 15 minutes as the intensity picked up and each player respected each play as if it was their last.
Krecko and Sortino both played a dragging amount of minutes tonight. Sortino played the whole game from start to finish and Krecko recorded 37 minutes on the floor.
“I think just being a senior helps,” Krecko said. “We’ve been there and we know what we gotta do night in and night out.”
A victory that moves them up in the ranks and in the SUNYAC as the Lakers are now 2-1 in conference play with another SUNYAC matchup tomorrow afternoon.
“Team’s like [Buffalo State] rely on what I like to call ‘easy baskets’,” Leone said. “You’ve gotta come out with a certain mindset where you grit your teeth and can’t be afraid to handle the ball.”
Buffalo State will prove to be a tough matchup, and they hold a 5-2 record following a high-scoring affair that resulted in a loss at SUNY Cortland.
The Lakers host the Buffalo State Bengals tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Oswego State look to extend their home winning streak to six.
