Rustlers corral Rattlers in Snake Pit
The Lakeland Rustlers headed south to Medicine Hat to take on the Rattlers in the Snake Pit. Medicine Hat was on a losing streak they looked to turn around before the playoffs started. Lakeland looked to stay above .500 by winning one on the weekend. Lakeland was able to strike first scoring the first 2 buckets. The Rattlers answered with one and looked to close the gap. The teams traded single points from the stripe before a 3 from lakeland extended their lead. Up by 5, Lakeland led 10-5 before the Rattlers closed it to 3. Medicine Hat hit a deep 2 and got it to 10-9. Lakeland scored 5 straight and regained their lead. Halfway through, the clock read 16-12 with both teams starting to score. Lakeland was hitting with more frequency and expanded their lead to 10. The Rattlers started to chip away at the Lakeland lead, getting it back within 5. The back and forth game continued with both teams streaking and going cold alternatively. At the break, the Rustlers had gone on a late run and led 30-20.
The second started with a fast bucket coming from each team before stalling. Defence got way tighter and the teams battled for points. Finally something broke and both sides started scoring. They traded scores for 3 straight possessions until a missed 3 stopped the streak. The Rustlers got back to scoring and were able to extend their lead to 47-32 and forcing the Rattlers to take a timeout. Lakeland continued to pull away as the clock wound down in the half. As half came to an end the score was 58-43 Lakeland.
The second half started with a deep 3 from the Rattlers. Lakeland responded with 2 and the teams were off and running. The teams again traded a few buckets as time ticked off. Medicine Hat went cold again. Going 0-5 trips down the floor it allowed Lakeland to get out to a 66-48 lead. With another Lakeland bucket, the Rattlers took a timeout with 6 minutes on the clock. The Rattlers were able to find the scoreboard again and had made back a tiny bit of ground. As the time ran out on the Rattlers, Lakeland had a 76-56 lead.
Lakeland was able to score first in the quarter with a quick answer from Medicine Hat. The Rustlers continued to push the ball looking for quick baskets in transition. With this the Rustlers were able to hold the Rattlers off. With 6 minutes on the clock the Rattlers took a timeout looking to regroup. Needing a huge run the Rattlers needed to start with a stop. The Rustlers came out and hit an immediate 3 to further their lead. With the result all but decided both teams continued to push the ball and look for points. The final was 95-75 with the rustlers coming out on top.