Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes LaBrae’s Derek Wilson dunks off of a fastbreak during the Vikings’ win at Lakeview.

CORTLAND — With the season winding down, tuneup contests are being played around the area prior to tournament play.

Having secured the MVAC outright title recently, LaBrae hasn’t taken its foot off the gas and is treating each game like a postseason affair, as it knocked off Lakeview 75-48 on Tuesday night.

LaBrae junior Derek Wilson led the charge with 28 points, sophomore Austin Rowe added 15, while senior David Blackmon III scored 13. Vikings coach Chad Kiser was happy with the way his team responded following a slow second quarter.

“Defensively, I thought we were pretty good. We kept mixing up our defenses and that gave them a little bit of trouble. (We) threw in some traps that really got us going a little bit instead of standing on defense,” Kiser said. “Offensively, I thought we moved the ball pretty well. (We) had a little lull a little bit at the end of the second quarter, where we settled for some deep, quick threes, instead of moving the ball and working it inside out.

“Overall, very pleased with the effort and the teamwork. (We’re) just trying to stay on that track going into the tournament — continuing to improve and playing four quarters, that’s what we’re trying to do right now.”

Wasting no time, the Vikings (18-2) took a swift 8-0 lead following back-to-back threes on the right side of the arc from Rowe and Wilson. Blackmon also attacked the paint early on and found lanes to drive in. LaBrae would then take a 14-2 edge following a steal and fast break dunk from Wilson, his first of four jams for the evening.

However, Lakeview (9-11) replied with an 8-0 of their own, scoring three straight buckets from senior Kyle Senkowitz, which was then followed up by a netted hook shot by junior Carter Doran. A mix of jumpers and quality post play kept the Bulldogs within striking range, as they were only down 36-24 at halftime.

LaBrae slowed the game down in the third quarter, eyeing the paint more and patiently waited for plays to develop. The Vikings began to pull away once again, as Wilson dunked on back-to-back possessions midway through the third to put his team up 51-32.

“Getting set up from my teammates, moving the ball moving really well and pushing the ball down the court — that’s just our game. We move the ball well, we attack when we need to attack, we pull out when we need to pull out, and just space the floor to get open and easy shots,” Wilson said. “You want to get at a team and get that early lead, (and) all the momentum and just kept piling on from there.”

Blackmon added, “Eventually, after we came to the second half, they started pressing us more and doing better against us. We had to move as a team and not individually, as we usually play, so I’d say that helped more too.”

When multiple players reach double figures in scoring, it’s a groove that just spreads throughout all areas of the game.

“In the first half, shots weren’t really falling, but I was able to knock some down in the second half from some good passes from my teammates,” Rowe said. “(Senkowitz) is a really good player. So to start the second half, we went with a box-and-one on him. We really didn’t practice it much, but that was the key — to stop him from scoring, and I think we did a good job of that in the second half for the most part.”

Senkowitz paced Lakeview with 22 points, while Doran added 14.

For Kiser, these end of season duels are some of the most vital for potential success in March.

“They’re the most important. Like we talked in practice, you can come in and say league’s over, we got the tournament (that) these last three games don’t matter. They matter,” Kiser said. “You have to continue to improve. You need that momentum going into tournament time, and we need to make sure we continue to improve and focus. Our biggest trouble is focusing for four quarters, especially on the defensive end.

“Not being content with what we’ve done so far — that’s our message, that’s the importance of this.”

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