With 11 seniors on its roster, the Lake Region boys’ basketball team doesn’t get easily rattled. So even when the top-seeded Lakers held just a four-point lead over No. 8 Poland late in the third quarter of a Class B South quarterfinal Saturday, they were confident everything would be all right.

“I have faith in our guys,” said Jackson Lesure, a senior guard. “Trust is a big thing. We’ve been playing together for a long time.”

Lesure made sure the Lakers would advance. He scored six of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers pulled away for a 64-50 win at the Portland Expo.

Lesure’s quick outburst turned a seven-point lead into a 13-point cushion. After Nick Wandishin (10 points, six in the fourth) scored inside to put Lake Region ahead 50-43, Lesure stole the ball at midcourt and went in for a layup. Following a Poland missed shot, he hit a short jumper on the right baseline.

Then Lesure made another steal at midcourt and went in for another layup, and it was suddenly 56-43 with 4:46 remaining. Poland, which lost to Lake Region by 21 in the regular season, would get no closer than eight.

“He’s our leader, everyone knows that,” Lake Region Coach John Mayo said of Lesure. “The guys feed off of him and he’s been doing it all year long for us. He can rebound, he makes the best passes, he scores when he needs to. He does the little things.”

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Lesure added 15 rebounds, five steals and three assists.

Lake Region (17-2) will play fourth-seeded Lincoln Academy at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Cross Insurance Arena.

Poland finished 9-11.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” said Poland Coach Tyler Tracy. “I’m happy with how we played. We just couldn’t get over that hump.”

The Knights stayed with Lake Region much longer than anyone might have expected. Led by senior forward John Fossett (18 points, 12 rebounds), they trailed by just two at the end of one quarter and by four at the half.

Lake Region led 46-39 going into the fourth, after Lesure converted a three-point play with 19.2 seconds left in the third.

The Knights got within 48-43 on a Patrick Kuklinski basket, but that’s when Lake Region broke it open. Poland then cut the deficit to 58-50 on a Fossett layup with 1:56 left. But the Knights didn’t score again, missing three shots and turning the ball over twice.

“I think our guys have been here before,” said Mayo. “Those guys are used to being in those spots.”


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