Lancers power through Great Northern Shootout

The Lasalle Lancers senior boys basketball team set the wheels in motion for what they hope will be an extremely productive two-month stretch, kicking off the new year with a tournament championship at the Great Northern Shootout in North Bay over the weekend.

The Lancers accomplished the feat thanks to four straight victories, the first of which came against the Chippewa Raiders (North Bay). Alex Mobbs had 13 points and Tyler Lozier added nine as the Lancers crunched the Raiders 72-31.

Things were even more lopsided in Game 2 as Lasalle improved to 2-0 with a 74-28 win over the Fellowes Falcons from Pembroke. Kurtis Brisebois (15) and Matt Cashmore showed the way offensively for the Lancers.

Facing their stiffest test of the tournament, the locals outscored the St. Michael Mustangs (Kemptville) 60-43 in the semifinal encounter, with Noah LaPierre and Doug Malley topping the Lasalle scoring charts with 16 and 14 points respectively.

With the tough one behind them, the Lancers made short work of the Timmins Blues in the finals, besting their northern Ontario rivals 60-32. Cashmore netted 15 points for Lasalle, with LaPierre adding 10 as the tandem also swept the individual honours.

Cashmore was recognized as MVP of the gold-medal game, while LaPierre was selected as Most Valuable Player in the tournament. Sitting in first place in SDSSAA standings with a record of 4-1, Lasalle resumes league play on Jan. 8 at 8 p.m., making a visit to the south end to face the Lo-Ellen Park Knights.