HOWELL, Mich. - Lawrence Tech closed out the regular season in convincing fashion Saturday afternoon, using a balanced scoring effort and a dominant performance on the glass to defeat Cleary (MI) 83-62 at Gannon Gymnasium in Lansing, Michigan. The Blue Devils built a double-digit lead by halftime and never allowed the Cougars to seriously threaten after the break, finishing their regular season at 16-12 overall and 12-10 in WHAC play ahead of next week's conference tournament.
The decisive stretch came in the opening 20 minutes, when Lawrence Tech turned a modest early edge into a commanding 38-25 halftime advantage behind efficient perimeter shooting and sturdy half-court defense. A three-point burst from Damian Thompson and Kerem Sariaslan helped open up the margin, with Thompson's 3-pointer pushing the lead to 24-15 and Sariaslan knocking down another from deep for a 29-15 cushion with just over five minutes left in the first. The Blue Devils held Cleary to 31.4% shooting for the game, including just 5-for-25 from beyond the arc, and consistently turned defensive stops into quality looks on the other end.
Lawrence Tech continued to control the game out of the locker room, answering any Cleary push with timely perimeter shooting. Early in the second half, Lake McIntosh drilled a 3-pointer at the 17:51 mark to make it 43-29 and re-establish momentum. Later in the period, Michael Afrakoff connected from long range to extend the lead to 53-35, and the Blue Devils maintained a comfortable margin the rest of the way. Lawrence Tech ultimately outscored Cleary 45-37 in the second half to close out the 21-point victory.
The Blue Devils' depth and balance were on full display, as the bench produced 54 of the team's 83 points. Lawrence Tech shot an even 50.0% from the field (31-of-62) and 39.3% from 3-point range (11-of-28) while adding 10-of-13 free throws. Vuk Zarubica led Lawrence Tech in scoring with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and a 3-of-4 effort at the line, while McIntosh provided an efficient spark with 13 points and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils finished with 19 assists on their 31 made field goals, underscoring the ball movement that fueled the offense.
On the interior, Luka Uzelac anchored Lawrence Tech's dominance on the glass. The forward recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, helping the Blue Devils to a 48-34 advantage on the boards. Lawrence Tech turned its 14 offensive rebounds into extended possessions and second-chance points, while limiting Cleary to just 18 points in the paint. Uzelac punctuated the performance with an offensive dunk in the closing seconds, stretching the margin to 83-60 and symbolizing the Blue Devils' control inside.
Cleary was led by Jacob Mueller, who kept the Cougars within reach early and finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep and 5-of-6 at the line. Zane Kemp added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, plus two blocks, and scored late in the first half to trim the deficit to 38-25. Despite their efforts, the Cougars could not overcome their shooting struggles from the perimeter and the rebounding gap, though they did collect 17 offensive boards and forced 16 Lawrence Tech turnovers.
With the win, Lawrence Tech caps the regular season on a strong note and carries momentum into the upcoming WHAC Conference tournament. The Blue Devils' combination of depth, three-point shooting and rebounding strength — highlighted by 40 points in the paint and a significant edge on the glass — provides a clear blueprint as they turn their focus to postseason play next week.
