Estherville, Iowa — January 17, 2026 — Despite an explosive second-half effort, the Iowa Lakes Community College men's basketball team narrowly fell on the road, 81–79, at Southwestern Community College on Saturday afternoon.

Southwestern held a 31–23 advantage at halftime before Iowa Lakes responded with a dominant offensive showing in the second half, pouring in 56 points while shooting over 58 percent from the floor after the break. The Lakers trimmed the deficit multiple times late but were unable to complete the comeback in the final possessions.

Lakers' Offensive Leaders

Freshman guard Jermaine Freeman led all scorers with 26 points, adding four steals and two assists while playing a team-high 37 minutes. Jorge Castro was efficient offensively, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Cooper Harris provided a strong spark off the bench with 11 points, three assists, and two made threes.

Timothy Ofesi contributed a well-rounded performance with 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks, and Steven Martinez added seven points while pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds.

Team Performance

Iowa Lakes shot 43.1 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range, including a blistering 62.5 percent from beyond the arc in the second half. The Lakers won the rebounding battle 28–25 and finished with 11 assists, eight steals, and four blocks.

Southwestern was led by Micah Hines and Justine De La Cruz, who scored 17 points apiece, as the home team capitalized on 19 points off turnovers to hold on for the win.

Up Next

The Lakers continue ICCAC play next week as they look to build on their second-half momentum heading into their upcoming conference matchup vs. Kirkwood in Estherville at 7:30 pm Wednesday, January 21st.