The Lakeland High School boys’ basketball team fell to a tough Granby High School team last Saturday during the Martin Luther King Jr. Select 12 Classic.

Lakeland went on the road to Booker T. Washington to compete against Granby High School, a team many regard as one of the best in the Hampton Roads area. Lakeland fell 66-44 in a game Coach Clint Wright called a good gauging point for his team.

After the first quarter, Granby had Lakeland down 19-4. The Cavs picked up their scoring a bit more in the second quarter but went into the half down 33-17. The Cavs pulled the game within 11 at the end of the third before Granby went on to pull it off in the fourth.

A day before, Lakeland defeated King’s Fork High School in a tough game, and it might have taken a toll on the Cavs. However, Wright believes the type of competition the Cavs were able to play against will help them going forward.

“Going on the road back-to-back days against two good teams was a bit tough,” Wright said. “Not to take anything away from Granby. It was great for us to get a wake-up call. Sometimes even though you lose, you take some valuable things away from that. I think the type of competition we see in and out of the district will help us in the playoffs.”

Despite the success this season, Lakeland is still a young team in terms of experience, and they hope to continue to take steps in the right direction.

“I’m very comfortable with our positioning and with where we are,” Wright said. “We have more basketball to play, and we know we can get even better.”