Lakewood runs the ball screen game as their primary offense, initiating it from the top of the key 63% of the time with #3 Marcus Webb as the primary ball handler. Their preferred action is a high ball screen with #32 (Caleb Turner) rolling hard to the rim on every rep.
They look to attack the nail on the catch — Webb's first read is always the rim, not the pull-up. When that's denied he finds the corner shooter (#11 Jordan Ellis) who runs away off the screen on 78% of possessions.
When the ball screen game isn't producing, Lakewood transitions into a 5-out motion where all five players operate beyond the arc. They move the ball with purpose but aren't dangerous in this set — they shoot only 29% from 3 out of 5-out motion.
The motion is really a reset mechanism. Watch for them to use it after timeouts and before re-initiating ball screen action in the final 4 minutes of quarters.
After timeouts and in the final 90 seconds of close games, Lakewood runs a recognizable Horns set — two bigs at the elbows, guards at the corners, ball handler at the top. They look first to the elbow handoff for a mid-range jumper (#32 Turner, who shoots 52% on these) and second to a skip pass to the corner for a corner 3 by #11 Ellis.
Lakewood plays man-to-man defense 78% of the time. Their man coverage is aggressive on-ball and they hedge hard on ball screens — they do not switch. Their guards fight over screens, which creates backdoor opportunities when they over-pursue.
They are very disciplined in their help rotation but slow to recover when the ball reverses quickly. They gave up 8 corner threes in the Findlay game due to slow rotation on ball reversal.
Lakewood uses a 2-3 zone roughly 22% of the time, typically: after timeouts to disrupt rhythm, when protecting a lead in the 4th quarter, and when Parks is in foul trouble. Their 2-3 has a significant gap at the high-post — they leave the elbow area open on ball reversal.
They do not deny the high-post entry in the 2-3. Any player who can catch and shoot from the elbow should be your go-to against their zone.
Lakewood does not press frequently — they applied full-court pressure only 11 times across 3 games analyzed. When they do press, they run a 1-2-1-1 trap press initiated at half-court. Their primary trap trigger is the sideline near mid-court. They do not gamble in the backcourt. The press is designed to disrupt tempo, not generate turnovers.
Lakewood scores 24.3 points per game in transition — the highest in the PCL. They sprint the floor relentlessly and Webb pushes immediately on every made basket, miss, and turnover. Their average transition opportunity ends in a shot attempt within 4 seconds of gaining possession.
They convert 68% of transition opportunities where they have a numbers advantage. They are extremely dangerous when you turn the ball over in your own half.
42% of their shots come from inside the paint with a 61% field goal percentage. Turner at the rim is their most efficient source of scoring. Protect the paint above all else — every rim attempt Turner gets is nearly automatic.
Their right corner is their most dangerous spot on the floor outside the paint — Ellis shoots 44% from the right corner and runs there off almost every ball screen. This is the single most important spot to close out on.
They shoot only 28% from mid-range overall. If you can force them to mid-range pull-ups you are winning the shot quality battle. Do not give up the paint or corner three to protect the mid-range.