LAKEWOOD — A collective sigh came out of Lakewood Dec. 28 as the Cougars ran over the Lambrick Park Secondary Pride 62-39 to capture their first win of the season.

“We just needed to get that one and see how it felt,” said senior Joseph Hawkins. “It was nice, we were able to get into their heads a little.”

Hawkins was key in Lakewood’s 28-2 second-quarter run. The 6-2 guard scored 8 of his 12 points, and also had four steals and a handful of rebounds during that period.

“He brings an athleticism to our team that really helps,” said Cougars coach Matt Hart. “Whenever you have a guard grabbing 10 and a half rebounds a game, you’ve got to be just working your butt off.”

In that run, the Cougars also only committed a pair of turnovers and halfway through it started playing with a swagger that comes with having 10 seniors on a roster. At the end of the season, this game might be looked upon as a turning point for Lakewood (1-5), which started the season 0-5 and led many to believe that pressure was mounting after every loss due to high expectations in the preseason.

“It was good to see the guys get the first win, but we’ve still go work to do,” Hart said. “Conference play is coming.”

Leading the Cougars in scoring was junior Tre’ Haslom, who finished with 16 while senior Cameron Fry added 11. Fry kept Lakewood’s run going with a key defensive steal and a three to make the score 31-12.

“That was big, and hopefully tonight gets him going because he’s struggled a bit this season,” said Hart about Fry, who led the team in scoring last season.

The Cougars had just an 11-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter, but kept the Pride from scoring a field goal for 10 minutes, taking a 39-12 halftime lead.

“We were able to switch up defenses really well tonight, and I think that kind of threw them off guard,” Hart said.

Lakewood switched from zone to man-to-man defenses throughout the game while maintaining full-court pressure most of the game.

Hart also praised senior Beau Wiersma, who provided energy from the bench both on the boards and in defensive pressure.

“Beau stepped in and played his role perfectly,” Hart said. “He gave us a little more energy to keep extending our lead.”