All season, Lake Central has needed a great game from senior guard Nick Anderson to win. That was the case against Gary West Side, but the supporting cast also stepped up as the Indians moved on in Sectional 1.

The Cougars jumped out to an 11-0 lead behind Quimari Peterson and Parion Roberson. The game flipped midway through the quarter. That’s when Nate Oakley put Lake Central on the board. Oakley provides the toughness inside, and he had a fantastic game. A couple of possessions later, Anderson hit his first shot after a slow start. He ended up scoring 11 points in the opening quarter.

When the dust settled, Lake Central had a 19-0 run. West Side answered back. It wasn’t a double digit run, but the Cougars regained the lead behind the scoring of Peterson and Dominique Williams. Those two scored 12 of West Side’s 14 points in the quarter.

Just like the first period, Anderson ended the second quarter scoring with a three. He is the best shooter that Indiana Basketball Source has seen this season. He’s elite off the catch, off the dribble, and off of screens. There aren’t many high school players that can do that. Anderson had 14 points in the first half.

Oakley made his biggest impact in the third quarter. It was like he grabbed every rebound in the period. He also scored a bunch in the lane. In fact, he scored 10 points in the stanza. For a team that doesn’t score a lot, Oakley’s scoring was a major boost.

Lake Central’s four-point lead beginning the fourth was quickly erased. Dominique Williams hit a three then Peterson followed it with another for West Side. Lake Central grabbed the lead right back with two triples from Anderson. He scored 10 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth.

After Anderson’s threes, Lake Central never surrendered the lead. LC made free throws down the stretch, and West Side was never able to string together threes to cut into the lead.

Lake Central won 60-54.

Nick Anderson finished with 24 points on 6-12 from three. He also had three rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Nate Oakley had 16 points and eight rebounds. Kyle Blum added 12 points and six rebounds.

Quimari Peterson led West Side with 18 points. Dominique Williams had 15 points and five rebounds. Mason Nicholson added eight points and five rebounds. Israel Hines recorded five points, three rebounds, and three assists.

In the first game at East Chicago, the host Cardinals beat Highland 46-29. ECC senior forward Chris Okeke was dominant in the paint. He had 12 points and blocked/changed a bunch of Highland shots.