Despite watching his team lose 47-40 to Marion on Dec. 10, Head Coach Scott Allen said the Lancers took “a step in the right direction” with their effort in that game. He must have seen something he liked because the team responded with a narrow 61-60 win over Kirkwood on Dec. 14.

After going into halftime down by six points, the Lancers roared back thanks to the performance of their two leading scorers. Junior Joel Pennington fueled the comeback with a season-high 25 points and senior Aareon Smith added 19 points as the team improved to 2-3 on the season.

“My shot felt good, but it was really a team effort. So many other kids stepped up [as far as] defense, hustling after loose balls, getting big steals and execution on the offensive end,” Pennington said.

Next up for the Lancers is a spot in the GAC Shootout at the St. Louis Family Arena in St. Charles. They will take on Duchense at 7 p.m. on Dec. 18.