Eagan 1/15
Erik Post #10 (with the second half dagger three…)
Lakers Light Up Eagan: Eight Straight Wins and a Statement Made in the SSC
PRIOR LAKE, Minn. — January 15, 2026
The Prior Lake Lakers walked into Thursday night riding a seven‑game heater. They walked out with eight straight, a roaring home crowd, and a signature 86–69 win over the Eagan Wildcats that confirmed—loudly—that the Lakers are one of the most dangerous teams in the South Suburban Conference.
Eagan, loaded with seniors and size, came to test the streak. Prior Lake answered every question with energy, execution, and a second half that can only be described as basketball fireworks.
FIRST HALF — TURNOVERS, TOUGHNESS, AND THOMPSON
The night started exactly how Prior Lake would have drawn it up:
Paint touch → kick‑out → Kolby Thompson → cash from deep.
A perfect 3–0 start.
Inside, Colten Gunderson and Eagan’s big man Kevin Kemp traded early blows—hard defense, big bodies, and tone‑setting physicality. Thompson stole the spotlight moments later with a smooth scoop layup and then stepped in to draw a charge to make it 5-0 Lakers.
But Eagan answered with transition fire: a cross‑court dart for a corner three, another triple seconds later, suddenly an 8–5 Wildcat lead.
That’s when Kobby Sam‑Brew decided enough was enough.
A high‑flying BLOB rim finish.
A backcourt steal.
Two free throws.
Laker momentum restored.
Both teams traded layups, turnovers, and pace. At 13–13, the game felt like a track meet waiting to break open. Prior Lake found its burst thanks to team defense leading to easy offense—most notably Woeser Jenpa, who ripped Eagan for back‑to‑back transition layups and a four‑point cushion.
Thompson then buried a deep three to stretch the lead to five and force a Wildcat timeout.
Eagan pushed back, tying the score and even taking a brief 23–22 edge with a scoop and a putback floater. Thompson erased that lead immediately at the line, then again from mid‑range for his 14th point of the half.
A corner three from Cole Brinkman provided breathing room before Eagan drilled one of their own at the buzzer. The Lakers took a 31–29 lead into half, but 10 turnovers left the door open.
The fix for the second half was obvious: protect the ball, clean the perimeter, finish plays.
The Lakers did all of it—and then some.
SECOND HALF — SAM‑BREW IGNITES IT, LAKERS DETONATE
The Lakers came out of the locker room like they were shot out of a cannon.
Sam‑Brew bully‑ball layup. Sam‑Brew and‑1. Sam‑Brew lob finish.
Three plays. Three buckets. One Wildcat timeout.
Prior Lake smelled blood.
A Dubore layup.
A Thompson three.
A Gunderson bucket.
Just over three minutes in, the lead had exploded to double digits.
Eagan tried to claw back—Kemp hammered home a putback dunk—but Sam‑Brew answered in the post, Thompson floated in another scoop layup, then unleashed an NBA‑range bomb that pushed him to 22 points.
The next dagger? A beautiful ball‑movement possession ending in a Brinkman‑to‑Brinkman corner three. Lead: 13. Timeout: Eagan. Answers: none.
The Lakers’ pressure turned Eagan’s ball‑handling into a puzzle they couldn’t solve.
Ian Wang smothered Michael McKenzie, forcing bad passes, panicked cross‑court heaves, and two straight turnovers that turned into:
Brinkman transition layup
Dubore steal → Wang and‑1 bucket
Just like that: 15‑point lead, gym exploding.
Eagan tried one last push, trimming it to 10 after back‑to‑back Laker turnovers, but Thompson found Erik Post for a rhythm wing three to restore order. When Eagan hit a three of their own, Gunderson responded physically—two free throws, then a jumped passing lane and breakaway hammer dunk.
That was the exclamation point.
Brinkman’s transition layup made it 16. Eagan hit a couple late threes, but the Lakers matched them with interior scoring and free throws to keep the game safely out of reach.
Final: Prior Lake 86, Eagan 69. Eight straight wins. 6‑0 in conference. Rolling.
BY THE NUMBERS — A TALE OF TWO HALVES
Shooting
First half: 37%
Second half: 76% — absurd, unstoppable, electrifying
Ball Security
First half: 10 turnovers
Second half: 15 assists to 6 turnovers — total reversal
Steals
8 in the first half
8 more in the second
16 total → Wildcat misery
Free Throws
14 of 15 — elite
Rebounding
Gunderson: 8
Theis: 5
Thompson: 3
Playmaking
Thompson: 6 assists
Drew Brinkman: 4 assists
Several others with 3
Scoring Leaders
Thompson — 22
Sam‑Brew — 20
Gunderson — 12
All 10 rotation players scored. Balance on display.
WHAT THIS WIN MEANS
Any rust from the early season? Gone.
Any doubts about depth? Ten players deep, all producing.
Any questions about whether this winning streak is real?
Seven double‑digit wins say yes. Loudly.
This streak isn’t empty calories—it’s built on:
suffocating, switch‑everything defense
relentless rim pressure
improved perimeter shooting
lineup flexibility few AAAA teams can match
This Lakers team is peaking at the right time—and they’re doing it together.
AROUND THE PROGRAM
It wasn’t just varsity shining:
9A: 41–38 win
9B: 54–20 win
B Squad: 62–47 win
JV: 46–39 win (now 13–0)
A 10–0 program sweep this week versus Apple Valley and Eagan.
NEXT UP — ROSEMOUNT & CRETIN-DERHAM HALL
Next week brings two huge tests:
Rosemount — red‑hot after a slow start Young, talented, and winning tough games in the SSC.
Cretin‑Derham Hall — a marquee matchup at The Collision on Saturday.
If Prior Lake continues defending with fire, communicating with purpose, and sharing the ball like they did tonight, the Lakers have a chance to make major statement wins and push this streak into truly special territory.