Lake Placid’s Chris Byrne drives by a Crown Point defender during Thursday’s game at home. (Provided photo — Alicia Brandes)

LAKE PLACID — It was a tough game for the Lake Placid boys basketball team on Jan. 13.

The Blue Bombers were defeated by the Crown Point Panthers by a score of 56-35 at home. The loss pushed the team’s record to 2-6 on the season.

While Lake Placid didn’t come away with the win, the Blue Bombers head coach Brian Brandes was proud of their efforts.

The Panthers, who came into the match with an 11-0 record and currently rank second in the New York State Sportswriters Association state rankings, were led by Anthony Greenan and Noah Spaulding. The pair recorded 15 points each.

Crown Point immediately put pressure on the Blue Bombers and before they knew it the score was 29-14 by halftime.

In the third quarter, Lake Placid came out more energized. The team even outscored the Panthers 12-11 during that time.

Brandes credited Sam Hooker for having a standout performance. Hooker had 22 of his team’s 35 points in the loss.

In the fourth quarter, a tired Blue Bombers team took the court. With just six total players available to play after an injury, the team looked tired and Crown Point took advantage.

The Panthers scored 16 points to Lake Placid’s nine in the final quarter.

Lake Placid’s Chris Byrne had a solid performance with four points, while PJ Colby scored three points. JJ Ledwith, Colton Kondrat and Eben Daby tallied a basket each in the loss.

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LP falls to Bolton

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The Lake Placid boys basketball team struggled to get it going against the Bolton Central Eagles on Jan. 18.

Playing at home, the Blue Bombers were defeated by the Eagles by a score of 37-29.

“It seemed like everybody had an off night,” Blue Bombers’ head coach Brian Brandes said. “When you put every white jersey that laces their sneakers up that has an off night, it’s not going to go well. We were off on defense, we were off on offense. We allowed them to take three-point shots that they made. They are a much-improved team from when we saw them the first time. Kudos to them.”

Bolton’s young core of Jaxon Egloff, a seventh-grader, and Jace Hulbert, an eighth-grader, were dominant in the win. Egloff recorded 12 points while Hulbert had a game-high 20, which included six three-pointers.

“They played better than we did,” Brandes said.

In the low-scoring game, the two teams traded points back and forth throughout the first half of play, with Bolton continuously holding a lead throughout most of the game.

It was not until the third quarter when the Eagles took flight and outscored the Blue Bombers 11-5, to give Bolton a 30-21 lead heading into the final quarter.

In the final quarter, the Blue Bombers did outscore Bolton 8-7, but Bolton’s big lead proved to be a difference-maker.

Lake Placid’s Jack Armstrong, who recently returned from an injury, led his team with nine points. Armstrong also nailed three three-pointers. Sam Hooker and Adnan Cecunjanin both had a solid performance. Hooker had nine points while Cecunjanin had seven. The Blue Bombers’ other scorers were Sebil Cecunjanin with three points and Chris Byrne with two.

“If we play our game and everybody laces them up and is consistent then we would do much better,” Brandes said. “We are just looking to be disciplined and consistent the rest of the year.”

The Blue Bombers were slated to hit the hardwood against Willsboro on Jan. 20.