The Great Midwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball conference is truly up for grabs this season, and Lake Erie College finds itself right in the mix.
To say the race for the GMAC regular-season title is a cluster might be an understatement at the early part of this season.
The Storm added to that cluster Jan. 5 with a come-from-behind, 82-77 win over visiting Kentucky Wesleyan in a late-afternoon GMAC contest at LEC’s Athletics and Wellness Center in Painesville.
Lake Erie men’s basketball coach Kyle Conley during his team’s 82-77 win over Kentucky Wesleyan Jan. 5. (Paul DiCicco – For The News-Herald)
LEC improved to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the GMAC with five other teams. First-place Northwood is a half-game ahead in first place at 4-2 in the league and 9-4 overall. Six of the top seven teams in the GMAC all have nine victories this season, with Malone atop that group with a 10-3 mark.
Coach Kyle Conley’s team faced a 37-33 deficit after 20 minutes but found its footing in the second half, as it outscored Kentucky Wesleyan, 49-40, in the second half.
Gio Moore was the Storm’s leading scorer with 22 points. Three other LEC players were in double-figures scoring as Cealum Ethridge had 15 points, Kai Bloom had 12 points (with nine rebounds and four assists), and Brush product Trace Bishko added 10 points and three assists.
LEC shot just 34.6 from the floor while Kentucky Wesleyan made 50 percent of its shots. The Storm were buoyed by 11 made 3-point shots. Wesleyan was just 3 of 15 from beyond the arc. LEC committed only nine turnovers and forced 20.
PHOTOS: Lake Erie vs. Kentucky Wesleyan men’s basketball, Jan. 5, 2026
The Storm’s season so far has been one of streaks. They opened 5-0, then dropped four straight. LEC is currently on a four-game winning streak with its next game at home Jan. 8 against Ashland. That’s another critical game for the Storm as the Eagles travel to Lake County as another of the GMAC’s 3-2 teams.
While most of the Storm’s games have produced games with the offense scoring in the 70- to 80-point range, two outlier games are worth mentioning.
On Nov. 29 against Mansfield, LEC lit up the scoreboard in a record-setting 126-87 victory that included a school-record 70-point first half. The 126 points were also a school record.
On Dec. 20 against Penn State Dubois, LEC topped that with a 132-70 win that was the third-highest single-game point total in GMAC history. The 74 points in the second half also broke LEC’s previous mark set on Nov. 29.
The Storm have four players averaging double-figures in scoring this season, led by Amari Williams’ 13.2 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds. Gavin Welch is at 11.7 points, Bloom 11.5 and Moore 11.3.