Cleveland Charge makes stellar comes back to defeat Lakeland Magic

It was a decent crowd on hand last night (2,843bositerous fans) as the Cleveland Charge (12-9) handily defeated the Lakeland Magic (10-10), 130-105 at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. The game was part of the month long 19th Annual Black History Celebration in recognition of Black History month as various community organizations were honored with on the court presentations. The event was sponsored by Immaculate Cleaners.

The Magic got off to a hot start as they surged ahead by over 20 points. With 3:04 left in the first half, the Charge hit a 9-1 run getting within 10 points (67-57) as the teams took a break. Into the third quarter, Cleveland continued their run with a 13-2 start as they took the lead at the mid-point of the quarter. At that point, Cleveland never looked back as they outscored Lakeland 37-14 in the third heading to a 73-38 dominance in the second half overall.

For the Cleveland Charge it was Jamorko Pickett scoring 24 points that included 18 points in the second half added to three steals in 28 minutes. Sam Merrill was good for 22 points and four rebounds in 31 minutes. Blake Francis charged off the bench to score 15 points while grabbing five rebounds along with eight assists in 20 minutes. Devontae Shuler also came off the bench to help with 16 points in 24 minutes.

For the Magic it was Jay Scrubb scoring 22 points and two steals in 30 minutes. Zavier Simpson scored 21 points with seven assists and two steals in 32 minutes. Caleb Houston added 16 points along with seven rebounds and three steals in 32 minutes on relief for Lakeland.

The Cleveland Charge will once again face the Lakeland Magic (Orlando Magic) tonight, February 25th with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. The game theme will be “Celebrating Superman: 85 Years of Heroism” with the event sponsored by Bertman Original Ballpark Mustard. Superman Charge T-Shirts will be handed out to the first 1,000 fans and Superman themed jerseys will be worn by the players. After the contest select Charge players will be available for autographs as well as Post-game Free Throws. For more information go to Cleveland Charge Tickets, 2023 Matchup Schedule & Locations |SeatGeek .