Speed and endurance led the Salvation Army fifth- and sixth-grade Spurs basketball team to a massive victory over the Lakers on Friday night at Cordley Elementary. After holding the Lakers to just one basket for the majority of the game, the Spurs offense racked up the points to come out victorious, 55-5.

Spurs head coaches Michael Browder and Bilal Mahbub attributed the Spurs’ victory to the experience the team gained from their running intensive workouts during practice.

“I think this game went pretty well because our practices are pretty had with a lot of running,” Browder said.

The Spurs hit the court running at the game’s tip-off. Thomas Thompson stole the ball and thrust it into the hands of Gary Jones, who sunk a basket after three initial attempts.

After Tyler Bradfield stole the ball from the Spurs, he drove it home to Alec Petry, who shot in the only basket for the Lakers in the first quarter. Yet the Lakers’ single basket wasn’t enough to get them back into the contest, especially after the Spurs sunk in three more buckets to finish the first quarter with the Spurs in front, 9-2.

The Spurs continued to maintain the upper hand in the second quarter when Thomas Thompson grabbed the rebound and slipped the ball in the basket, sparking his teammates who followed suit sinking in two more buckets to score three consecutive two- pointers.

The Lakers made an attempt to exterminate the Spurs’ onslaught of offensive scoring. Arthur Hall lead a defensive surge attempting a steal, while John Meisbach challenged Spurs defenders on the dribble.

Unfortunately, the Lakers efforts on the defensive end weren’t enough to spark an offensive output and the team finished the half without scoring another point.

Jones and Thompson each hit their mark for two more Spurs buckets before the clock ran out on the second quarter.

After pounding the court throughout the first half, the Spurs used the halftime to reinvigorate themselves and get excited about maintaining their strong lead after the break.

“I was very excited because we got so many points,” Spurs player Jake Lester said.

The Spurs came out bouncing into the second half and looked as if they didn’t miss a beat. Jones swiftly drove the ball down the court and swished the ball in for the layup to push the team’s point tally to 29 points. Thompson proved to be a double threat with two layups in a row. It was a family affair as Thompson’s brother William Thompson made a quick dash for another bucket.

James Bush stepped up to help out the Lakers in the third quarter by steaking the ball from the Spurs and chucked a pass to Tyler Bradfield, who attempted to drive it down the line to the paint. Trent Jefferson attempted another basket for the Lakers but fell short as they recorded another scoreless quarter.

The fourth quarter brought tag team scoring from Jones and Thomas Thompson when Jones threw the ball to Thompson, who got nothing but net on the jumper. Jones then attacked the Laker defense with two more baskets.

A missed attempt from the Lakers’ Petry allowed Thompson to grab a steal and convert on the fast break for the Spurs. The Lakers shot in one final basket for the game, and Petry sunk in a free throw to tally three points in the quarter.

Yet it was Jones who drove the victory home for the Spurs hitting his mark four consecutive times to finalize the team’s large margin of victory.

Coach Mahbub said the Spurs, who are 3-3 this season, gained a better playing form from improving in their practices.

“I think we gained the advantage from running hard in practices and getting our hands up to give us the speed we had tonight,” Mahbub said.

Lester said the game for him was less about perfect form and more about enjoyment.

“I just like winning and having fun,” Lester said.