Barrow's Lawrence Kaleak prepares for a shot. Kaleak led the third-ranked Whalers in scoring both nights of a two-game series with Bethel. - Photo Provided / for Alaska Newspapers

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January 27th 2:30 pm | Van Williams

Barrow basketball player Lawrence Kaleak introduced himself to the Western Conference last weekend with a powerful performance against the Bethel Warriors.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore played like an upperclassman by leading the third-ranked Whalers in scoring both nights during a two-game sweep.

After missing the first eight games of the season, Kaleak became eligible for the Wasilla series a week earlier. He is apparently making up for lost time.

"He gives us another scorer, another good player on the team," said Barrow coach Jeremy Arnhart. "He's a gamer."

His coming out party started with a 17-point night to fuel a 68-49 victory in the first game. Other Barrow double-figure scorers included Eben Olemaun [15], Colin Long [12] and Eddie Benson [11].

The Whalers took control with a 21-11 run in the third quarter.

In the second game, Kaleak pumped in a season-high 20 points to lead a 71-56 win.

"He's definitely one of our better players," Arnhart said. "Getting him back on the court I knew he would give us a different look."

Teammates Tasi Fosi [18], Olemaun [12] and Long [12] also scored double digits.

But, really, the series was dominated by Kaleak. These were only his third and fourth games of the season.

"He attacks the rim and he's good in transition," Arnhart said. "He's a good offensive player with good basketball skills. For us to be at the top level he needs to play well."

Kaleak joins an already stacked Barrow squad that has won 8 of 12 games. His scoring presence should take off the burden to score for leaders Long and Benson.

"It's going to take a few games for everyone to get on the same page and feel each other out," Arnhart said. "Once they do that it's going to take us to another level."

Reach Van Williams at sports@report

alaska.com.

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Copyright 2012 The Arctic Sounder is a publication of Alaska Newspapers, Inc. This article is © 2012 and limited reproduction rights for personal use are granted for this printing only. This article, in any form, may not be further reproduced without written permission of the publisher and owner, including duplication for not-for-profit purposes. Portions of this article may belong to other agencies; those sections are reproduced here with permission and Alaska Newspapers, Inc. makes no provisions for further distribution.