The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Titans dominate Bearcats
Grant scores 26 points, Pierre-Louis adds 15 in first LEL victory of year
Lorain took care of business Dec. 15, dominating visiting Bedford, 81-43, as the three-time defending conference champions opened Lake Erie League play with a big win at home.
The Titans raced to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks to junior Devone Grant who scored the opening 10 points and 12 of the first 14, finishing the quarter with 15 of his game-high 26 points.
Bedford (0-3, 0-1 LEL) was outmatched all night and struggled
under the weight of Lorain’s heavy defensive pressure, and the Titans exploited the frantic Bearcats.
“We’re trying to establish our own identity ... in terms of doing things the right way, taking the court the right way, and there’s no question we have the better team, but you still have to do things the right way, come out with the same kind of energy and take care of business and our guys did that,” Lorain coach John Rositano said.
It was the first game of the young season Lorain (3-0, 1-0) didn’t have to come from behind and pull out a victory in the waning minutes.
The only quarter the Titans were outscored was the fourth, but at that point, they had already built a 40-point lead.
“It’s a lot better playing up by 30 at halftime than when you’re losing and trying to scrap out a game,” Rositano said with a
“You can just see this team, every day in practice these young guys are getting a lot of playing time, they’re getting court time and you can see them getting better.”
Grant’s 26 points are the most in a game for him this season. The 6-foot junior is averaging 21.3 points per game and added 3 3-pointers against Bedford.
Taevon Pierre-Louis added 15 points and seven rebounds and Jaiden Sledge chipped in 11 points for Lorain, which got points from
eight of its 10 rostered players.
“It shows that we’re building chemistry and just jelling together more and more in practice every day,” Grant said of his teammates’ success. “We have to keep it going.
“We all feel that we’re a family so we just stick together
through thick and thin ... and just play hard all the time.”
Lorain is on the road the next two games, first traveling to Cleveland Central Catholic Dec. 19 for a nonconference game before heading to Shaw Dec. 22 to continue LEL play.