The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Lorain opens with victory over Euclid
All-Ohio point guard Grant scores game-high 32 points for Lorain
Expectations are as high as ever at Lorain after last year’s historic playoff run, and the Titans played like a team with state championship aspirations in their season opener Dec. 1 in the 19th annual Bob DiFranco Memorial Tip-Off Classic at Midview.
Led by All-Ohio point guard Devon Grant, Lorain dominated a talented Euclid team, 82-65, to set the tone for what is sure to be another thrilling season.
“We just stuck to moving the ball, trusting our teammates,” Grant said. “That’s the biggest thing, having heart and just trusting our teammates. That’s the key to our game and the way we play.”
Grant finished with a gamehigh 32 points, 25 of which he scored in the first half, putting on a show to kick off his senior season. Euclid coach T.J. Kwasniak said there’s not much any team can and will be able to do against a player of Grant’s caliber.
“We started in a zone because we knew matching up (with Grant) would be tough, and we did a terrible job at recognizing who he was,” Kwasniak said.
“By halftime, I think we knew who he was pretty well. I mean, he lit us up. He’s a very good player. He might be the best player we see all season and once he got going there wasn’t much else you could do.
“I thought there was a couple times we actually had a hand in his face and he hit it. When a kid’s having a night like that, there’s not much you can do.”
Grant wasn’t the only one to punish Euclid, as four of the Titans’ five starters finished in double digits. Taevon Pierre-Louis had 20 points and a gamehigh eight rebounds, Deonte Benejan had 12 points and Jordan Jackson had 11.
“Everybody thinks our offense is based off me and Grant (but) we have a whole five that can do everything,” Pierre-Louis said. “Even players coming in off the bench can do everything. We just want to prove that we’re different.”
Euclid challenged Lorain at times, however, particularly on the boards, and cut the Titans’ lead to nine early in the second half. The Panthers out-rebounded the Titans, 2625, in what was the most
disappointing part of his team’s performance according to head coach John Rositano.
“Defensively we have some things to work on and I was disappointed in the way we rebounded or didn’t rebound and I thought that kept (Euclid) in the game,” Rositano said. “We’d have pushed the score even farther if we’d have rebounded the basketball like I know we can.
“It was a combination of (Euclid) being very athletic, very tall and we weren’t doing what we’re supposed to do.”
Four players reached double digits for Euclid (01) including Mario Lacey with 16 points, Garvin Clarke with 14, Reggie Priah with 11 and Octavious Hardy with 10.
Too many missed assignments and offensive miscues kept the Panthers from giving themselves a chance to win as Lorain exploited them at every turn.
“They’re just a more seasoned team. They’re a smarter team than us right now,” Kwasniak said of Lorain. “A team like that, there’s not a lot of room for error and any time we made a lazy pass or we were in the wrong position they just feasted on it and they make you pay. They make you pay in a hurry.”