Titans shake off slow start, down Middies

After a long layoff, the Lorain boys basketball team found its way back onto the floor.

Good things came of it as the tenth seeded Titans (7-5) downed visiting and twentysixth seeded Midview (11-11), 7035, in a Division I sectional final on Feb. 27.

With the win, Lorain advances to a district semifinal and will travel to Garfield Heights to take on the Bulldogs on March 3.

“I thought for the most part, we played pretty well,” Lorain coach John Rositano said. “In tournament time, the game slows down. You better be able to rebound and you better be able to defend. If you do those things in tournament time, you always have a shot. I thought for the most part, we did a pretty good job of that.”

After having to quarantine, the Titans hadn’t played a game since losing to Cleveland Heights on Feb. 5. The team also held just two practices prior to its game vs. Midview. It showed early on as Lorain got off to a sluggish start.

The Titans missed shots, struggled to get into a rhythm and fell behind 9-3 early in the first quarter after Midview guard Nyco Vidal (seven points) drained a 3-pointer to the delight of the Middies fans who made the trip up north.

“We were rusty with our shot and our rhythm,” Rositano said. “As the game wore on, you could see us getting better offensively. The ball was getting moved, we were getting rhythm shots and we started making some shots in rhythm. You knew eventually we would start making some shots because these guys are good shooters.”

Once Lorain got their basketball legs underneath them, the Titans began to turn things around. The home team closed the

first quarter on a 12-0 run to take a 15-9 lead into the second frame. Lorain senior Seth Wilson scored six of his game-high 21 points during the run.

Prior to his team’s quarantine, Wilson missed four games with an injury. In his first live action since Jan. 26 vs. Bedford, the West Virginia signee looked every bit of his normal self throughout the night. Wilson’s shot looked good as he nailed three 3-pointers, he was diving for loose balls and played solid defense.

“It felt great,” said Wilson on how it felt to be back. “I was really grateful to be back out there. Sitting and watching these guys play, I was so happy that they did get to play and I was so happy to be there to watch. But at the same time, as a competitor, you want to be out there. Now that I’m back out there, I’m ready to go as far as we can go. We don’t want this to end.”

Lorain’s run continued into the second quarter as the home team scored the first seven points of the quarter. Titans senior Jae Von Manning (five points) converted an and-one attempt to put an exclamation

point on the 19-0 run to give his team a 22-9 advantage.

Despite seeing their lead turn into a deficit, the Middies fought back and trailed by 11 at 31-20 at the half.

Midview junior Aden Gregory (10 points) drilled a 3-pointer to put an end to Lorain’s run. His 3-pointer was followed up by backto-back 3s from Vidal and Midview senior Tyler Dawson (10 points) as the Middies closed the half on an 8-2 run.

“We stopped hitting shots,” Midview coach Jim Brabenec said. “We were knocking them down but Lorain gets after it. They’ve done that for years and they have really good players over there. To beat a team like that, you have to play a near-perfect game.

“I was proud of our guys and I thought we competed. They went on a run and we closed the gap before halftime. In the second half, they blew it open. They are really good and I expect them to make a long tournament run.”

In the third, Lorain created some separation by using its defense and rebounding ability. The Titans’ solid defense made it hard for Midview to score.

Lorain also used its height advantage to grab rebounds and prevent the Middies from getting many second chance opportunities.

The Titans won the rebounding battle with Aden Brown hauling in 10 rebounds, Wilson grabbing eight and DeVante Jackson tallying five.

“We were looking forward to that watching film,” said Jackson on the rebounding battle. “My coach told me that was something we needed to do to dominate this game and that’s what I came out to do. That’s what we did as a team.”

Lorain outscored Midview 16-10 in the third to take a 47-30 lead into the fourth. There, the home team closed the game out with some help from Jamir Billings, who scored 11 points on the night. The senior drilled three of his team’s five 3-pointers in the quarter.

With Lake Erie League foe Garfield Heights on tap next week, Lorain knows it needs to bring its ‘A’ game.

When asked what his team needs to do to prepare for its next game, Wilson said with a laugh, “we need to get in shape and shoot the ball better.”