Titans run rampant in second half

Points were hard to come by for much of the night, but when the Lorain Titans needed them, they found them.

Hosting Shaw on Feb. 2 in a Lake Erie League encounter, Lorain turned a 21-12 lead midway through the third quarter into a runaway, eventually taking a 56-21 decision. With the victory, the Titans are now 7-8 overall and 4-4 in league play, while Shaw dropped to 3-12 and 0-8.

For most of the first three quarters, the Cardinals played a 2-1-2 zone defense that gave Lorain fits. Coach Matt Kielian had his team prepared to face a zone defense, but the preparation didn’t match up with what was happening on the court.

“We went to what it was that we practiced, but the

way the zone worked, it was like putting a square peg in a round hole,” Kielian said. “So, we made an adjustment at halftime to get a little more movement. We wanted to have more action in the paint, and when they had to account for it, it gave us opportunities on the wings.”

The Titans tried to shoot over the zone early on, with very little success. They hit only 1 of 12 3-pointers in the first half, and by the end of the game they had made only 3 of 20 from beyond the arc. While the halftime adjustment certainly helped, Lorain still struggled to score.

Employing their usual pressure defense, the Titans forced turnovers throughout the game. Shaw had 15 turnovers in the first half and 14 more in the third quarter. However, those turnovers didn’t always turn into points. The hosts never trailed, but they held minimal leads of 9-4 after one period and 20-8 at halftime.

“We need to work on finishing,” Kielian said. “I like the extra passes and what we were doing, but we have to finish around the basket. They were a little bit more physical. We have to be able to take contact. But I’m proud of the guys and the effort they gave us tonight.”

The offensive struggles continued into the third quarter, when the Cardinals cut the margin to just nine, 21-12. Clearly, Lorain was a team in need of a spark.

Enter Zayvion Everson, a 5-foot-11 guard who came off the bench to lead the Titans with 12 points. Eight of those points came in a span of just 1:42 in the middle of the third period, as the athletic junior hit four free throws, put back an offensive rebound and then electrified the crowd with a fast break dunk to finish an 8-0 run. From there, the lead only got bigger.

“He really gave us a spark,” Kielian said. “I‘m extremely proud of him. He did a really good job of giving us energy. It was important that he get us going a little bit. It was good for his confidence and also good for us as a team.”

By the time the third quarter was over, the lead was up to 41-17, and the rout was on.

Everson’s 12 points were backed by Jai’den Guerra-Howard and Asiah Kielian, who each scored 10 points. The Titans come right back Feb. 3 when they host Elyria Catholic.