The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Titans fall to Eagles in final seconds of game
Lorain’s Seth Wilson scores 35 in loss
Lorain proved to itself and the basketball world that it is still one of the top teams in the state in a measuring stick game against state ranked St. Edward on the road on Jan. 19.
The Titans (4-1, 3-0 LEL) had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds but fell just short as St. Edward (7-0) remains undefeated after hanging on for an 81-75 victory.
“That’s a great high school basketball game against two elite teams,” Lorain coach John Rositano said. “We made a couple of mistakes down the stretch that really hurt us. That’s what really good teams do, they capitalize on them.
“I’m disappointed we lost but the fight and the will to come back and keep coming — I thought it was tremendous. I think both teams got better from this kind of game.”
With around 12 seconds remaining and the Titans trailing by two, Eagles guard Zyion Freer-Brown stole the Titans’ inbounds pass and scored on the other end to extend the home team’s lead to four. Following the made basket, St. Edward stole the ensuing Lorain inbounds pass and dropped it into the net to seal the win for the Eagles.
“Good teams capitalize on mistakes and that’s what they did,” Rositano said. “We’ll learn from it.”
Despite holding a 16-13 lead at the beginning of the second quarter, the Titans found themselves trailing for the entirety of the final two and a half quarters.
Lorain guard Seth Wilson — who led all scorers with 35 points and seven rebounds — nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer from half court to trim St. Edward’s lead to 30-22 at the half. Prior to the shot, the Eagles held an 11-point lead, one point shy of their largest of the night.
“Any time you get under 10, it’s big,” Rositano said. “(Wilson) hit some big shots and a lot of our guys hit some shots.”
The West Virginia signee showed off his range all night, pulling up and drilling shots from way beyond the 3-point arc. He made six 3-pointers in the game.
“I just tried to give us the best chance to win,” Wilson said. “That’s all. It wasn’t about getting going, it wasn’t about anything else. It was about trying to get us in the best position to win later in the game.”
St. Edward used its athleticism and passing ability to try and fend off the feisty Titans. It looked like the Eagles might pull away several times in the second half. However, the Titans continued to scratch, claw and fight to keep themselves in the game.
After each St. Edward run, the Titans responded with big shots of their own from Wilson, Jamir Billings (20 points) and De’Vante Jackson (10 points).
Jackson nailed two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, with the second basket pulling Lorain within two points at 63-61.
Billings also showed off his long range ability by drilling three 3-pointers on the night. None of his shots were bigger than a put back, and-one basket late in the game.
Billings had the inside position on an Eagles player and after a Lorain player missed a 3-pointer, Billings grabbed the ball in mid-air and laid it in off the glass while getting fouled. He made the free throw to bring the Titans within one point at 76-75.
“I thought we attacked (in the second half),” Billings said. “(We) stopped missing easy layups and we stopped turning the ball over.”
That’s as close as Lorain would get, however, as St. Edward closed out the contest and earned a hard fought victory.
Despite the loss, Rositano was happy with his team’s effort. The Titans coach also reflected on a few chances that his team let slip away in the game.
“We just couldn’t get the key rebound or the key stop when we needed it most,” Rositano said. “That’s been our trademark through the years. We just couldn’t get it. We’re disappointed but that’s why you play these kind of games, to get better.”
Up next, Lorain travels to Warrensville Heights for a Lake Erie League matchup on Jan. 22.