The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Wildcats net LC8 title with win over Raiders
With the top two teams in the conference squaring off, the game was as close as you would expect.
Keystone (12-1) won the Lorain County League championship with a hard fought 86-78 road win over Columbia (9-3) on Feb. 2.
Columbia needed a win vs. Keystone to keep its conference title hopes alive.
“The work we’ve all put in year in and year out from when we were little playing together all the way up to now, it feels great,” Keystone senior Rocky Houston said.
Both teams played an even game throughout and the contest wasn’t decided until late in the fourth quarter. Keystone held a 58-55 lead heading into the final frame.
Columbia senior George Wilson (21 points) used an and one to tie the game at 62 all early on in the fourth. That’s as close as the Raiders would get, however, as Houston drilled a 3-pointer on the Wildcats’ ensuing possession to regain the lead for his team.
A lead the Wildcats wouldn’t relinquish.
Houston poured in 22 points in the contest and hit several clutch 3s throughout the night.
Just when it looked like the Wildcats would pull away, Raiders senior Brandon Fisher had an answer to keep his team in the game.
Fisher scored 14 of his 18 total points in the fourth quarter and converted on three straight and one opportunities late in the fourth. Fisher was also a key rebounder for the Raiders, hauling in a team-high 11 boards.
Keystone led 71-64 before Columbia battled back to pull within two points at 80-78 after Fisher’s third and one.
“Brandon is our leader,” Columbia coach Larry Babics said. “We need him in big games and he stepped up and did some good things throughout. We want the ball in his hands. He rebounds very well for his size.”
With the game up for grabs, the Wildcats had no interest in holding off their conference title celebration and closed the game out.
“Our goal was to come in and get it done right now,” Houston said. “Our goal on Friday is to go get it done again. We don’t want to lose.”
Keystone senior Sean Saterlee led the charge as the senior scored 10 of his 12 total points in the fourth. Saterlee converted on six of his eight attempts from the free throw line to help his team seal the win.
Keystone’s Ryan Walsh also had a big game as the sophomore scored 14 of his 22 total points in the second quarter. He accounted for all but six of his team’s points in the second and helped the Wildcats take a 38-37 lead into the break.
Following the win, Keystone coach Jeff Holzhauer said he sees a lot of similarities between the two teams, including the fast paced style of offense that both teams run.
“We run,” Holzhauer said. “We get the ball out and we want to go. We didn’t want to do that the whole game with them but athlete-to-athlete, I think our kids match up pretty well. They have a bunch of shooters, a bunch of 6-foot, 6-foot-2 athletes that can shoot and we have the same.”
Walsh and his teammates plan on enjoying the conference title as they look to close out their season strong.
“It feels amazing,” Walsh said. “It’s something that we’ve been working for all year. When the night came, we executed. It was a close game and Columbia is a good team but we came out on top.”
Up next, the two teams will square off again on Feb. 5 at Keystone.