Boys basketball battles its way to overtime victory over Lorain

Taking a break from Southwestern Conference play Tuesday, Avon’s boys basketball team hosted 2-16 Lorain in a tune-up for the postseason.

As the fans filed out of Avon’s gym afterward, many of them had to have the same question: “How is that team 2-17?”

That’s right, the Eagles edged Lorain, 71-67 in overtime, to drop the Titans to 2-17 on the season. But that record certainly doesn’t fit with what happened on the court. Lorain led for most of the final three quarters before the 14-5 Eagles held them scoreless for the final 2 minutes, 43 seconds of the overtime period, pinning the third overtime loss of the season on the Titans and coach Matt Kielian.

“We’ve said it all week,” said Avon coach Mike Fitch. “That’s a really good team. Honestly, I saw them at the beginning of the year, and they didn’t look like that. He has worked his butt off. What he’s done with that program and with that team is freaking legit. They run some really good stuff. They executed. We threw a lot of different defenses at them, and it didn’t affect them. I’m just proud of our guys for battling through and winning in overtime.”

Part of the reason that the Titans have just two victories is that they play in the rugged Greater Cleveland Conference. Another factor is that Kielian started a lineup of four juniors and a sophomore, and only one senior saw time on the court.

“No excuses, but I think we are kind of young and inexperienced,” Kielian said. “But you know what? They have heart. And they’re resilient. Through these games we’ve had a lot of ups and downs. I think the key is just consistency. We’re really inconsistent at times. We know the game, but sometimes we don’t think the game the right way, and we kind of take some things for granted. Sometimes that’s part of youth.”

Avon, which starts just one senior, used a 10-0 run to open a 12-3 lead and threaten a runaway, but Lorain battled back to tie the score at 16 after one period.

“I think we started playing a little one-on-one,” Fitch said. “We call it no-pass basketball, where we just kind of go, and that’s when teams get runs on us.”

Things were tight for the rest of the game, as neither team led by more than nine points. In fact, that was the largest margin of the contest, a 33-24 lead for Lorain late in the second quarter. But Avon battled back to trail by five, 35-30, at the break.

Three minutes into the third period the margin was the same, 39-34, but Avon put on an 11-2 run to open a 45-41 lead. During the run, sophomore center Sam Griffiths had the unusual combination of slamming home an offensive rebound to bring the home crowd to its feet and then hitting a 3-pointer from the left wing 28 seconds later. But by the end of the quarter, the Titans were back on top, 51-49.

Lorain opened a 56-51 lead early in the final quarter, but the hosts responded with a 10-3 run to take a 61-59 lead. During the run, five different players scored for the Eagles, who ended the game with three players in double figures and two more with seven or more points.

Eventually, Lorain tied the score at 63 with 1:00 to play with Javell Morris banking in a short jumper from the left side. Both teams had chances to score in the final minute, and Lorain had a wide open putback as regulation time was running out, but the ball cruelly bounced off the back rim.

“We had two good looks, the shot and the tip-in,” Kielian said. “But that didn’t win or lose the game. There’s so many different things that happened throughout the course of the game.”

Barely more than a minute into the overtime period, Lorain took a 67-65 lead on two free throws by Jeramiah Daniels. However, those were the last points that the Titans would score.

“I think the difference was our intensity on defense,” said Avon’s Joey Ziegler, who led all players with 19 points. “I think they were pushing us around a little bit in the first half, and we came back in the second half and showed that we were stronger than them.”

Ziegler played a key role in the victory, as he not only led the Eagles in scoring, but he also was the team’s primary ballhandler and had several outstanding assists. Avon took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Griffiths that came after Ziegler grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to his teammate. About a minute later, Ziegler hit a wide-open Brooks Good with a no-look pass for a layup that made it 70-67 with 1:34 to play.

“That’s my role on this team,” Ziegler said. “You know, I’ve got to handle the ball. When I get tired, there’s kids that step in, and then it’s my time to go back in and handle the ball. We have a lot of guys who are good at finding the right spots. It makes it easy for me to find them on the cuts. I’m just glad that I’m able to play such a big role for this team.”

Behind Ziegler’s 19 points, Griffiths scored 17, Good had 16, Gavyn Kittelberger had eight and Dean Abdul had seven in the annual matchup between these teams that both use as preparation for the postseason.

“We always play this exact date every single year on purpose because I love going against them, the athleticism and different type of game that we could see in the tournament,” Fitch said. “That’s why we continue to schedule them. Matt’s a close friend of mine, and he loves it. We both love it.”

The Titans were led by Morris with 18 points, followed by Jaylen Jackson with 16 and Daniels with 15.

“I can’t fault their effort and their resilience, trying to fight through turnovers and their mistakes,” Kielian said. “They didn’t give up, and they haven’t. They’ve stayed together throughout the whole year. We have good chemistry. You know, a game like this is just going to make us better. That’s what I’m letting them know. Despite the outcome, this process that we’re going through right now is going to make us better players and a better team.”