Boys basketball: Lorain finally finds rhythm after long layoff, bounces Midview in sectional final

LORAIN — Defense and rebounding are two constants a team can fall back on when the shots aren't falling. Lorain, playing its first game in 22 days, started a little off from the field, but it hounded Midview into seven first-quarter turnovers and dominated the glass while it shook off the rust during a 70-35 win in a Division I sectional final Saturday. Tenth-seeded Lorain (7-5) will take on No. 5 Garfield Heights in the district semifinals Wednesday at 7 p.m. "We were a little out of rhythm, but once we got it we hit the ground running and kept it going," said Lorain senior Seth Wilson, who led the Titans with 21 points and eight rebounds. "At halftime we just had to turn it up, play harder, because we don't want this to be our last time, especially on our senior day and everything like that. We wanted to finish it off strong and get the win." The Middies (11-11) jumped out to a 9-3 lead thanks to solid sharpshooting as Aden Gregory connected on two long jumpers and Nyco Vidal buried a 3-pointer to cap the run. But Lorain quickly turned the screws on defense, scoring the next 19 points and outscoring the Middies 26-3 over the next eight minutes. While the shots weren't falling during the run, the Titans managed to score 12 points off offensive rebounds — piling up more offensive rebounds (11) than Midview's total (nine) during the first half. Center Aden Brown tied Wilson with a game-high eight rebounds while De'Vante Jackson added five. The three combined for 11 of Lorain's 13 offensive rebounds for the game and the Titans outrebounded Midview 31-18 overall. "We were looking forward to that watching film," Jackson said of the Titans' rebounding effort. "That was something coaches said we needed to do in order to dominate this game, and that's just what I came out to do and that's what we did as a team." Gregory ended the drought with a 3-pointer at the 4:55 mark and Midview scored the final five points to take an 11-point deficit into halftime. But Lorain came out with 14 unanswered points, jump-started by Brown's dunk to open the second half. Wilson capped the run with back-to-back 3-pointers. Lorain got off to a slow shooting start as Jamir Billings missed his first six 3-point attempts and Jaco Lee missed his first five, but the pair combined for four in the fourth quarter as Billings hit three straight down the stretch. "We were rusty with our shot, our rhythm and just where to go with the ball," Lorain coach John Rositano said. "But as the game went on you could see us getting better offensively. We got some rhythm shots and then we started making some shots. We knew eventually we'd start making some shots, but I thought for the most part we played really well." Gregory and Tyler Dawson led the Middies with 10 points each, also tying for team-high in rebounds with five. Dawson, Vidal — who finished with seven points — and K.J. Moye are the only seniors on Midview's roster. "They've got a really good team over there and in order to beat a team like that you have to play a near-perfect game," Midview coach Jim Brabenec said. "We had to play the whole game like we played the first few minutes. We didn't, but I was proud of our guys. We competed, we went on a run to close the gap before halftime and then the second half they blew it open. But they're really good and I expect them to make a long tournament run." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com and follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter. Lorain 70, Midview 35 MIDVIEW (35): Tyler Dawson 4-1-10, Aden Gregory 4-1-10, Ryan Runser 2-0-5, Nyco Vidal 2-1-7, Bryce Newton 0-1-1, Marc Reed 1-0-2, K.J. Moye 0-0-0, Ben DeSimone 0-0-0, Mitchell Gooch 0-0-0, Herman Plas 0-0-0, Chris Callaway 0-0-0. Totals 13-4-35.LORAIN (70): Seth Wilson 8-2-21, Kamron Thomas 4-3-11, Aden Brown 2-0-4, Jamir Billings 4-0-11, De'Vante Jackson 5-1-12, Jaco Lee 1-0-3, Jae Von Manning 2-1-5, Jordan Daniels 1-0-3, Rashaad Carter 0-0-0, Asiah Kielian 0-0-0, Jacob Addis 0-0-0. Totals 27-7-70. Midview&emsp;&emsp;9&emsp;&emsp;11&emsp;&emsp;10&emsp;&emsp;5&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;35Lorain&emsp;&emsp;15&emsp;&emsp;16&emsp;&emsp;16&emsp;&emsp;23&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;70 Three-point goals: Midview 5-18 (Vidal 2, Dawson, Gregory, Runser), Lorain 9-25 (Billings 3, Wilson 3, Daniels, Jackson, Lee). Field goals: Midview 13-38 (34 percent), Lorain 27-58 (47 percent). Free throws: Midview 4-8 (50 percent), Lorain 7-9 (78 percent). Rebounds: Midview 18 (Dawson, 5, Gregory 5), Lorain 31 (Brown 8, Wilson 8). Total fouls: Midview 7, Lorain 12. Turnovers: Midview 14, Lorain 4.