Boys District Basketball: Slow start sinks Titans at St. Ignatius

CLEVELAND — Lorain fought all game, but coach John Rositano thought the start was the difference in the Titans' 56-52 loss at St. Ignatius in the Division I Northeast District title game. The first quarter was a nightmare for Lorain (8-6), as it missed 12 of 13 shots from the floor. The Wildcats (18-6) used a tireless half-court defense to limit the Titans to just two points in the first period, a Jae Von Manning basket in the paint with 4:01 showing on the clock. St. Ignatius led 11-2 after the first quarter and never trailed in the game. Lorain had two shots to take a lead early in the second after senior Jamir Billings capped a 10-2 Titans run with a 3-pointer to pull within 13-12. Billings missed a contested 3-pointer after a Lorain stop on the defensive end. Senior Aden Brown grabbed the offensive rebound for the Titans and kicked it out to senior Seth Wilson. He attacked the rim, but his shot was swallowed up by St. Ignatius 6-foot-7 forward Henry Raynor. The Wildcats closed the half on a 10-2 run. The Titans pulled within four points three times in the second half behind the hot shooting of Billings, but could never close the gap completely. St. Ignatius closed out the win by hitting 11 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter. "I thought we lost the game in the first quarter," Rositano said. "I thought we had to get off to a good start and we fell behind. We just couldn't get going. I knew we were going to defend them well and we did. You hold a team like that to 43 (points) before we started fouling ... defense wasn't the issue. "We just couldn't get enough movement to make them play defense." Billings scored 18 of his game-high 21 points after halftime. After missing his first four 3-point attempts, he ended up connecting on five from beyond the arc. "All I can say about Jamir is that if there are any DIs out there looking for a defender and a great player, you need to come and get Jamir Billings," said Wilson, who signed to play at West Virginia University. "That's all I can say." Wildcats coach Cameron Joyce knew, even after their big early lead, Lorain would respond. "The first thing I said, when we found out we were playing Lorain, was that (Lorain) is battle-tested," Joyce said. "They won the district for four straight years and they were not going to be afraid of the moment. They were going to come in here expecting to win. "I knew it was going to take a really good effort for four quarters to beat a team like that. Coach (Rositano) has had a great career, this is his last go-around and I knew they were going to be playing hard. He's done an amazing job for that program at Lorain." Rositano is stepping aside at Lorain after compiling a 149-41 record in nine seasons. "They are a great bunch of kids, and if you are going to go out you want to go out with a bunch like that. They're winners," said Rositano, who expects to coach again in the future. "Whether you win or lose an athletic contest, those guys are winners. They're going to go to college, they're going to do all the right things and they're going to be a success in life. "In the classroom or on the court, they do the right things. It's been a joy to coach these guys." Wilson finished with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. He transferred home to Lorain after spending the first two seasons of his high school career at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. "It's been an amazing journey," Wilson said. "I wouldn't trade it for the world, playing back in front of friends and family and ending my high school career here. Everything came back full circle for me and it was just a blessing to be able to do it." Billings also finished his career at Lorain after starting it elsewhere. He came into the Titans program after spending two seasons at Clearview. "A lot of people don't know, but I grew up with everybody here since first or second grade," Billings said. "Me and a lot of the guys played AAU together our whole lives. To be able to end it with them means everything." Junior John Effertz led St. Ignatius with 19 points, while Raynor, a senior, added 17 points and 10 rebounds. The second-seeded Wildcats will face top-seeded St. Edward on Wednesday at 5:30 at Norwalk High School. Contact Mike Perry at 329-7135 or macsportstalk@gmail.com. St. Ignatius 56, Lorain 52 LORAIN (52): Jaco Lee 1-0-3, Seth Wilson 5-0-14, DeVontae Jackson 2-2-6, Jamir Billings 8-0-21, Kamron Thomas 1-0-2, Aden Brown 2-0-4, Jae Von Manning 1-0-2. Totals 20-2-52. ST. IGNATIUS (56): Henry Raynor 6-4-17, Brayden Szczepaniak 2-3-8, John Effertz 6-4-19, Will Yontek 0-3-3, CJ Yarian 0-2-2, Carter Jackson 1-2-5, AJ Fletcher 1-0-2. Totals 16-18-56. Lorain&emsp;&emsp;2&emsp;&emsp;12&emsp;&emsp;16&emsp;&emsp;22&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;52 St. Ignatius&emsp;&emsp;11&emsp;&emsp;12&emsp;&emsp;13&emsp;&emsp;20&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;56 Three-point goals: Lorain 10-32 (Billings 5, Wilson 4, Lee), St. Ignatius 6-10 (Effertz 3, Raynor, Jackson, Szczepaniak). Field goals: Lorain 20-58 (34.4 percent), St. Ignatius 16-37 (43.2 percent); Free throws: Lorain 2-6 (33.3 percent), St. Ignatius 18-27 (66.6 percent); Rebounds: Lorain 30 (Wilson 8), St. Ignatius 32 (Raynor 10). Turnovers: Lorain 12, St. Ignatius 16. Total fouls: Lorain 18, St. Ignatius 11. Fouled out: Brown.