Girls basketball: Aminah Mustafa hits clutch free throws as Lorain edges Firelands in overtime thriller

LORAIN — It's going to be tough for the Lorain and Firelands girls basketball teams to top Monday's game in terms of sheer excitement. Not only were there multiple 10-point runs, 16 lead changes, six ties and no lead more than eight points, it took overtime to decide the outcome. That's when Lorain senior guard Aminah Mustafa sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to give the Titans a 62-61 non-conference win. Mustafa's made free throws were a rarity for Lorain, which was just 6-of-16 (38 percent) to that point. "I was so nervous, I wasn't even breathing," Mustafa said. "I was holding my breath. I didn't think I was going to make them myself. I've been missing a lot of free throws myself this year." But she made them to emerge as the final hero in a night full of them. Firelands (4-2) had three players in double figures, but none more impressive than Jordyn Copley, who had 16 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks. "She was phenomenal tonight," Falcons coach and Lorain alum Onyx Lopez said. "Jordyn is a monster. She just does whatever you need her to do. She's not a stat counter, she's so unselfish and so fun to coach." Kendra Hardwick and Lexi Schrader also got to double digits for Firelands, scoring 18 and 10 points, respectively. For the Titans (1-3), sophomore guard Teagan Villegas led everyone with 20 points, while senior post Samone Whitt came off the bench and dominated in the paint with 13 points and 15 rebounds. "We really worked well as a team today and stayed strong to the very end," Whitt said. "It felt so good to play like that in the post. It felt great in there, I loved it." After all the back-and-forth of the first 31 minutes, both teams had chances to win in regulation. Lorain's Villegas had a steal and a score with just under a minute left for a 55-52 lead. "We really pushed harder today than we had done this year," Villegas said. "Sometimes we get in our own heads, but we really learned from our mistakes, and I want to see where we go from here after this win." Schrader cut the lead to one with a layin with 50 seconds left, but Lorain had a chance to ice the game, only to miss four free throws in the final 6.7 seconds before Copley went to the line with a chance to win it. Copley made the first to tie the score, but missed the second after Lopez called a timeout to set up the ensuing defense, leaving the game tied at 55 and forcing OT. The teams traded points — again — until a Hardwick short jumper off a Copley assist knotted the score at 60. Hardwick split a pair of free throws with 7.5 seconds left to put the Falcons up by one before Mustafa's heroics won the game for Lorain. "Our first three games were a fight just like this one," Lorain coach Brin Lynch said. "I couldn't have been prouder of the way we fought. Things can get away from you and we were able to set it aside. We were consistent from the opening tip, and this is how we want to play all year long." Contact James Brady at (440) 329-7135 or jbrady_ct@yahoo.com. Lorain 62, Firelands 61 (OT) FIRELANDS (61): Stella Frederick 2-0-4, Jordyn Copley 4-8-16, McKenzie Janosik 0-1-1, Dilynn Copley 1-0-3, Addie Schrader 1-0-2, Kendra Hardwick 7-3-18, Aubrynn Reichle 1-0-2, Micha Lee 1-0-2, Lexi Schrader 5-0-10, Isabell Bermudez 1-1-3. Totals 23-13-61. LORAIN (62): Aminah Mustafa 2-2-8, Ca'milynne Shields 2-0-5, Teagan Villegas 9-2-20, Janaeshia Washington 1-0-2, Damaya Clayton 0-0-0, Ava Miller 3-1-8, Samone Whitt 5-3-13, Brajhia Phillips 1-0-2, Danasia Dower 2-0-4. Totals 25-8-62. Firelands&emsp;14&emsp;10&emsp;16&emsp;15&emsp;6&emsp;—&emsp;61Lorain&emsp; 11&emsp;15&emsp;13&emsp;16&emsp;7&emsp;—&emsp;62 Three-point goals: Firelands 2-19 (11 percent, D. Copley, Hardwick), Lorain 4-17 (24 percent, Mustafa 2, Shields, Miller). Field goals: Firelands 23-70 (33 percent), Lorain 25-79 (32 percent). Free throws: Firelands 13-26 (50 percent), Lorain 8-18 (44 percent). Rebounds: Firelands 53 (J. Copley 17), Lorain 51 (Whitt 15). Turnovers: Firelands 23, Lorain 22. Junior varsity: Firelands, 33-19