Boys Basketball: Avon Lake loses to Bay on basket at buzzer

BAY VILLAGE — Heartbreakers don't get much tougher than what Avon Lake experienced Tuesday night. Senior Ethan George converted a baseline layup at the buzzer after rebounding a 3-point attempt by freshman Kelan Rose as Bay edged Avon Lake 57-56 in the neighborhood rivalry. Avon Lake had just regained the lead, 56-55, with 6.2 seconds left on a layup by sophomore Liam Besaw. The loss dropped Avon Lake to 0-4. Bay improved to 2-2. The lead changed hands 10 times. The game was tied on three occasions. Senior point guard Ezra Jones led Avon Lake with 16 points. Besaw scored 13 points and senior guard Jacob Cooke had 10. Junior Ryan Miller led Bay with 15, junior Emmitt Naughton had 14, George followed with 11 and Rose chipped in with 10. "We can't blame it on the last possession," said Jones. "Basketball is an accumulation of different possessions that come together. So we can't be mad about one shot. We just have to get better every day and work on the little things that don't make it a close game where we don't have to be in that position." Both teams shot well from the field. Avon Lake was 19-of-38, while Bay was 18-for-36. The Shoremen went 5-for-9 from 3-point range, while Bay was 9-of-16 from long range. Avon Lake was 13-of-19 from the free throw line, while Bay was 12-of-13. Of the 10 lead changes, five came in the fourth quarter. "I don't think we cooled down," said Avon Lake first-year coach TJ Kwasniak. "It was like if this possession we stop them, we win the game, but then they would hit a big 3-pointer from NBA range. I'll give them credit. They made play after play. "I thought we made some big plays. We had the lead at the end. You know he (George) made a great play at the end. We just got caught watching. I'm not disappointed in our effort, especially in the second half." Turnovers were a problem the first half for Avon Lake, as it committed seven of its 10, although Avon Lake kept things close as it only trailed 24-21 at intermission. "We were harping backdoor all game," George said of the winner. "My guy turned his back on me. I saw the shot. I've been with Kelan the whole offseason so I've seen his shot path. I just knew when his shot went up that it's (angling) left. I instantly knew let me get there and let me get it up there as quickly as I can and hope for that foul." Bay coach Cale LaRiccia was an Avon Lake assistant from 2014-23. "It's an amazing feeling, especially with our coach being there," George said. He hit a pair of free throws late in the game in last year's matchup to seal Bay's 60-58 win. "That aftermath means everything," said George. "Last was was my first time to ever hit a game-winning shot and it started with Avon Lake." Avon Lake went on an 8-1 scoring run in the second quarter to take a 21-14 lead with 4:09 left in the half. The Shoremen went scoreless the rest of the half before Besaw finally broke the ice with a basket with 7:02 left in the third period. Bay then went on a 12-5 run to take a 38-28 lead with 1:38 left in the third. Avon Lake found an answer with a 19-2 run to take a 47-40 lead with 5:11 left in the game. The Rockets refused to go away and rallied to tie the game at 52 with 1:16 remaining on a 3-pointer by Rose. "Both teams were pressuring each other," said LaRiccia, who coached under Eric Smith with the Shoremen. "Avon Lake had a great strategy. I thought they played extremely well. That was anyone's game. "It's a great crosstown rivalry. It's called War of the Shore for a reason. Avon Lake's coaching staff did a great job. They came back the second half after being down (10). I was impressed by their effort. It came down to that last possession." Avon Lake and Bay were rivals in the Southwestern Conference from 1964-2005, when Bay left for the West Shore Conference. The teams have played 11 times since Bay left the SWC. Since the 2015-16 season the Rockets have won six out of the nine meetings. "We graduated eight seniors. We graduated a lot of leadership," said LaRiccia, a 2010 Bay graduate. "Ethan George, Ryan Miller, Emmitt Naughton were guys that came off the bench or were sophomores last year. They are now the leadership. Tonight was our most complete game. No questions asked." Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Bay 57, Avon Lake 56 Avon Lake (56): Ezra Jones 7-1-16, Luke Gillespie 1-0-2, Jacob Cooke 3-2-10, Tucker Budzar 2-0-4, Liam Besaw 4-4-13, JJ Bradley 0-4-4, Jeffery Ball 1-1-4, Christopher Gaulding 1-1-3. Totals 19-14-56. Bay (57): Ryan Miller 4-5-15, Emmitt Naughton 4-4-14, Brody Beggs 1-0-3, Kelan Rose 3-2-10, Ethan George 4-1-11, Jack Bly 2-0-4. Totals 18-12-57. Avon Lake&emsp;10&emsp;11&emsp;14&emsp;21&emsp;—&emsp;56Bay&emsp;11&emsp;13&emsp;16&emsp;17&emsp;—&emsp;57 Three-point goals: Avon Lake: Jacob Cooke 2, Ezra Jones, Liam Besaw, Ball. Bay: Ryan Miller 2, Emmitt Naughton 2, Kelon Rose 2, Ethan George 2, Brody Beggs. Field goals: Avon Lake 19-38, Bay 18-36. Free throws: Avon Lake 13-19 (68 percent), Bay 12-13 (92 percent). Rebounds: Avon Lake 28 (Jones 8, Gaulding 8), Bay 20. Turnovers: Avon Lake 10, Bay 13. Team fouls: Avon Lake 23, Bay 22. Junior varsity: Avon Lake, 61-32.