Boys basketball: Avon holds off Lorain in overtime for non-conference victory

AVON — There are many reasons why Avon and Lorain always like to get together in boys basketball for a non-conference game around this time of the year. It's always a hotly contested game, a good atmosphere and it gets both teams ready for the stretch run of their seasons and into tournament play. All of those reasons were on full display again Tuesday night and when it was over, the Eagles emerged with a 71-67 overtime win. A 3-pointer from Avon's Sam Griffiths and a field goal by Brooks Good off a nice feed from Joey Ziegler gave Avon a 70-67 lead it didn't relinquish. Ziegler led the Eagles with 19 points and several nice assists while being Avon's primary ball handler against Lorain's pressure. Griffiths finished with 17 points and Good added 16. Lorain almost won the game in regulation. After back-to-back timeouts by the Titans, an open 3-point attempt and a putback at the buzzer fell short, sending the game to the extra session. "We always play this exact date every single year on purpose," Avon coach Mike Fitch said. "I love going against them, the athleticism ... a different type of game that we could see in the tournament." In the fourth quarter, Lorain held a five-point lead. Avon was able to fight back and get even. After Good gave Avon a two-point lead, a layup by Lorain's Javell Morris tied the score at 63 with 50 seconds left, setting up the wild ending and the missed opportunity for the Titans. "We had two good looks, right?" Lorain coach Matt Kielian said. "That didn't win or lose the game. There's so many different things that happen throughout the course of the game that I wish we could take back and I'm sure the players wish they could have done a little bit differently. But at the end of the day, that's why you play the game. So we'll go back and watch some film and figure out the things we need to do better." Lorain was led by a trio of attacking guards. Morris had 18 points, Jaylen Jackson added 16 and Jeremiah Daniels finished with 15. Avon got off to a nice start before Lorain battled back and took control of the game. The Eagles led 12-3 in the first quarter behind two threes from Ziegler. In the second quarter, Lorain enhanced its pressure and physicality to take a 33-24 lead after a Morris basket at the 1:40 mark. "I think we started playing a little one-on-one," Fitch said of the tough second quarter. "We call it 'no pass basketball.' We'll watch the film and kind of get better at that, but I think in the second half we did a lot better job." Avon was able to grab a lead in the third quarter behind a thunderous putback dunk and three from Griffiths on back-to-back possessions. Avon was able to lock in defensively to help fuel its offense. "I think it was our intensity on defense," Ziegler said. "I think they were pushing us around a little bit in that first half and we came back in the second half and we showed that we were stronger than them." Lorain, despite the loss, proved that its 2-17 record is deceiving. Playing in the rugged Greater Cleveland Conference and having lost three overtime games this year, the Titans are still a formidable opponent. "We said it all week," Fitch said. "We said it since the beginning of the year. I saw them at the beginning of the year and they didn't look like that. What he's done with that program and that team is legit. He's worked his butt off. "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 proud of our guys for battling through and winning in overtime." "I think we play a pretty tough schedule," Kielian said. "No excuses, but I think we are kind of young and inexperienced. They got heart, they're resilient. Through these games, we've had a lot of ups and downs. I think the key is consistency. We know the game, but some times we don't think the game the right way and we kind of take some things for granted." Avon will take on rival Avon Lake on Friday while Lorain travels to Medina. Contact Mike Hrusch at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Avon 71, Lorain 67 (OT) LORAIN (67): Nehemiah Gardner 1-0-3, Kane Taliano 2-2-6, Jeremiah Daniels 5-3-15, Jaylen Jackson 6-3-16, Javell Morris 8-0-18, Julian Turner 2-0-4, Abel Torres 1-0-2, Isaiah Maldonado 1-0-3. Totals 26-8-67. AVON (71): Gavyn Kittelberger 4-0-8, Joey Ziegler 5-7-19, Brooks Good 6-5-16, Dean Abdul 3-1-7, Holden Krugman 0-0-0, Samuel Griffiths 5-5-17, Trevor Sykora 1-0-2, Caden Clapham 0-0-0, Preston Johnson 0-2-2, Shane Carty 0-0-0. Totals 24-20-71. Lorain&emsp;16&emsp;19&emsp;16&emsp;12&emsp;4&emsp;—&emsp;67 Avon&emsp;16&emsp;14&emsp;19&emsp;14&emsp;8&emsp;—&emsp;71 Three-point goals: Lorain 7 (Daniels 2, Morris 2, Gardner 1, Jackson 1, Maldonado 1), Avon 4 (Ziegler 2, Griffiths 2). Field goals: Lorain 25-52 (48 percent), Avon 24-53 (45 percent). Free throws: Lorain 8-17, Avon 19-26. Rebounds: Avon 31, Lorain 25. Turnovers: Lorain 9, Avon 12. Team fouls: Lorain 19, Avon 14.