Boys Basketball: Lorain struggles to score in loss to Medina

MEDINA — Lorain started strong Friday, but struggled shooting and dropped its Greater Cleveland Conference matchup with Medina 65-42. Janell Morris (11 points, five rebounds, two assists) and Jaylen Jackson (24, 12) had hot hands early, scoring five points each in a back-and-forth quarter that ended with Medina in front 14-13. Both of the Titans (2-18, 1-12) guards had a 3-pointer among their first-quarter points. In the second quarter the shots stopped falling and Medina (12-7, 7-6) started pulling away. "I feel like they just wanted it more than us," Jackson said. "We came out and had some mistakes that we shouldn't have made in the second half. They are a good team with a good offense and a good defense. We have to find a way to work through it." An 11-2 run extended the Bees lead to 27-17 with 2:50 left in the half. Morris and Jackson continued to carry the offensive load for Lorain. The duo scored six of the Titans' eight points in the second and 16 of the their 21 in the half as they trailed by nine. "We couldn't hit shots," Morris said. "They just hit more shots than us and that is what it was. You have to hit shots." By the end of the game the two combined for 35 points and 17 rebounds. It was a drastic shift from the first time the teams locked horns, as the Titans pushed the Bees to the limit before falling 63-57 in overtime. Lorain finished 18-of-58 (.310) from the floor and 3-of-19 (.158) from behind the arc. Medina slowly pulled away, leading 49-34 at the end of the third quarter and by 23 multiple times in the fourth. "We let up too many offensive rebounds," Morris said. "It just took us out. Second-chance points mean a lot for us because we are shorter than most teams. We have to box out." The Bees were also stingy on Jeremiah Daniels, who was key in the first matchup with 18 points, limiting the talented guard to two points on 1-of-7 shooting. The only other player to score for the Titans was junior Kane Taliano, who had five points and four boards. Conversely, Medina got at least two points from all nine players in its initial rotation, led by Beckett Miller with 23 points. Garrett Myers was next with 10. The Titans hope the rigors of playing in the loaded GCC will help them make noise in the postseason. "We came from the (Lake Erie League) into the GCC," Jackson said. "It is a way harder conference. I feel like now we know what to be prepared for. It's more intensity and it's a faster speed in this conference." Playing the likes of Medina, Brunswick, Mentor, Cleveland Heights, Strongsville and Euclid can only help the Titans be better prepared for the teams they might draw in the bracket. Medina 65, Lorain 42 LORAIN (42): Nehemiah Gardner 0-0-0, Jaylen Jackson 10-2-24, Kane Taliano 2-1-5, Janell Morris 5-0-11, Jeremiah Daniels 1-0-2, Julian Turner 0-0-0, Abel Torres 0-0-0, Isaiah Maldonado 0-0-0. Totals 18-3-42. MEDINA (65): Ryan Harubin 3-0-7, Brody Kopkas 3-0-7, Garrett Myers 4-2-10, Luke Webb 3-0-6, Donte Cargill 2-0-4, Beckett Miller 8-3-23, Tyler Minarcin 1-0-3, Korde Carey 1-0-3, Bishop Burch 1-0-2, Christian Kalal 0-0-0, Brody Robison 0-0-0, Sean Kungli 0-0-0. Totals 26-5-65. Lorain&emsp;13&emsp;8&emsp;13&emsp;8&emsp;—&emsp;42 Medina&emsp;14&emsp;16&emsp;19&emsp;16&emsp;—&emsp;65 Three-point goals: Lorain (Jackson 2, Morris), Medina (Miller 4, Carey, Harubin, Kopkas, Minarcin). Rebounds: Lorain 32 (Jackson 12), Medina 32 (Burch, Kopkas 6). Assists: Lorain 4 (Gardner, Morris 2).