Boys Basketball: Shorthanded Lorain gets back on the court, battles but loses to Cleveland Heights

LORAIN — After a week filled with unwanted distractions, Lorain was able to get back to playing basketball Friday. For three quarters it did it remarkably well. The Titans came into their Greater Cleveland Conference game against Cleveland Heights missing multiple starters due to suspensions from a bench-clearing fight against Toledo Rogers last Saturday that ended the game in the third quarter. Even with a makeshift lineup, Lorain battled hard against the Tigers before faltering down the stretch as Cleveland Heights pulled away late for a 73-54 win. Junior Jermiah Daniels, who came in averaging 14.4 points a game, did his best to give the Titans a chance to win, finishing with a game-high 20 points. "I was just trying to be a good teammate, get my teammates the ball and score when I had the chance," Daniels said. "Our mindset tonight was to come out and have fun and for myself and my teammates to get better."Lorain (2-20, 1-13) matched the Tigers score for score in the first half. Daniels hit the first of his three 3-pointers with 5:24 to play in the opening period to give the Titans a 7-6 lead. Cleveland Heights (12-9, 6-7) ended the first quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 19-13 lead, but the Titans weren't ready to give up the fight. Lorain come back in the second quarter to tie the game at 24 with 4:47 left in the half on a 3-pointer by Javell Morris, who finished with 13 points. The Titans were within two until Charles Butler hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Cleveland Heights a 36-31 halftime lead. "We have tough kids who want to win and want to represent Lorain," Titans coach Matt Kielian said. "It was Senior Night, I think the adrenaline was flowing and we were knocking down shots and defending well."Lorain played only seven players in the first half, with two seeing limited action off the bench. Eventually in the second half the Titans weren't able to maintain that pace and Cleveland Heights went on a 15-5 run to extend its lead to 14. "We don't make excuses at all, it's next man up," Kielian said. "This was an opportunity for a lot of guys who haven't played much at the varsity level to experience this environment and this atmosphere."Junior Nehemiah Gardner scored 12 points for the Titans, who will have to wait until Sunday's tournament draw to find out their next opponent. Kielian was happy his team finally had the opportunity to turn the page from the events of last week. "I think the biggest challenge in my opinion is dealing with the negative reception people tend to place on us," Kielian said. "We can't control that. It's tough because we know who we are and what we're about and we mean good, It's unfortunate we live in a society that is very judgmental and doesn't allow young people some grace when they make mistakes."We have a good foundation, we will learn from our mistakes and get better from them."Jamell Stephens led the Tigers with 18 points while fellow senior Noah Blue had 13. Daniels said he didn't feel added pressure with his team playing shorthanded. "I just wanted to step up and be a leader," Daniels said. "I was made for moments like this."Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Cleveland Heights 73, Lorain 54CLEVELAND HEIGHTS (73): Noah Blue 5-0-13, Jamell Stephens 8-2-18, Chace Nixon 1-1-3, Jhayce Boyd 1-0-2, Charles Butler 4-0-12, Messiah Williams 5-0-10, Deon Solomon 7-1-15. Totals 31-4-73.LORAIN (54): Nehemiah Gardner 5-2-12, Kane Taliano 3-0-6, Jermiah Daniels 8-1-20, Isaiah Maldonado 1-0-3, Javell Morris 5-2-13. Totals 22-5-54.Cleveland Heights 19 17 20 17 — 73Lorain 13 18 13 10 — 54Three-point goals: Cleveland Heights (Butler 4, Blue 3), Lorain (Daniels 3, Maldonado, Morris). Field goals: Cleveland Heights 31-55 (56 percent), Lorain 22-51 (43 percent). Free throws: Cleveland Heights 4-8 (50 percent), Lorain 5-9 (56 percent). Rebounds: Cleveland Heights 28, Lorain 27. Turnovers: Cleveland Heights 5, Lorain 13. Team fouls: Cleveland Heights 9, Lorain 6.