Westlake vs. Lorain boys basketball: Titans force turnovers, get back on track with convincing win

Lorain forced turnovers early and often in its nonconference home game against Westlake on Jan. 16.

The Titans (5-7) started the game with four layups off turnovers en route to a 59-46 victory over the Demons (5-7). It took Westlake three minutes to start the game before it finally got a shot off.

“I feel like we left some points on the board trying to do a little too much, but at the same time, our effort was there,” Lorain coach Matt Kielian said. “We competed the entire time, and that’s one of things that we’re trying to make sure that they understand. We want to compete for four quarters and just be consistent.”

Westlake’s first four possessions resulted in an errant pass that Lorain stole and finished for layups on the other end. Asiah Kielian got the party started with a steal and layup to get the Titans on the board. The next three turnovers all turned into six straight points for Jaiden Guerra-Howard. He led all scorers with 19 points.

The Demons were able to cut the deficit to three after finally getting some offense going, and ending up trailing by five after one quarter. Although the early turnovers were costly for Westlake, Lorain pulled away because of its strong second quarter.

There have been times where the Titans have struggled to score this season, including the fourth quarter of this game, but the second quarter might’ve been their best. They scored 25 points in the frame and extended the lead to 17 at the break.

After not making any 3s in the first, Lorain made all four of its triples in the second. Ike Rowser is the team’s best pure shooter, and he knocked down three of them to open the flood gates. Leading, 19-12, he made two in a row to boost the lead to 13. Westlake fought back in the second half, but couldn’t fully recover after that.

“It feels good, especially when my teammates believe in my shot. Just swinging that ball one more (time),” Rowser said. “I was just ready to knock down the shot at all times. I had to get us going from 3.”

Lorain’s lead reached as much as 19 in the second half, but Westlake kept trading baskets. The Demons were without two of their best players down low, Derek Occhipinti and Sam Brucchieri, but the result might not have changed much as they’re not ball handlers. The turnovers and Lorain’s outside shooting suddenly put the game out of reach.

“I think the turnovers were the entire game,” Westlake coach Luke Harris said. “I think that made all of the difference in the world. If we handled the ball and handled their pressure, we would’ve had wide open shots. Every time that we did turn it over, Lorain did a great job on capitalizing.”

Toward the end of third quarter, Lorain’s offense started to dry up. Westlake was able to cut it to 14 after five straight points from Ryan Turk. He scored a team-high 13 points on the night. Hayden Purdy and Andrew Wallenhorst both scored to start the fourth, cutting the deficit to only 10.

After a three-minute scoring drought to begin the fourth, Guerra-Howard made a much-needed jumper for Lorain to give his team a spark. Down the stretch, Anthony Fernandez made a 3 for the Demons to make it a nine-point game, but they were held scoreless for the final 2:43. This was a step in the right direction for Lorain’s efforts to play four consistent quarters.

“For the past couple of games, if you look at all the scores, we’ve been with every team in the first half,” Guerra-Howard said. “We were trying to get the lead up so we could play for all four quarters. That’s what we’ve been working on, playing all four quarters.”

Both teams return to action Jan. 19. Lorain jumps back into LEL play with a home game against Maple Heights, and Westlake travels to Independence.

THE SCORE

Lorain 59, Westlake 46