Through 32 minutes of a high school basketball game, there are plenty of ups and downs. However, all it takes is a few seconds to determine winning or losing.
Avon Lake and Lorain battled all game long, but the Shoremen were better in the final minute to earn a 54-52 road victory on Dec. 22.
Lorain (2-5) took a 52-50 lead with 1:13 left on an and-one from Asiah Kielian. From then on, Avon Lake (2-3) scored the final four points of the game and shut out the Titans to take home the win.
FINAL: Avon Lake 54, Lorain 52
The Shoremen hold and win a tight game!@MJournalSports @AvonLakeSports @lorainathletics pic.twitter.com/q2DYbJU8CZ
— Travis Nelson (@travisnelson40) December 23, 2023
“In the fourth quarter, I thought defensively, we were very good,” Avon Lake coach Eric Smith said. “There were some self-inflicted wounds with turnovers against their pressure. That’s uncharacteristic for us, but that’s basketball. In the last 25-30 seconds of the game, that’s who we are. We get three straight stops and we get a win.”
Brandon Bromley made a free throw for the Shoremen with 60 seconds on the clock to make it a one-point game. Needing a stop, they forced Jaiden Guerra-Howard into an offensive foul to get the ball back with 39.3 left.
When Avon Lake needs points late, Peyton Lerch will be the go-to option. The senior battled foul trouble all game, but made two free throws when it counted to put the Shoremen in front with 26.3 left.
Lorain had multiple chances to take the lead in the final seconds, but couldn’t convert. Asiah Kielian drove into traffic, but the ball went out of bounds back to the Titans with 8.4 left. Guerra-Howard was blocked on a layup, but the ball went out of bounds with 4.0 remaining.
On the ensuing inbounds pass, Bromley stole the ball from Kielian and was fouled. He made another free throw with 1.6 left, giving Lorain one more chance down by two. On a heave down court, Avon Lake forced another turnover.
Avon Lake’s Brandon Bromley stole the inbounds pass!
He made 1/2 FTs to extend the lead to 54-52 with 1.6 left! One more chance for Lorain @MJournalSports @AvonLakeSports @lorainathletics pic.twitter.com/rRqzDAj8Kq
— Travis Nelson (@travisnelson40) December 23, 2023
“It was intense for sure,” Lerch said. “Just having to come back on defense and keeping that same intensity and being there for the passes was so tough. It was definitely tough for us without a lot of varsity experience. Coming down and finishing the game was huge.”
Heading into season, the key for Avon Lake was going to be having its senior leaders step up while the younger players get acclimated to varsity basketball. Lerch, Tyler Birk and Derek McCrum have been doing that, but the young guys are starting to arrive.
Birk scored a team-high 13 points and Lerch had 10, but junior Cameron Moore gave Avon Lake a boost with 12 points. Bromley, a sophomore, scored seven and also had some big moments down the stretch. This team doesn’t feel so young anymore.
“We’ve said that our identity has to be that we have to play harder and we have to be tougher than everybody else,” Smith said. “We’re young, we’re growing up. We’ve got some guys who are growing up before our eyes. They’re learning how to play varsity basketball.”
Avon Lake built an early lead and led by seven after one quarter. Lorain went on a 15-5 run spanning from the opening period to take a 21-20 lead. From that point on midway through the second quarter, it was back-and-forth. The game was tied at the half, 25-25. The Shoremen switched to zone and gave Lorain some problems. Despite this, it was a grind for both sides.
Ike Rowser was out sick for the Titans, so Julian Daniels played a lot of minutes. He made some highlight plays, including two dunks and a behind-the-back pass for a layup. He also led the team with 18 points. Guerra-Howard also poured in 17 points and Kielian finished with 14.
This was anybody's game, but Lorain's slim margin for error couldn't sustain the lulls. There were some missed dunks, a bench technical celebrating one of Daniels' dunks and some 50-50 bounces.
"I don't want to put this behind them, I want to put this in front of them," Lorain coach Matt Kielian said. "This is a hurdle that we have to overcome. Putting behind us means that we've moved past it, we will do that eventually, but we have to hurdle it front. We have to learn from it and face adversity. I want them to feel it and digest it."
Both teams return to action in tournament play next week. Avon Lake is at Rocky River's tournament on Dec. 27-28, while Lorain travels to Sandusky's Blue Streak Classic on Dec. 28-29.
THE SCORE
Avon Lake 54, Lorain 52
