It doesn’t matter if a win is pretty or ugly — a win’s a win.
In a Lake Erie League showdown against Bedford on Jan. 24, the Titans scrapped and clawed to a 40-37 win.
“We had to come together and we had to figure things out,” Lorain coach Matthew Kielian said. “We had to rely on each other. We had a late turnover and we could have gave (the game) up because it was a late turnover. We were able to figure it out and Jai’den (Guerra-Howard) came up with some big free throws.”
The lead was taken by Guerra-Howard, the Open Door all-state transfer who went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in crunch time to take a 37-36 lead and extended it to 39-36 soon after.
“I was focused (at the free-throw line). One of my coaches always tell me to stand on your toes when you shoot free throws. That (advice) helped me a lot to make them,” he said.
Guerra-Howard did not play in the previous matchup against the Bearcats as Lorain trailed for most of that game, winning, 44-36.
Lorain improved to 9-6 (5-3 in LEL). The Titans completed the sweep over Bedford.
The first half was considered an off shooting night for both sides as the score was tied at 14-14 at halftime.
Halftime
Lorain 14
Bedford 14@lorainathletics @MJournalSports pic.twitter.com/3UKz5IUm2l— Mark Perez-Krywany 🤓 (@MarkPerezK10) January 25, 2023
“We were trying to adjust how (Bedford) was playing the zone (defense),” Titans forward Christian Ruiz said. “At halftime, the coaches made adjustments. We came out and we played our game.”
The 2-3 zone defense packed the paint for Bedford’s defense, which forced Lorain to attempt passes in tight zones or shoot from the perimeter.
“We had to adjust to (the zone). We weren’t getting a lot of shots up, but we still worked it out,” Guerra-Howard said.
Lorain’s offense improved in the third quarter. However, so did Bedford’s as it led, 26-25, to start the fourth quarter.
Ruiz was the only player to scored double-digit points with 13. At times, his well-rounded game kept Lorain in the game.
“(Ruiz) continues to make great plays for us,” Kielian said. “He is guarding the biggest guys sometimes. Sometimes, he hedges on the screens, and he does a good job of recovering. He is the grunt-guy that every coach wishes that they had. I am fortunate enough to have him.”
He pulled in five rebounds, two of which came in critical moments of the game.
“(Ruiz) is a beast,” Guerra-Howard said. “I expect him to get every rebound (at the basket). I don’t care who’s down there. It is good having him on the team as someone who can get the ball whenever you want at the boards.”
Bedford’s Terrell Pollard and Jaivon Hudson led the Bearcats with nine points each. Isaac Britten contributed with seven.
Bedford dropped to 4-11 (1-7 in LEL). The Bearcats lost their seventh of their previous eight games and will look to bounce back as they host Warrensville Heights on Jan. 27.
Lorain aims to extend its two-game winning streak as it travels to Shaw on Jan. 27.
![It is pretty cool when players on a team spend an entire week talking about their game plan for a playoff series and then watch them play exactly as they said they would. The Cavaliers have broken the will of the Orlando Magic. They won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, 97-83, on April 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and then made the Magic disappear again, 96-86, April 22 in Game 2 at the FieldHouse. “It starts with our defense,” Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Game 2. “I thought we did a great job of forcing them to the shots […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TNH-L-Cavaliers2-0422-04-1.jpg?w=454 "It is pretty cool when players on a team spend an entire week talking about their game plan for a playoff series and then watch them play exactly as they said they would. The Cavaliers have broken the will of the Orlando Magic. They won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, 97-83, on April 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and then made the Magic disappear again, 96-86, April 22 in Game 2 at the FieldHouse. “It starts with our defense,” Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Game 2. “I thought we did a great job of forcing them to the shots […]")
![By TOM WITHERS Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, Jarrett Allen had 20 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Orlando Magic 96-86 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference series. Mitchell set the tone as the Cavs led from start to finish, just as they did in Game 1. It’s been an impressive opening to the playoffs for Cleveland, which spent the regular season waiting for a chance to redeem itself following last year’s first-round exit against the New York Knicks, who punished the Cavs in five games. Cleveland has been much tougher this […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TNH-L-BKN-Cavaliers-0422-18-1.jpg?w=223 "By TOM WITHERS Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, Jarrett Allen had 20 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Orlando Magic 96-86 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference series. Mitchell set the tone as the Cavs led from start to finish, just as they did in Game 1. It’s been an impressive opening to the playoffs for Cleveland, which spent the regular season waiting for a chance to redeem itself following last year’s first-round exit against the New York Knicks, who punished the Cavs in five games. Cleveland has been much tougher this […]")
