Game by game, the Lorain boys basketball team gets back on its feet after dropping four games out of five from the end of December to mid-January.
The Titans won back-to-back games against Warrensville Heights (65-31) and Bedford (40-37). In order to keep the ball rolling, the team strives to play complete basketball to prepare for the upcoming postseason.
Lorain vs. Bedford boys basketball: Titans grind out late win over Bearcats
"(Warrenville Heights) was good for us, because we needed a confidence booster," said Lorain coach Matthew Kielian. "Then, to come back (against Bedford) and grind (a win) out is important. In the (Division I) tournament and down the (regular season) stretch we have to have good games. When we rely on each other and will each other up, we are a solid team."
The good news for Lorain is that its defense consistently keeps the Titans in games, and they are capable of playing up to the competition. Garfield Heights, a team ranked 10th in the Division I state poll on Jan. 23, led the Titans 15-14 at halftime, due in part because of Lorain's defense. The same could be said about its wins over the Tigers and Bearcats in the past week.
Titans forward Christian Ruiz said the defensive impact provides a security blanket for when shots aren't falling.
"Even though our shots aren't falling, we know that we can get back on (defense) and make sure they don't score the ball," he said.
On the flip side, the offense has yet to hit its stride. As highlighted, Lorain scored 14 points in the first half of its eventual 57-39 loss to the Bulldogs. They also scored 14 points in the first half against Bedford.
"That has been a problem that we have had all season," said Ruiz. "We start off slow, but we always come together (in the end) somehow. We still have to find our way to make that work, because when tournament time comes, we can't keep doing that."
Lorain aims to get this fixed before the postseason approaches. The good news is that there is plenty of time to right the ship as the Titans' last game of the regular season is on Feb. 17 at Warrensville Heights.
"I think that we can drive and kick (the ball) more," said Lorain guard Jai'den Guerra-Howard. "We really couldn't do it that much because (Bedford) was in a zone (defense). If we are doing more driving and kicking, I think we will do really good along with getting more shots up."
The Bearcats' 2-3 zone defense gave Lorain fits as they struggled to score throughout the game. But Kielian and the Titans are dedicated to finding solutions.
"We are still learning how to play against the zone (defense)," said Kielian. We are trying to find open spaces and making the right reads and passes. At times, we looked good moving the ball. At times, we looked pretty stagnate. We have to get video of the times that we do play well and have to replicate them and continue to build off of that."
Lorain (9-6, 5-3 in LEL) faced a tough schedule at the turn of the new year. They faced Nordonia, Elyria — a team that's won seven straight games — along with Lake Erie League powerhouses Cleveland Heights and Garfield Heights.
The Titans are aiming to win their third straight game on Jan. 27 at Shaw.