PERRY – From the point of view of Lakeside girls coach Rob Livingston, one statistic told all that one needed to know about the Lakeside girls’ loss to Brush in the Division I semifinals. That was the fact they were able to shoot the ball just 25 times.
“That tells it right there,” Livingston said after the 12th-seeded Dragons’ 54-23 defeat at Perry High School. “You can’t go through 32 minutes (with that few shots). That’s less than a shot a minute. No matter who you’re going against, you just can’t get 25 shots off in a game.”
As one might guess, turnovers had a lot to do with that. The second-seeded Arcs (17-4) used pressure defense to help force 41 of them, 23 coming off of steals.
“We had a hard time with the pressure,” Livingston said. “It didn’t help with the fact that Dianna Moore has a chipped bone in her finger. She did as best she could against that pressure, but I know she was still leery about using that right hand.”
Livingston also mentioned that Morgan Farr has been battling a medical problem, but that Brush has three players (Natachia Watkins, Jazmyne Frost and Aziza May) who are NCAA Division I recruits. Watkins (all 10 points in the first half, 6 steals) has already signed to play at Eastern Michigan, and Frost at Niagara.
“We like to pressure the basketball,” Brush coach Chuck Collins, who pointed out that his team averages about 27 forced turnovers a game, said. “That’s our whole philosophy.
“We create offense with our defense.”
“(The injury and illness) is no excuse or anything like that; that’s just a good team,” Livingston said. “We didn’t handle the pressure very well; they didn’t let us get into our offensive sets.
Brush began Tuesday’s contest with a fullcourt press, and led wire-to-wire. It used runs of 10, seven and 10 points to push to a 31-6 second-quarter lead. An 11-0 streak that spanned the intermission stretched it all the way out to 42-8. A nine-point stint gave the Arcs their biggest lead at 54-17.
May led all scorers with 12 points, and freshman Aeriyelle Perrin added eight for the well-balanced Arcs.
Megan Frye led the Dragons (6-15) with eight points. Moore and Arianna Morris struggled with fouls, with each eventually fouling out.
“I don’t think we did a bad job on the defensive end,” Livingston said. “We had a couple breakdowns here and there, but on the offensive end, from start to finish, they didn’t let us do anything we wanted to.”
Goldman is a freelance writer from South Euclid.
Sports
Not enough of an attack
Lakeside manages but 25 shot attempts in loss to Brush
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Falcons impress
The Jefferson Falcons used an 8-2 early run and an 8-0 late run, both in the first quarter, backed by hot shooting, to open a big lead on the Conneaut Spartans that reached double digits early, paving the way to a solid 65-47 Falcon win Tuesday night at Falcon Gym.
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Eagles knocked off perch
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Lakers done in at Girard
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Pirates cruise as Eagles ‘lay egg’
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Beavers scalp Warriors
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Scholastic Schedule:
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8
Girls Basketball
n Geneva at Perry
n Kirtland at Madison
Wrestling
n Jefferson, Grand Valley at PV (6) -
Lakers clinch NAC outright
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Warriors edge Heralds
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Eagles fly to top seed
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SECTIONAL SUCCESS:
- 1. Jefferson 17
- 2. Madison 11
- 3. Perry 8
- 4. Geneva 7
- 5. Conneaut 6
- 5. Pymatuning Valley 6
- 7. Riverside 4
- 8. Grand Valley 1
- 9. Edgewood 0
- 9. Lakeside 0
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