Forget about the 9-0 Kent State Tuscarawas run to open the game, and for goodness sakes don't dwell on the 16-point lead the Eagles owned deep into the second half against Lorain County Community College on Wednesday.
Because, it's not always about how you play the game, but more importantly how you finish it. The Golden Eagles somehow, just couldn't land a haymaker strong enough to knockout the visiting Commdores who rode home 103-98 winners.
The Commodores were not rattled when KSU Tusc scored via an easy lay-up off the opening tip and fashioned a 9-0 run before LCCC got a basket with 16:53 left in the first half. The Eagles built a 13-point lead and took a 45-38 margin into the locker room seemingly shaking off any rust from a nearly two-week COVID layoff.
With 12:01 left to play in the game, Arthur Jackson sank a pair of free throws to spot the Eagles to a 68-54 margin. Then, Kyle Shockley scored on a lopsided one-on-two fast break and added another bucket and free throw when he was fouled on a fade away jumper in the lane. He also split a pair of free throws for a 72-56 lead with 10:08 showing before the Commodores pulled off a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde-like kidnapping of the game.
The Eagles succumbed to an evil manifestation of LCCC's full-court pressure defense and made four turnovers in five consecutive possessions. Only a pair of Kyle Shockley free throws with 9:02 remaining in the game helped them tread water, while the Commodores outpaced the hosts with a 21-4 spurt that spanned four minutes and 13 seconds.
LCCC grabbed their first lead of the game (77-76) following yet another KSU Tusc turnover with 7:48 left. A subsequent stick back gave them a 79-76 lead as the game and momentum slipped away from the Eagles.
A run out layup with 5:59 left put the Eagles in an 85-78 hole as the Commodores would build an 11-point, 93-82 advantage. Try as they may, the Eagles could get no closer as breakdowns on defense led to easy LCCC scores. The visitors scored 27 points off of 23 Golden Eagles turnovers, scoring 56 points in the paint.
The closest the game would get was 101-98 with :20.9 ticks left on a steal by Vinnie Roper, who tossed the ball to a basket-breaking Kyle Shockley who laid the ball off the glass for a basket. Shockley was fouled on the play and converted a three-point play before the Eagles were forced to foul with :09.3 left which provided the game's final 103-98 margin.
London Cobbs was superb for the Golden Eagles as he amassed 28 points, scoring 18 of them in the final half. Kyle Shockley added 21 points---all of them in the second half---and was 11/14 from the free throw line.
Also in double figures for KSU Tusc were Kameron Shockley, Braden Rostad and Arthur Jackson who contributed 11 points each.
For the game the Eagles shot 40% from the floor making 8/25 three point shots and 35/87 action shots. They held a 55-44 rebound advantage grabbing 28 caroms on the offensive glass. Meanwhile, LCCC shot 46% from the floor and also made 29/33 free throws for 88%. The Eagles converted on 20/31 charity tosses for 65%.
The loss drops the Eagles record to 7-3 on the season and they travel to Defiance College on Friday, Dec. 31st for a 12:00 PM game.
Kyle Shockley gets the handle on a loose ball and scored 21 points against LCCC.
Arthur Jackson battles for a rebound against LCCC. Photos by Andrew Dolph