The Lake Blue Streaks tasted a small morsel of the lead
Friday nightagainst Canton McKinley for only 40 seconds.
The Bulldogs feasted their bellies to their content on the remaining 31 minutes and 20 seconds as if it were a Thanksgiving dinner at the table.
Powered by a game-turning 11-0 run in the first quarter, the hosts never shared their food again with the visitors as they held them without a field goal for the next four minutes after Logan Wartman's lay-up as the Bulldogs improved their record to 8-3 on the season and 3-1 in the Federal League with a 54-45 conquest of the Blue Streaks.
It was a more acceptable performance for the Bulldogs aside from last year's disastrous loss as Lake jumped on them early for an 18-0 lead after the opening quarter. On top of that, it also ended a two-year winning streak for Lake against a Bulldogs team three years removed from their second Division I state basketball championship.
Midway through the season, the Blue Streaks record now dips to 6-6 on the season after a 6-2 start and they are now 2-3 in league play.
When asked if frustration was setting in on his team for the first time all season, McBride did not buy the thought of that despite his team's four-game losing streak.
“Frustration has nothing to do with it,” he said directly. “We are just not getting the ball in the basket and that has been a problem the last three games. We just have to see what we have to do in order to get off to a faster start.”
Canton McKinley did just about whatever they wanted for most of the first half. They connected on seven of 16 shots attempted in the first half while utilizing the manners of a bruising inside game featuring Da'Vontai Rorie and Cecil Smith.
Though they shot only one of 12 in the first half from three-point range, half of the Bulldogs three-pointers rattled in and out. Had any one of those baskets went in the hoop, this game very easily may have ended worse than what the final score indicated. Lake fared no better from behind the arc as they only connected on one three-pointer out of 14 attempted in the game.
Aside from the Bulldogs interior game, what really wounded Lake according to their 11th year mentor were the second chance opportunities obtained by the Bulldogs.
“They did a good job of getting key putbacks tonight on second chance opportunities. And when they can play physical under the boards as they were allowed to tonight, then they are physically good.”
Jamon McClain and Cecil Smith scored 10 points apiece for the hosts.
Fourth-year Canton McKinley head coach Greg Malone ended up ardently pleased with the final 31:20 that his team played. They entered this game on the ultimate high fresh off a win over North Canton Hoover, who lost to Jackson 59-56 in overtime Friday night along with last weekend's win over Toledo Libbey.
That emotion from those two games carried over greatly.
“You know, the story of this game is that we wanted to bring early pressure and execute on the defensive end. As we subbed players in and got fresh bodies, we were able to keep our pressure and execute tonight,” he said firmly.
The Bulldogs gained major momentum before the end of the third quarter. Lake had used a 6-0 run to claw back into a single-digit deficit before Che' Richardson's three-point basket from the right corner at the buzzer lifted the Bulldogs to a 42-30 edge after three quarters.
This momentum swing carried deeply into the final quarter as the Bulldogs constructed their biggest lead of the game at 52-38 with over a minute to go. Lake responded with a 7-0 run with all of their points coming from senior guard Derek Sitzlar. However it didn't matter as the Bulldogs winning streak reached three on the season and didn't leave the Blue Streaks any leftovers when the night concluded.
Connor Groot led Lake scorers with 17 points.
When asked if Friday night's win and Saturday's game against Massillon will go a sure way into determining what seed the Bulldogs will be for the Canton Division I sectional-district tournament, Malone opted not to look into the crystal ball too early.
“I don't know but we have to play one game at a time and hopefully we can do that in the Tiger City,” he said.
For Lake, the Blue Streaks are ailing greatly. But being the head coach he is, McBride finds it very hard despite irritating losses to be irritated with his team, something most head coaches may not possess despite his fiercely aggressive competitiveness.
“I thought we showed a lot of fight tonight and I have never been prouder of my team than in my 12 years of coaching here,” he said. “We as coaches believe in our players and we know they are going to go back to the drawing board and get ready for our next opponent.”
JV game: Lake 44, Canton McKinley 43
Jon Spohn's three-point basket with one second left proved to be a backbreaker for Canton McKinley as the Blue Streaks survived a Bulldogs 7-0 run to improve their record to 9-3 with a tenuous one-point win.
“I told our team we had Canton McKinley right where we wanted them. The game was tied and we had a chance to win it at the end,” head coach Scott Cassidy beamed. “These men rally and do the right things and one thing about them, they refuse to lose! I love these kids.”
