TRUMBULL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Powell keys Newton Falls victory

The Tigers forced 27 turnovers by Lakeview which was without its point guard in the lineup.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEWTON FALLS -- Junior Kevin Powell came off the bench to score eight of his 11 points in the second quarter as the Newton Falls High boys basketball team defeated Lakeview 50-36 Tuesday.
Powell keyed a 7-0 run and a 16-8 quarter that turned the game around for the Tigers. Another 7-0 run, this time to open the second half, was enough for Newton Falls (14-4, 10-4 Trumbull Athletic Conference) to put the game away.
"Powell has been in an injury-plagued season, but when he is right, like tonight, he gives us good scoring power inside," Newton Falls coach Roy Sembach said.
Behind early: The Tigers, who trailed 11-10 after the first quarter, find themselves in a dogfight with LaBrae and Badger for the top spot in the TAC.
"The first five minutes of the second half is something we stress as critical in all our games, and we were most effective at that time tonight," Sembach said.
The Newton Falls defense forced 27 Lakeview turnovers.
"We were in a man-to-man in the first half, and in the second half we mixed things up, giving them different looks, but they were hurting with their point guard, Phil Butch, ill and out of the lineup," Sembach said.
Without Butch in the lineup, Bulldogs coach Larry Herrholtz had a trio of sophomores and a pair of juniors as starters.
"This was a combination of us failing to finish offensively and Newton Falls playing excellent defense," Herrholtz said.
The Tigers won the first meeting 44-42 Jan. 8. On Tuesday, they had three players in double figures. Senior Eric Lance led the way with 12 points, while junior Jeff Stanley and Powell had 11 points each.
"Coming off the bench, there is less pressure on me, and when I anchor myself down inside, my teammates get me the ball," Powell said.
Lance's 3-pointer with 4 minutes, 58 seconds remaining in the game gave Newton Falls a 47-24 lead and extinguished the Bulldogs' hopes.
Geared for defense: "We are geared to play defense much more than offense and tonight we came out with very good second-half intensity," Lance said.
Stanley said, "We didn't start well, but when we became more focused, everything was better."
Newton Falls junior John Sekora had nine points and six assists, and senior Marty Hutchinson pulled down 10 rebounds as he and Lance had 18 of the team's 27 boards.
For Lakeview (9-8, 7-6), junior Dave Costas had 10 points and sophomore Jim McHale had eight of the Bulldogs' 23 rebounds.