BOYS DIVISION II Lakeview drubs Harvey; Bengals next

The Bulldogs held the Red Raiders to 19 points in the first half.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MADISON -- The word "team" was defined by the Lakeview Bulldogs on Tuesday.
Top-seeded Lakeview defeated third-seeded Painesville Harvey, 75-53, in a Division II district semifinal at Madison High School.
At 7 p.m. Friday, the Bulldogs will try to win their second district crown at Madison in the last three years. They will face the Cleveland Benedictine Bengals, a team coached by former Struthers and Youngstown Pride mentor Bob Patton.
Lakeview (21-1) trailed just once, 5-4, as the Bulldogs held Harvey (15-7), a team that had scored 90-plus points in each of its last two games, to 19 points in the first half.
Leading 15-11 after the first quarter, the Bulldogs opened the next period with an 8-0 run. The Red Raiders never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
"We knew we had to play great defense tonight and we did," said Lakeview coach Larry Herrholtz. "They scored in the 90s in their last two games and we had to limit their scoring away from those kind of numbers."
Herrholtz's answer to stopping the quick-moving Red Raiders was to disguise his team's defensive looks and get into the passing lanes.
"We had to keep changing up on them to get them out of their offensive movement and offensively we played like we have all season, unselfishly," Herrholtz said.
Team effort
Kevin Rigby was one of four Bulldogs in double figures with 12 points and added 15 of his team's 47 rebounds. He also dished out six assists.
"We knew they were a very athletic team, so we had to be tough defensively and on the boards," said Rigby. "They run well, but we run organized."
Brandon Bakker was an inside presence for the Bulldogs with a team-high 13 points. Matt Nero added 12 points and Chuck Williams had 10 more off the bench.
Lakeview senior point guard Jeff Ellens had six points and 12 rebounds. He also had six assists with five steals and was a major contributor to 21 Harvey turnovers.
"We set the tone for this game by disrupting their offense on just about every possession," Ellens said.
Shawn Turner scored 13 points and Raye McClain and Mike Baker had 11 points each for Harvey, which shot 21-of-60 from the floor and hit only 4-of-26 shots from 3-point land.
"We were never able to put together a run and they made a habit of it," Harvey coach Tim Starkey said. "A key for us was if our offense could beat their defense, and that didn't happen because they are a great defensive team."
Benedictine 44, West Geauga 41
Junior Andre Smith scored 17 points and broke a 41-41 tie with 52 seconds left to lead Benedictine (18-4).
Benedictine trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but in the second half its full-court pressure created 15 turnovers and West Geauga scored only eight points.