DIVISION II Lakeview beats West Geauga 57-51 to reach district title game

The Bulldogs have been surprising a lot of teams this season.
MADISON -- The Lakeview High basketball team been battling for respect all season long.
The Bulldogs weren't picked to win the Trumbull Athletic Conference yet won that championship. And the team wasn't even seeded, despite a 17-3 regular season record, in the Division II district tournament at Madison High.
Lakeview continued it's impressive run through district play by recording it's second upset of the tournament, knocking off third-seeded West Geauga, 57-51, to advance to the district championship game Friday at 7.
Lakeview will play the winner of the Painesville Harvey-Kenston game that was postponed until tonight. Lakeview last appeared in regional play in 2001.
"You can't call these upsets anymore," Lakeview coach Larry Herrholtz said. "We had a lot of things going against us not being seeded and we used that as motivation for the whole tournament.
One more thing to prove
"We weren't picked to win the TAC and we did that," Herrholtz said. "We weren't seeded up here and made it to the district final to prove that we deserved a seed. And now we have just one more thing left to prove and I think our kids are up to the challenge."
All five starters scored at least seven points for Lakeview and junior Eddie Mackiewicz came off the bench to lead the team with 14 points.
Defense was key
Despite the balanced scoring effort and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, Herrholtz credited the defense with getting the Bulldogs to the championship game.
"I have never seen a better defensive group in all my years of coaching," Herrholtz said. "They did a great job tonight."
Lakeview built leads in the final quarter of as many as 9 points at 52-43 with 2:10 left in the game, but West Geauga wouldn't quit.
A couple of big three-pointers by the Wolverines cut the lead to 52-51 with 1:35 left but Mackiewicz scored on a jumper in the lane to give Lakeview a 3-point lead with 54 seconds left.
The Bulldogs defense then forced two turnovers and free throws by Trevor Mathews, Mackiewicz and Alex Koltsov sealed the victory.
"They made more shots than us," West Geauga coach Chad Frazier said. "They're a mirror image of us style-wise but they got the job done.
"We didn't need them to be seeded to know that they are a good team," Frazier said.
Revenge from last year
Last year, Frazier's Wolverines knocked Lakeview out of the tournament in the district semifinal game.
As in their win over top-seeded Ashtabula Edgewood last Friday, the Bulldogs got off to a fast start with strong shooting.
Lakewood shot 58% (11-19) from the field in the opening half to jump out to a 26-22 lead at the break.
Koltsov was outstanding all night running the offense from his point guard position and scored six of his 11 points in the first two periods.
Matt Pytlik was a force inside as he scored six of his nine points before halftime.
In the second half, the two teams battled evenly until the fourth period when Lakeview began to heat up the shooting percentages again.
Lakeview connected on seven of nine shots from the field as Mackiewicz and Mike Frangiamore had the hot hands.
Frangiamore tallied 6 of his 8 points in the final period.
"We have a lot of good seniors on the floor who have been in tight situations before," Herrholtz said. "We know how to respond down the stretch."
Senior Mike Reinhard and junior Jeff Javorek led the Wolverines in scoring with 14 points apiece.