Howland gets hot in 4th, pulls past Lakeview 63-44

The Tigers went on a 16-0 run in the final period.
By DOUG CHAPIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HOWLAND -- A 16-0 run in the fourth quarter and a 25-point, eight-rebound performance by Ellie Shields Monday carried the Howland High girls basketball team to a 63-44 non-conference victory over Lakeview.
Shields scored four points in the run, which turned a 43-43 tie into a 59-43 Howland lead over a six-minute stretch.
Alexa Williams scored six of her 16 points during that time and Carly Sabat added four of her 12 for the Tigers (16-4).
"We pressured them early in the game because we know they have some great shooters and we wanted to wear them out a little bit," Howland coach John Diehl said. "It's hard for other teams to match up with Williams and Shields inside. Not many teams have two girls who can play that well in the post.
"They both work very hard in the offseason, both here and in AAU ball," Diehl said. "This is their first year as varsity players; they both played mostly JV last year."
Shields, a 6-foot-3-inch junior, and Williams, a 6-1 sophomore, helped Howland to a 20-14 edge on the boards. Williams and Melissa Airhart both grabbed five missed shots.
Height advantage
Lakeview coach Courtney Collins certainly took note of Howland's height advantage.
"Howland is very good, it's so hard to stop their post players at 6-3 and 6-1. Our biggest girl is maybe six-feet on her tiptoes," Collins said. "I thought we did about as well as we could inside.
"We just ran out of gas," Collins said. "The kids played great for three quarters and we stuck with them."
The Bulldogs (15-4) have a chance to win the Trumbull Athletic Conference title outright with a victory Thursday at home against Liberty.
Collins said she doesn't think that fact affected her players on Monday.
"We look at just one game at a time," she said. "We try not to look ahead to the next game until the one we are playing or preparing for is finished. We don't want to overlook anyone."
Sophomore Jenna Novotny came off the bench to provide a spark for Lakeview with 19 points and an active floor game. Alynn Martin added eight points and Chelsea Butler had seven.
Providing a spark
Lauren McCumber grabbed seven rebounds for Lakeview, Jen Baker dished out five assists and Martin had seven steals.
For Howland, Melissa Airhart recorded eight assists and four steals,
Williams had six steals and Allie Airhart five assists off the bench.
Lakeview closed the first quarter with an 8-0 run (seven by Novotny), to take a 14-11 lead. Howland led 25-21 late in the second period before Novotny tallied the Bulldogs' last four points of the half and the score ended up 27-27 at the break.
A 10-2 Howland run helped the Tigers build a 43-36 lead in period three, but -- guess who -- Novotny tallied a three-point play to set the third-quarter score at 43-39.
Novotny and Butler both scored in the first 30 seconds of the final quarter for the Bulldogs to tie the score before Howland started its decisive run.
Tournament time
The Tigers are seeded first in the Division II sectional-district at Austintown Fitch and Diehl said he likes the way his team is playing.
"We had a great game Saturday against Canfield and we played well tonight against a good team, though I don't think we had as much intensity," Diehl said. "If our guards don't have too many unforced turnovers, we have a chance to make a good tournament run."
Howland is scheduled to play Wilson on Monday night.
Lakeview must travel to the Division II sectional-district at Ashtabula Edgewood High. The Bulldogs are scheduled against Aurora on Feb. 22 and would face third-seeded West Geauga if they win their opener.
"It's difficult playing up there because we don't see those teams and scouting and getting tapes is tough sometimes," Collins said. "It's nice to play someone fresh and new, but we'd rather travel 20 minutes as opposed to over an hour."
Despite a combined 31-8 record, Howland and Lakeview both are young teams.
Of the 107 points scored Monday night, only five came from players who are seniors. That's a fact opposing coaches in the area don't like to think about.