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Lanier’s big steal sends Canfield to defeat
By Jim Flick
HOWLAND
After trailing for most of the contest, the Howland High boys basketball team tied the game as regulation time was about the expire.
The Tigers went on to dominate Tuesday’s overtime to defeat Canfield, 66-57.
“We talk about defense, defense, defense,” Howland coach Dan Campana. “We feed off our defense, and I think we wore them down as game wore on.”
Early on, it seemed like Canfield was wearing down Howland (5-4, 1-0 All-American Red Tier). The Cardinals grabbed a two-point lead in the waning moments of the first half.
In the second half, Canfield held onto the lead until the final seconds. But the Tigers stayed close, never trailing the Cardinals by more than six points.
Canfield (1-7, 0-1) led 55-53 with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, when the game shifted dramatically.
The Cardinals were dribbling the ball in their end of the court, maneuvering for a final shot in the final 10 seconds of regulation time when Howland’s T.J. Lanier stole the ball.
Lanier dribbled down court to gently lay in a shot as time expired.
With momentum on their side in overtime, the Tigers scored 11 unanswered points to take a commanding 66-55 lead.
Lanier, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored four points in overtime while seniors Stephawn Brown and Lex Bennett each tallied three pointse.
The Cardinals’ only points in overtime came in the closing moments when junior Will Yobi sank two free throws.
Lanier was the game’s top scorer with 22 points. Another productive Tiger was sophomore Brendan Cope, who came off the bench to contribute 18 points. Junior Domenic Termine added 11 points for Howland.
Tyler Mettille was Canfield’s top scorer, with 16 points while senior Jake Ferrier contributed 11 points.
Canfield coach Todd Muckleroy agreed that Howland “obviously had a lot of momentum in overtime.”
Regarding Lanier’s game-tying play, Muckleroy said, “Their athlete made a play. Big-time players make big-time plays.”
The Cardinals coach said that “offensive rebounds and collecting loose balls” were big factors that allowed Canfield to lead for most of regulation time. “Offensively, our guys were going a good job of taking it to the rim,” Muckleroy said.
Early in the fourth quarter, Canfield built its biggest lead, six points, when Jared Bettura swished a field goal. But Howland kept cutting the lead, setting the stage for Lanier’s play in the final seconds of regulation.