Howland topples Fitch, readies for No. 1 seed

By Jon Moffett

jmoffett@vindy.com

SOLON

T.J. Lanier was all smiles after his team’s Division I sectional semifinal at Solon High on Monday.

It wasn’t because his Howland High team got the win, a 68-60 victory over Austintown Fitch. And it wasn’t because of his game-high 31 points either. Instead, Lanier was all smiles because of who he and his Tigers would get to face next.

With the win, Howland will play top-seeded Garfield Heights in Friday’s sectional final.

Lanier said he was looking forward to playing the top team in the bracket, and said his Tigers (14-7) shouldn’t be overlooked by anybody in the tournament.

“I’m real excited [to play Garfield Heights] and it should be real interesting,” he said. “I mean, it’s a big game and we need it. If we win, that’s putting us on the map.”

Lanier put himself on the map with a fantastic effort against the Falcons (5-16).

Lanier was the offense for the Tigers in the first half. He scored 19 of his 31 points in the first half. Four of those points came on two jaw-dropping slam dunks. Though Lanier admitted they were probably the two quietest dunks he had ever made.

They weren’t exactly the Shots Heard ‘Round the World. Including both benches, only about 100 made the trip. But among those in attendance were head coach Sonny Johnson and several Garfield Heights players. The Bulldogs (19-1) were getting some early scouting in for the 6 p.m. tipoff Friday.

The Tigers outscored the Falcons 28-18 in the first half, and used that momentum to carry them. Fitch hung tough, matching Howland shot for shot. The Falcons scored 42 points in the final three quarters, compared to Howland’s 40.

“We felt really good going into this game. It boils down to really one thing: we didn’t execute on defense in the first half,” said Fitch coach Jason Baker. “Our defense in the second half, we played the way we’ve played pretty much all year. But you’ve got to give [Howland] credit. I thought they played really well tonight.”

The duo of Lanier and Brendan Cope (18 points) seemed unstoppable early. But the Tigers didn’t make a shot in the fourth quarter until Cope sank a pair of free throws with a few minutes left in the game.

Howland coach Dan Campana said the team rushed its shots in the final quarter and let the game get away from them for a little bit.

“It’s just a matter of being patient and doing what we’ve been doing,” he said. “Sometimes when you start to get ahead you start to pull the trigger a little more. We just need to make sure we understand how to be patient and look for a good look.”

Baker said he was incredibly proud that his young team, which has just three seniors, was able to step up.

“For us to put up 60 points on the board is saying something,” he said.