Twinsburg Crushes Lakewood 71-56

It looked as if it was over before it started.

The Lakewood Rangers were smothering a helpless Tiger defense with a 10-0 lead with almost three minutes left in the first quarter.  Lakewood junior Conor Mabry hit two consecutive 3-pointers against a stunned Twinsburg defense. It appeared the rout was on.

It wasn't until the second quarter that momentum would shift in a major way.  The Tigers clawed their way back, attacking the basket with every possession and it seemed as if every shot dropped. 

Twinsburg junior Malik Billingsly had several key buckets in the second quarter and would finish the night with 12 points. 

But it wasn't until the end of the first half the star of the night emerged.  As time expired Twinsburg's Michael Timm was able to get one more pass to a waiting Alfred Edwards, who sent the team to the locker room with emphasis.  The Tigers led at the half 34-26.

Lakewood came out in the second half with no answer for Edwards.  The sophomore guard, who finished the night with an astonishing 23 points, could not be stopped. 

The Rangers' only answer was the sharpshooting of Dan Mazzeo, whose dead-on three balls scorched the Tigers with 26 points and left Twinsburg coach Gary Sorace wondering how he could be stopped. 

Mabry finished the game with 14 points and was the only other weapon Lakewood had.  He and Mazzeo accounted for 40 of the Rangers' 56 points. 

Twinsburg's Nicholas Southworth added 11 points including an impressive breakaway dunk that capped a huge third-quarter run by the Tigers.

The Rangers will host Medina on Friday night and Twinsburg will head down to Hudson to take on the Explorers.