Blue Streaks defense grinds down Tornadoes in gritty victory

 Blue Streaks defense grinds down Tornadoes in gritty victory

By Keno Sultan

Stark County Prep Press writer

www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com

DOVER--Lake dared Dover to beat them from long distance. 

It was a resounding mission accomplished from a defensive standpoint.

Lake's defense was locked in from the outset and used a 22-11 second half that was highlighted by the host Tornadoes missing all ten of their three point attempts not to mention a suffocating sequence that saw Lake hold Dover without a field goal in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to post a key 41-27 victory that saw their record ascend to 3-0 on the season to go along with wins over Akron Ellet and Youngstown Boardman.

The last two seasons have been growing sticks for the Blue Streaks but they are starting to resemble to a small degree the team that seized three district championships in six years and came within two points of a state final four last decade.

The Blue Streaks gradually pulled away from the Tornadoes and the scoring output of the hosts receded from the second and third quarter as after Lake trailed 11-9, Dover only scored five and four points in the second and third quarters while Lake outscored Dover 32-16 after the first quarter.

"It was a game that was presenting itself as one not to be very pretty but that's a tribute to our guys. We did some things that we really didn't practice this week and we were fortunate enough that they were starting to scramble and we got some easily layups out of it and tonight is a tribute to our seniors," Lake 26th year commander Tom McBride said. "They are looking at the underclassmen as their teammates and it's hard to have a team that's humble and enjoys each other and are spirited in the locker room, so tonight is a tribute to them who tied last year's record as juniors. We only played one senior last year but we stuck with it and they have become leaders on the floor."

EYES OF THE VETERAN. Lake head coach Tom McBride, a 1987 graduate of Canton Central Catholic High School intently sits on the bench before Lake's game against Dover. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)

After what was a feeling out quarter between the two teams, the visitors systematically began to carve through the Tornadoes. A key 10-0 run in the second quarter pushed their lead to 19-13, forcing the Tornadoes to utilize a timeout to truncate the hemorrhaging inflicted by Lake.

Dover's best punch came in the third quarter as at one point they had a sequence where they claimed six offensive rebounds in a row and their hustle was keeping them in the game. But a three-pointer by Lucas Draher to beat the third quarter buzzer handed Lake a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter.

From there, Lake salted the game away with a 7-0 run that saw Dover fail to score in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter and the end result was their first loss of the season after three contests.

Gavin Salzwimmer led Lake with 14 points while Luke Leggett added nine for the Tornadoes.

Dover second-year head coach and 1997 graduate Matt VonKaenel rued his team anemic deficiency from the arc.

"We just get one to fall and when you are playing a quality opponent like Lake, you need to get some shots to fall. We felt like they had a nice size advantage inside and our kids felt like they had to settle for threes and when you don't make your threes, your defense starts to lax. Credit Lake and their staff as they did a good job tonight," he said.

Lake will now face two tests over the weekend as they will host Canton McKinley, a strong contender for a state title Friday and then challenge New Philadelphia in the Hall of Fame Hardwood Shootout in Massillon. McBride will learn a lot about his team over the course of those two days but wants to see better offensive production.

"We will learn a lot. Defensively I thought we were better than I expected and offensively, I just don't think we were that clean tonight and we were not moving much with our offense," he said. "

The Tornadoes are a team that was a few plays away from being a 15 or 16 win team last season. Shoring up their three-point deficiency will be a step toward becoming the team VonKaenel hopes to see late in the year.

"This is a great learning experience for our kids tonight. As long as we don't make the same mistakes tonight, it will be a learning point. We will get back to the office and get to work," he said.

THE LEADER OF THE STORM. Dover head coach Matt VonKaenel communicates with his team during a timeout Tuesday night in Dover. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)

Lake dared Dover to beat them from long distance. Lake accomplished that mission in a resounding manner.

Keno Sultan is a writer for Stark County Prep Press. He can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.