High School Sports Roundup
LHS Girls Hoops Head Coach Mike Harper in a game huddle during the North Olmsted matchup.
LHS Girls Hoops Gears Up for State Tournament
State tournament time is quickly approaching for the LHS girls basketball team, which carried a 13-7 record late in the season. They defeated a pair of teams last week at Harding Middle School. First they beat Avon Lake 30-23 on February 1 in a tough defensive battle. Junior center Olivia Nagy led the Rangers with 11 points in the game. On Saturday they beat North Olmsted 38-28 in an all-around strong team effort. Nagy again led the scoring with 12 points, while senior Trinity Nall had ten points.
The Rangers close out the regular season with a pair of home games at Harding Middle School. They face Avon on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:15 p.m.; then they face Westlake at on Saturday, February 11 at 2:15 p.m.. Wednesday will be Senior Night, where the senior members of the team will be recognized in a pregame ceremony.
St. Edward Hoops Back on Track
The St. Ed basketball team encountered a little turbulence in recent weeks. They dropped a heartbreaking overtime to St. Ignatius in mid-January. The following weekend they took a rare home loss, falling to Toledo 57-43. They bounced back to defeat Cleveland power Villa Angela-St. Joseph, but then Mother Nature caused the postponement of a home game against East Village Prep of Detroit.
On Friday the team had a strong performance against Lutheran East, winning 74-60. Senior guard Jack Sullivan led the Eagles with 17 points, and fellow senior Thomas Schmock had 15. Center Kevin Calhoun contributed 13 points, 8 of which came in the third period. The Eagles have a pair of home games remaining in the regular season. They face St. Ignatius in a highly anticipated rematch this Friday evening. On February 17 they will celebrate Senior Night before their game with Cleveland JFK.
Lakewood Icers Finish Home Season
The Lakewood hockey team played its final home game of this amazing turnaround season on Saturday night at Serpentini Arena. They fell 3-2 to Brooklyn in a nail biting finish, and finished the season in second place with a 9-3 record in the Blue South Division. Before the game senior players Brad Kerrigam, James Christie, and Donald McCrae were honored for their contributions to the program. They move on to play in the Baron Cup Tournament this week in Brooklyn, and then on to the OHSAA State Championship Tournament.
RANGER NOTES
*The LHS boys hoops teams returns from a three game road trip on Friday night when they face Westlake at Harding Middle School. Then they face Midview in a Valentine's Day matchup at Harding. Both varsity games are scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The OHSAA Tournament draw will take place on Sunday, February 12. Results will be posted on the Lakewood Observer website as soon as they become available.
*Lakewood Athletic Director Sean Jackson has confirmed that the boys rugby program will return to LHS this spring. The team will play its home games at Garfield Stadium. Their schedule includes home games against Copley, Parma, and Coventry. The road schedule is highlighted by a visit to St. Ignatius on April 1.
*The Lakewood Observer website contains photo galleries from recent LHS wrestling matches against Shaw, John Marshall, and Amherst Steele. To view, go to www.lakewoodobserver.com and click on "photo galleries".
Mike Deneen
Mike Deneen has extensive experience covering sports and community stories for the Lakewood Observer. Mike has been a Senior Industry Analyst for the Freedonia Group in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1998. He has appeared on CNBC’s Closing Bell, NPR’s MarketPlace and has been quoted multiple times in The Wall Street Journal. He has made multiple guest appearances on ESPN Cleveland radio. Mike also writes for Inside Northwestern, a website that covers Northwestern Wildcat Athletics. You can reach him on Twitter at @MikeDeneen1