Box Score PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team hosted No. 12 Findlay on Saturday in what may have been the most thrilling G-MAC game of the season. Tied at 46 at halftime, the teams battled through a back-and-forth second half, ending regulation deadlocked at 86-86. Overtime saw Findlay jump ahead, but Lake Erie fought back, forcing a second extra period at 93-93. Despite a gritty effort, the Storm fell just short, as Findlay escaped with a 105-102 victory. The loss wrapped up the 2024-2025 regular season, with Lake Erie finishing 19-9 overall and 12-8 in conference play, securing the fifth seed and a road matchup with Thomas More in the G-MAC tournament opener on Tuesday, March 4.

Game Recap

It was a dream start for the Storm, as they rushed out to a double-digit lead just over two minutes into the game against the first-place Oilers. However, the momentum swung quickly. In just five minutes, Findlay not only erased the deficit but surged ahead, taking a 17-16 lead. The Oilers kept rolling, stretching their advantage to 38-24 with 7:19 left in the first half. What looked like the beginning of a blowout turned into a furious comeback, as Lake Erie clawed back into the game. A trio of Gio Moore free throws capped off a stunning rally, sending the teams into halftime knotted at 46-all despite each side holding double-digit leads at different points in the half.

Findlay struck first in the second half and maintained the lead for the opening eight minutes, building a nine-point cushion at one point. But with 12 minutes to go, the scoreboard read 60-60, setting the stage for a relentless back-and-forth battle. Findlay looked like the stronger team at times, but Lake Erie never let the deficit grow beyond six for the rest of regulation. With just 1:08 left, Derrick Anderson drew contact on a drive, knocking down two clutch free throws to trim the gap to 86-83. On the following possession, a Findlay turnover gave Lake Erie an opening, and Anderson found Todd Simons for a cold-blooded three-pointer to tie it up at 86-all. For the first time all season, the Storm were headed to overtime.

Findlay's 6'7 forward Jagger Landers, who entered overtime with just nine points, took over early, scoring seven straight to put the Oilers up 93-86 within two minutes. Just when it looked like Findlay would pull away, Lake Erie's defense locked in, holding the Oilers scoreless for the remainder of the period. Meanwhile, Cameron Johnson, Anderson, and Simons took turns delivering on the offensive end, willing the Storm back into contention. Five minutes wasn't enough to settle it—double overtime awaited.

The second overtime was a slugfest, with neither team leading by more than two points in the first four minutes. After another and-one by Landers, Lake Erie trailed by just one with under a minute to play. A three-pointer for the lead wouldn't fall, and Findlay secured the rebound, forcing the Storm to foul. The Oilers hit both free throws, pushing the lead to three. Simons managed to convert one of his own free throws to cut it back to two, but Findlay responded with two more at the line, making it a four-point game with just nine seconds left.

It seemed all but over, but Anderson raced coast-to-coast for a layup in just four seconds, prompting a quick Lake Erie timeout. On the ensuing possession, the Storm fouled immediately, and Findlay split the free throws, leaving the door slightly open for a miracle finish. However, the potential game-tying three at the buzzer was just off the mark, sealing Lake Erie's third straight loss and setting up a road trip for the G-MAC tournament.

Despite the heartbreaking defeat, the Storm showed resilience and fight, setting the stage for an intriguing postseason matchup on Tuesday.

Analysis

Findlay was every bit as good as advertised, but the Storm proved that a matchup in the conference tournament would be no easy feat for the Oilers to handle. The Storm forced Findlay into the most turnovers they've coughed up all season (16) and scored more points in regulation against them than any other conference opponent this season (86). It wasn't pretty at times, as they allowed a 24-point swing in twelve minutes in the first half, going from a double-digit advantage to a double-digit deficit, but for the most part, the Storm had quick answers to everything their opponent threw at them. If Lake Erie was able to knock down any of their three-pointers in the overtime periods (0-9 combined), they certainly could have come out on top.

The teams combined for a whopping 45 fouls (Findlay's 23 were their most of the season), and as such, both squads were at the free throw line consistently down the stretch. While they collectively shot a respectable 40/55 (72.7%), there were some important misses that largely impacted the game. For instance, with seven minutes left in a tied game, the Oilers' leading scorer on the year, Will Anjancic, missed consecutive tries. With eight seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 86, he missed his one-and-one attempt, leading to the first overtime. On the Storm's side, Derrick Anderson tied his season-high in scoring with 26 points, and without him, Lake Erie definitely loses this game in standard regulation. However, despite his stellar performance and clutch buckets, he'll be kicking himself for his missed free throw with six seconds left in the first overtime that likely would have been the game-winner. Finally, with four seconds left in the second overtime, Findlay went to the charity stripe with an opportunity to extend their lead to two possessions but only hit one, leaving the door open for a Todd Simons three-pointer that just barely missed sending the game to triple OT.

Entering tonight, Lake Erie and Findlay were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the conference in offensive rebounding, both averaging over 11 per game. With five minutes left, both teams had six apiece, on pace for nearing their season lows. However, Lake Erie added nine more offensive rebounds in the final 15 minutes of play, helping them keep possessions alive and convert second-chance scoring opportunities. Since their three-point jumpers weren't falling, they collectively crashed the glass and tried to get to the stripe as often as possible.

In the previous seven games, the Storm bench outscored their starters 264-263, an incredible feat that displays how balanced their scoring attack typically is. Tonight? Of their 102 points, just 32 came from the reserves, with 18 from Todd Simons alone—a player who perhaps would have been a starter in this matchup if not for celebrating Senior Night. In the last four games before facing the Oilers, Lake Erie's bench outscored opponents' benches by an uncanny 148-39. Tonight? Oilers 41, Storm 32.
 

The Matchup

A series dating back to 1990, Lake Erie has historically struggled against Findlay, and Saturday's loss pushed the all-time record to 31-4 in the Oilers' favor. The Storm dropped the first 17 meetings before winning two of the next three, only to endure another 12-game skid. Consecutive victories in 2023 and 2024 gave them momentum heading into Saturday's matchup, but Findlay once again came out on top.
 

Looking Ahead

Just a week ago, Lake Erie sat at 12-5 in conference play, holding sole possession of third place in the G-MAC standings and seemingly on track for a home playoff game. But after three straight losses—including a tough defeat to last-place Northwood on Thursday—the Storm now find themselves on the road for the G-MAC quarterfinals. They'll travel to face Thomas More on Tuesday, March 4, at 7 p.m. in what should be an intense, competitive battle.

The two teams split their regular-season series, each winning on their home floor.

In their first matchup at Thomas More, the Storm surrendered 53 first-half points—the most they've allowed in a half since 2018—falling behind by 20 at the break. However, a strong defensive effort in the second half held the Saints to just 26 points, and Lake Erie nearly completed the comeback before falling 79-75.

The rematch in Painesville saw a different result, with the Storm pulling out an 87-75 victory in a back-and-forth contest. The key differences? Three-point shooting and ball security. Lake Erie shot just 6-of-27 from deep and had more turnovers than assists (7:10) in the loss, but in the win, they hit 11-of-25 from beyond the arc and flipped that ratio to an impressive 19:6. Despite the victory, rebounding remained a concern—Lake Erie grabbed just 19 boards, their lowest total all season, finishing with a -10 rebounding margin.

Thomas More's Key Player's in the Two Meetings: 

79-75 Loss:
6'0 Casey George: 25 points on 8/11 shooting. 
6'3 Kai Simpson: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists on 6/11 shooting.
6'5 Zion Crowe: 11 points in 21 minutes, 4/5 shooting, 2/3 downtown
6'8 Rylee Mitchell and 6'3 Wyatt Veith: 10 boards and 9 boards respectively
Team: 25/46 shooting (54.3%)

87-75 Win:
6'0 Casey George: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 6/10 shooting
6'3 Kai Simpson: 15 points, 2/3 downtown
6'5 Jack McCune: 11 points, 4/5 shooting
6'8 Rylee Mitchell: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 4/6 shooting
Team: 26/49 shooting (53.1%)

Thomas More enters the postseason with one of the conference's stingiest defenses, allowing just 67.5 points per game, the second-fewest in the G-MAC. They also dominated the glass, finishing with 77 more rebounds than any other team and leading the conference in rebounding margin at plus-6.9. However, their ability to force turnovers has been a weakness. The Saints ranked second-worst in the G-MAC in turnover margin at minus-2.48 and recorded just 141 steals compared to Lake Erie's 314.

Lake Erie Regular Season Stats - Final

Team Stats

Scoring: 2nd in PPG (84.9), allow 2nd-most PPG (75.1), 3rd-best points margin (+9.8)

Field Goals: Worst field goal percentage (44.1%), 2nd-worst opponent field goal percentage (47.2%)

Three Pointers: Most attempts (773), worst percentage (30.4%), 5th in made threes/game (8.4), 3rd-worst opponent three-point percentage (35.6%)

Free Throws: Most attempts (550), 4th-best percentage (73.6%), most allowed (634)

Rebounding: 3rd in total rebounds (1,018), 7th in opponent total rebounds (924), most offensive boards (385), fewest defensive boards (633), 4th in rebound margin (+3.4)

Turnovers: Most forced (512 – 18.3/game, G-MAC record), 5th-most committed (316), best turnover margin (+7.0), 4th in assist/turnover ratio (1.45)

Miscellaneous: 2nd in assists (457), most steals (314), T-2nd-worst in blocks (49)

Individual Stats - Top 5 per Category

Scoring: Derrick Anderson (383, 9th in G-MAC), Cameron Johnson (380, 10th in G-MAC), Joshua Dames (223), Todd Simons (205), and Caleb Piks (201) 

Rebounding: Cameron Johnson (131, 20th in G-MAC), Todd Simons (113, T-30th in G-MAC), Jake Leibacher (101, 38th in G-MAC), Caleb Piks (99, 39th in G-MAC), and Joshua Dames (92, 42nd in G-MAC)

Assists: Derrick Anderson (86, 7th in G-MAC), Cameron Johnson and Kai Bloom (42 each, T-36th in G-MAC), Todd Simons, Aidan Filippini, and Alan Swenson (37 each, T-44th in G-MAC)

Steals: Joshua Dames (40, 3rd in G-MAC), Jake Leibacher (36, 7th in G-MAC), Kai Bloom (35, T-10 in G-MAC), Micah Bays (34, 12th in G-MAC), and Derrick Anderson (31, 17th in G-MAC)

Blocks: Cameron Johnson (14, T-20th in G-MAC), Caleb Piks (11, T-26th in G-MAC), Jake Leibacher (7, T-40th in G-MAC), Todd Simons (4), and Micah Bays (3)

Three Pointers: Joshua Dames (45), Caleb Piks (35), Derrick Anderson (25), Cameron Johnson (23), and Micah Bays (20)

Free Throw Attempts: Derrick Anderson (131), Cameron Johnson (81), Micah Bays (59), Todd Simons (51), and Kai Bloom (43)

Minutes: Derrick Anderson (649), Jake Leibacher (621), Cameron Johnson (601), Caleb Piks (586), and Joshua Dames (447)


Lake Erie Game Highs

Team Highs

Points: 125 vs Miami Middletown
Three-Pointers: 16 vs Bryant & Stratton 
Free Throws: 30 vs Northwood
Rebounds: 57 vs Great Lakes Christian
Assists: 36 vs Great Lakes Christian
Steals: 26 vs Miami Middletown
Blocks: 7 vs Ohio Dominican
Turnovers: 24 vs Slippery Rock
Fouls: 31 vs Northwood

Individual Highs

Points: Cameron Johnson - 30 vs Malone
Three Pointers: Cameron Johnson - 6 vs Malone
Free Throws: Derrick Anderson: 12 vs D'Youville
Rebounds: Todd Simons - 12 vs Cedarville
Assists: Derrick Anderson - 7 vs Great Lakes Christian and Findlay
Steals: Derrick Anderson, Joshua Dames, Jake Leibacher, Todd Simons - 4
Blocks: Caleb Piks - 4 vs Ohio Dominican