Commodores Lose At The Buzzer Vs. Westmoreland County CC

December 17, 2024 – The Lorain County Community College men's basketball team came up just short in the final seconds against Westmoreland County Community College on Tuesday, falling 88-86.

LCCC (1-12, 1-4) nearly erased a 23-point halftime deficit in the second half against the Wolfpack but couldn't tie the game as time expired.

Leading by two with 5.1 seconds left in regulation, Westmoreland missed two free throws, giving the Commodores one last chance. Kayden Thomas (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain HS) grabbed the rebound off the second miss and passed to Dennis Pettis (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain HS), who quickly fed Rashaud Finley (Cleveland, Ohio/Bard HS) on the fast break. Finley drove between two Wolfpack defenders into the lane and had a good opportunity to send the game to overtime, but his layup off the backboard glanced off the front of the rim as time expired.

Pettis led the Commodores in scoring with 28 points on 12-for-22 shooting, despite being limited in the first half due to foul trouble.

Thomas had a season-high 18 points and pulled down 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He also went 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Dejahn Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Rhodes College) dominated the boards with 20 rebounds.

Julius Moon (Lorain, Ohio/Open Door Christian HS) contributed 15 points, connecting on three of seven attempts from beyond the arc.

Next Up:

The Commodores return home to the Ewing Activities Center Gymnasium on December 21, 2024, to host the Butler County Community College Pioneers. Tipoff is at noon.