Coaches talk about making plays all the time.

Jay Page made two big ones in the final 13 seconds of the season-opener against Lorain Southview, coming up with defensive stops and then hitting two free throws to seal a 83-79 victory Saturday at Sandusky High School.

“I just focused,” Page said. “I was exhausted. They were hot but we just kept our heads up.”

Page pulled down a rebound off a Southview miss with 13.8 seconds remaining, then got a steal and was fouled after a Sandusky miss gave the ball back to the Saints. Page was fouled trying to dribble out of traffic and calmly buried both throws to seal the win.

“I told the guys after the game that you have to give Southview a lot of credit,” Sandusky coach Steve Keller Jr. said. “They shot the ball well and shot free throws extremely well. We just made a few more plays.”

The Streaks needed the focus after missing three of four free throws in the final 50 seconds and 8 of 15 in the final eight minutes.

Page ended with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Jarrod Williams added 20 points. Cordney Strickland finished with 18 points and six boards, and Jarron Green came off the bench to score 14 points and grab 10 rebounds.

“Jarron Green, when he plays every possession, is a guy who can be really good,” Keller said. “And Rayshawn Daniels really provided us a spark.”

Southview countered with a game-high 22-point performance from sophomore Brandon Davis, with Angel Gomez scoring 21 and Davila adding 13. Jeremiah Frymier led the Saints on the boards with nine.

“Southview created a fast tempo which led to us giving up more points than we would like,” Keller said. “We need to improve on our turnovers and our shot selections, but I’m pleased we were able to make plays and finish plays at the end.”

The Streaks got off to a very slow start, falling behind 4-0 afer turning the ball over three times with no shots in the first minute which forced Keller to call a timeout. They came out of the break with a 15-4 spurt and were up 17-15 at the end of the quarter.

“Southview plays a style that is difficult to prepare for in Game 1,” Keller said. “Early on, they made some shots and I needed to settle our guys down a little.”

The Saints really picked up that tempo late in the second quarter, trimming a 28-17 deficit to 35-34 at the intermission. Davis led the charge out of the locker room with 13 points in the third quarter, helping Southview take a 61-60 lead into the fourth quarter.

“You always try to get better and we need to in every aspect of the game,” Keller said. “The good Lord blessed us with a win. We were able to overcome some adversity.

“I’ve very happy. It’s nice to see our young men close the game by making plays.”

The Sandusky JVs made even more plays, running away with an 85-41 decision. Damyion Smith led the way with 17 points, DeJour Stovall scored 15, Jalen Gordon had 12 and Vanuel Williams finished with 11 for the young Streaks.