BEREA, Ohio — With three starters in the starting lineup a season ago, Berea-Midpark found itself playing for a Southwestern Conference championship on its home field.

The regular season ended with a loss to Elyria where ninth graders Tyson Clay, Reid Braaten and Nick Reece watched with their teammates as the opposition cut down the net on their home court. They took it in stride and have their first chance to erase that memory as sophomores, leading the Titans as sophomores.

“It was good for them to see that because I think they’re hungry,” coach Kevin Braaten said. “Our league is always balanced.”

They will try to pick up the pace with these other three guards, but must overcome. Expect it to pay dividends for this squad, which has speed but must overcome a lack of size and rebounding without senior forward Masyn Zahursky, who is preparing to play college soccer at Bowling Green.

The Titans added senior guard Manny Santiago as a transfer from Padua and expect to be one of the top contenders in the SWC, chasing Elyria with the chance to potentially meet again for that conference crown.

Check out the Titans from their four-team game Thursday at Berea-Midpark on the cleveland.com preseason boys basketball tour with the video above. Below is a quick snapshot of the team: