Dragons Winter Sports Personal Thoughts

Written Wednesday December 25th, at 1:30 PM

Well I like to wish you all a special Merry Christmas here. So far I look at both the Dragons Basketball teams both teams are right where I think they are early in the season. So here are my thoughts on the teams.

Girls:

When I look at the Girls this season this team has expectations to rise up in the season. Last season the Dragons were winless heading into the Christmas Break, so that’s a step in the right direction. Currently the ladies stand 3-3 and 0-2 in the White. The girls started the season with wins over Lapeer East, Brandon, and West Bloomfield. It has been a tough three games for them lately as they have losses to teams (Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, and Troy) whom have a combined 18-3 and have lost by a combined 22 points.

The Dragons have struggled keeping leads in the third quarter which has been bothering coach Steve Roberts. They have had halftime leads in two of the three games they have lost. The inside post game has been a disaster for them, especially in the three losses where they have struggled to get points inside the paint. Also the defense in the second half has been soft and sometimes lazy. This is something that this team needs to correct if they want to have a good season.

Also another problem is where the killer is instinct on this team. It is clearly shown that this core group does not have a killer instinct. Sure they are young but that’s not an excuse. Where is that killer instinct especially in the last two games in the second half? You got to put youth and inexperience aside and show your stuff. It’s time to show it, in more words it’s put up or shut up time and that’s something that this team has to show.

The Girls will have plenty of time to address the issues between now and Farmington on January 3^rd. The schedule will get much tougher from here, as they will see Bloomfield Hills and Troy again along with Adams, Oxford, Rochester all twice along with Royal Oak whom is not bad either.

Boys:

When I see the Boys they aren’t the same team without John McCarty but this team might have to get use to playing without him. The current indications are that he may be lost for the season with a hip injury. This team does have the pieces to compete but the problem is can they do it on a consistent basis and against good teams without McCarty.

The Dragons currently sit at 2-1 and 1-0 in the White. Lake Orion lost a heart breaker to Pontiac but they had opportunities to win that game. They struggled to beat Oxford on the road, even though Oxford is a hostile environment. Lake Orion also had to comeback to beat Groves in overtime and the Falcons were projected to finish last in the White this season.

The biggest problem that coach Tom Risi’s team has had been the third quarter like the Girls, they let teams get back in the game and eventually take the lead on them before coming back. If they were playing a good team then this would be a huge problem. All three games have proven that point, the Dragons allowed a 14-0 run in the third quarter against Pontiac. Oxford outscored the Dragons 16-7 in the third quarter before Lake Orion came back and won that game. The Dragons trailed Groves by 12 at one point in the third quarter despite horrible officiating in that game to win that one but that game should had never went overtime.

Another problem and this has been a huge problem even before Risi coached in Varsity is that this team has played to the level to their competition, which is a huge no-no. This has been a huge problem in getting up for games. Players get up for games against Romeo, Clarkston, Oxford, Adams, Seaholm, Troy, Troy Athens, Oak Park etc but to play Groves, Avondale, West Bloomfield, Pontiac and take them lightly then that’s a problem. If you want to be a champion you got to get up for each game and do whatever it takes to win. This team has had some issues doing that and that’s not a coaching problem, that’s a player mindset problem.

Lake Orion has a murders row schedule when they get back from break as they travel to Romeo on January 3rd and then have a long four game road trip with games at Seaholm, Oak Park, Avondale, and Clarkston while they will host Adams and Troy. This will certainly test the Dragons chemistry and how much they have learned without McCarty.

Hockey:

My thoughts on Hockey are that the Dragons have had a nice bounce back season after a disappointing 2012-2013 season last season. Lake Orion currently stands 8-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Red. My personal thoughts are is can this team go far and get the right draw in the pre-districts round. If they do get the right draw then it is possible that a trip to Compuware Ice Arena in Plymouth is possible for Lake Orion this season.

The Dragons are currently fifth in the state, which is something where Coach Nick Field has them so far in the season. They have beaten some really good teams like Grand Blanc and won the Traverse City Invite. The Hockey team’s only defeat came at Hartland but have ever since had a nice winning streak heading into the break.

Wrestling:

The Dragons wrestling team did not have a good Oakland County meet as a team as they finished 17^th but they had some strong individual results in that meet. The invitational tournaments have also been kind to them this season as Lake Orion finished second at the Romeo Invitational and the Junior Varsity team has had some great performances at Yale. As a team the wrestlers have struggled losing matches to Stoney Creek and powerhouses Hartland and Howell. In a league with Clarkston, Oxford, Adams, and Rochester it will be a tough go this season for them.

Skiing:

The season hasn’t started yet but looks to be very good this season especially in both the slalom and giant slalom as well. The Dragons look to get back to the state championship rounds after a solid last season. The Pine Knob region looks to be tough as well with the likes of Clarkston in there but if they can get a good finish then this team could go places this season.

Competitive Cheerleading:

The cheerleaders have a tough schedule as coach Nancy De Aliva decided to go more west than the traditional east route and for good reason. The regional the Dragons are in is at Novi and the teams they will see like Grandville, East Kentwood, Jension, along with Hartland and Howell will be there as well. Lake Orion took third place in the Grandville Invitational and still has more tournaments to the west side of the state as well. In the first OAA Red league meet, the cheerleaders won that beating Rochester and Stoney Creek in the process. The second league meet will be in the friendly confines of Lake Orion along with the district as well. The cheer team has a strong chance to returning back to the Delta Plex after having a tough regional last season and they will have to go through that to get back to Grand Rapids.

Bowling:

The Dragons will be all right this season after a successful season last season for Coach Kevin Crowder but they do have the capabilities to surprise some people this season and possibly contend this season. The Boys had a tough one with Oxford and lost but the Girls beat Oxford in the process.

Power-lifting:

The lifters will be interesting to watch this season. The girls need to replace one lifter from last season while the boys have some lifters to replace but coaches Eric Jennings and Johanna Misiak will find a way to make sure both lifters will be competitive this season.

Enjoy a nice Merry Christmas and Football Bowl Season everyone.