Written Tuesday February 9th at 8:55 PM
Sorry Den fans about the blog last week, been busy though.
Anyway the week that was in Dragon Basketball had it's ups and downs, with the Varsity Boys winning two games, while the Varsity Ladies suffered a tough loss on Thursday.
The Dragon Boys entered league play with two critical road games, to start off a three game road trip. The first game of this three game road trip was against the Troy Colts. The freshman and JV won their respective games over Troy by more than 21 points, the Varsity however had their hands full with a depleted but always dangerous and desperate Colts team.
The Colts were led by their Senior, power forward and quarterback Bobby Wunderlich, and also their freshman sensation James Young, who probably if their was a trophy in the OAA White, would be my pick for Newcomer of the Year. However the Dragons also had a duo led by newly Western Michigan recruit for soccer Derek Schrauben and also Alex Mayo, and both these two combination's got their game on Tuesday Night at Troy.
Troy started the game early with two three pointers by their point guard Evan Malone for a quick 6-0 Colts lead, however the Dragons matched Troy possession after possession scoring basket after basket however everytime they went to the line their free throws weren't going down, after one quarter it was 18-16 Colts. Troy then controlled most of the play in the second quarter lead by their duo of Wunderlich and Young. Young had nine of his 15 points in the second quarter. Wunderlich went inside and did most of his damage in that quarter as well. However Mayo and Schrauben kept it close for the Dragon attack, as the quarter and the half ended with the Colts leading 34-28 at the half. Usually down six or less at halftime is always a good thing well stay tuned.
The second half saw it become a back and fourth game. The Dragons scored their first basket, and then seen Young drain a demoralizing three pointer to make it 37-30 Troy, but the Dragons started to get their opportunities and free throws started going down, the catalysts were led by Mayo and Schrauben for the Dragons. Mayo and Schrauben carried the team offensively, and also got a timely three pointers from Evan Dream and Todd Wolverton in the third quarter. The Dragons outscored Troy 17-14, but were still down by three points 48-45 after three quarters.
The Dragons then controlled the fourth, outscoring Troy 15-11 in the quarter, however as the Dragons increased their lead to 60-56. Young hit his final three pointer of the game with five seconds in the game making it 60-59, with three seconds left. The Dragons then turned it over giving Troy one last chance at a victory, and a demoralizing defeat for the Dragons. Troy got the ball to Young but was blocked by 6.8 center Ian Monk, and the ball was captured by point guard Paul Courteas as he ran out the clock on the Colts. The final score read HOME 59: VISITOR 60, or should I say Lake Orion 60, Troy 59. Mayo lead the Dragons with 25 points, while his partner and crime Schrauben had 16 points. For the Colts, Wunderlich and Young had 15 points each in the loss.
As I talked to Troy head coach Gary Fralick, we've been friends for years, going back to my days of my brother going up against him in years past. I said to him that his team can beat Seaholm, even if they were depleted because I felt, and still feel that Seaholm was not a very good road team, they just lost to Adams on that last Thursday. He was very happy with the comment, I just wished they beat Seaholm though but they lost at home 57-51 to the Maples on that Friday.
On that Friday the Dragons had their second game of this huge three game trip, a showdown with the always high scoring, and entertaining Berkley Bears at the Dark Gym, I call it, I think it has the best lighting in the county, besides Southfield Lathrup. The Freshman destroyed the Bears 62-18, while the JV survived a scare 61-53. The Varsity entertained the Bears, who just lost a high scoring affair against Troy Athens on Tuesday Night 73-70, Berkley came back twice, after trailing 24-9 in the first quarter and 67-55 with over three minutes remaining in the game to tie the score 68-68 until falling in the final minutes.
In the first quarter Berkley started out hot, outscoring the Dragons at one point 17-8 in the process until a late 4-0 run by the Dragons closed the gap down to 17-12 after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Dragons exploded off the gate, quickly taking the lead and not letting go off it the rest of the quarter. Orion then took an impressive 37-27 lead to the locker room at half, it was a 15 point turnaround, seeing the Dragons after the first quarter down five to up ten with a half yet to play over the up tempo Bears.
The second half saw the Bears cut the Dragons lead down to six at 37-31 early, however the Dragons answered back in the third quarter, increasing the lead up to 14 points at one point (47-33) before settling at a 52-42 score after three quarters. Orion then kept pressing and pressuring the ball, also they were scoring baskets at will against the Bears defense, outscoring the Bears 14-11 in rout to a 66-53 win over the Bears. Mayo added 22 points, while Schrauben added 16 points to carry Orion, who didn't even hit a three pointer in the game. Ignacio Hood, and Ryan Bush added 14 points each for the Bears.
The Boys next basketball game is Thursday against Rochester, at Rochester. The Falcons have not played in a week, since the 61-31 beat down against arch rival Stoney Creek, so Rochester should be well rested heading into Thursday's game against the Dragons. Orion's varsity is now 9-5 overall, and 6-2 in the OAA White, while the JV and Freshman are a combined 23-2 (Freshman 11-1, JV 12-1) with games against Rochester on Thursday, freshman at home, JV on the road.
The Varsity girls basketball team suffered a heartbreaker this week at Sy Green Gym against the Phoenix of Pontiac. The girls came into Pontiac with hope of adding some revenge in mind after losing at home 52-37 back in December. The freshman and JV teams both lost at Sy Green Gym this week, so it was up to the Varsity to make up both those losses. The game went back and fourth early, as both the Dragons and the Phoenix fought to control tempo in the contest. Pontiac only came into the game with only eight players, due to grades. However the Dragons could not buy a free throw or a shot in the first half, the Dragons were a dismal three for ten shooting from the line in the first half, and trailed 24-20 at the half.
The second half from the third quarter to the early stages of the fourth quarter belonged to Pontiac. The Phoenix led by Brittany Alston led the Phoenix charge to a 44-33 lead with 6:45 left in the game, that when the Dragons got going, especially from downtown. The Dragons then went on a 7-0 run to cut the Phoenix lead to 44-40 on a huge three pointer by Dana Schrauben before Pontiac scored twice to make it an eight point lead 48-40, and then Maddi Gagen got it going, by going on a personal 8-0 run, with two three's and a layup to tie the game 48-48 with two minutes left in the game. Pontiac then answered with a three pointer by power forward Tameree Austin to make it 51-48 Phoenix, with under a minute left. Then the Dragons scored a three point play to tie the game at 51-51 and force overtime.
In the overtime session is felt like a personal battle was going on between Dragon small forward Jackie Hood and former Pontiac Central star, now with Pontiac Destiny Adams. Adams scored ten of her 13 points in overtime, while Hood led the Dragons. However it was a three pointer by shooting guard Jamie Tasco that gave the Dragons a brief 55-54 lead with over a minute left to play. However Austin answered by hit another three pointer that gave the Phoenix a 57-55 lead with under a minute left.
However the Dragons were not done yet, as Hood penetrated to the line and got herself two more points at the free throw line to tie the score back at 57-57 a piece. Pontiac next possession saw Adams penetrate and got fouled by Tasco sending her to the line. Adams made one of two free throws to give Pontiac a 58-57 lead. As the Dragons tried to get the ball to half court, Adams then stole the ball from Alexis Haan, and forcing her to intentionally foul her with 1.4 seconds left on the clock. Adams then shot two free throws making it 60-57, and then they got the ball back again before being fouled. Adams then went back at the line and missed two free throws. Hood then quickly launched the ball from half court, and couldn't make it. The Phoenix players then celebrated the huge upset win over the Dragons 60-57 in overtime.
Hood led the Dragons with 18 points, Hann had a another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Gagen had 12 points four three pointers, and Tasco with six points to lead the Dragons. Alston had 25 points to lead Pontiac, along with Adams 13 points, and Austin added ten points, three three-pointers for the Phoenix.
This game was a tough loss for the Dragons, but they got to feel proud that this experience should help them in a couple of weeks once playoffs start at their home court, which is huge to Orion head coach Steve Roberts who had only one starter back from the State Semifinal team a year ago. Pontiac head coach Jeff Vonn after the game in the Oakland Press said that Pontiac might be back in a few years or so, but looking at their JV and freshman teams, yes they do have talent, but they also have flaws as well. Also it all starts in the classroom, in which Pontiac did not have half of it's team there because of grades.
The Dragons fell to 9-6 overall, and 3-6 in the OAA Red, the JV is 8-7 overall and 4-5 in the OAA Red while the freshman are 4-10 and 2-7 in the OAA Red, there next contest is on Friday, after the Lathrup game was moved back due to the snowstorm to Wednesday February 17th. The Dragons will travel to Troy to take on the Colts in a OAA Red contest that puts the two centers into battle. Alexis Hann and Liz Siepker, so Friday should be interesting. The JV and Freshman also battle Troy Friday, with the freshman at home and the JV at Troy for the early game with the Colts.
See you next week.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Dragons Reborn
Written Tuesday February 2nd, at 11:08 PM
It has been 23 months since Lake Orion head coach Jim Manzo retired and Dragon Star Drew Maynard reunited with fellow Lake Orion comrade manager Anthony Taormina at Oakland University
It has been 12 months since Lake Orion played one of the worst basketball games of the season, only scoring 22 points against Rochester Adams. That year the Dragons finished 3-17 overall, not including playoffs when they finished 4-18 in their only season under Lance Davis.
However the past is the past and those 12 months that described the Lake Orion boys basketball team are gone, but not forgotten. The culture of Lake Orion basketball is changing, and changing for the good. There are a lot of people that have to be given credit for this turnaround.
Enter Mike Shafkalis, the new Dragons varsity coach. In the past 12 months he was the Junior varsity coach for the team, after previously coming to Lake Orion as an assistant at Birmingham Seaholm. Shafkalis had a good JV team until then coach Lance Davis moved up most of his players up to the varsity, leaving Shafakalis with only seven players on his JV team. In his first year on the varsity level he has gotten the varsity players believing in his system, and it has worked so far. The atmosphere is so much better than it is now.
Next enter Randy Maynard, you guessed it, Drew's Daddy. Maynard has been known as a basketball guru. His daughter Dawn played for Orion girls coach Steve Roberts and the legionary Garry Kibby, and of course we all know with Drew at Oakland. Maynard is the Orion freshman coach, and in many ways is responsible for helping basketball players adjust from Middle School to high school, along with his staff of Erik Kuster, and Tim English.
Next is Dave Tooley, the top assistant coach for the varsity. Tooley is of course the defensive coriander of the Lake Orion varsity football team. Tooley was also a former assistant under Manzo, and was on Davis staff last season. Tooley has been re-energized with Shafakalis because he can install his defense and he can also yell a lot from the bench.
Next is Ron Grubbs. Grubbs is the Junior Varsity coach at Orion. After his stint as Freshman coach, Grubbs went 15-5 with virtually the same team he had last season. Grubbs has virtually kept the same team in tact, and is doing a masterful job at the JV level right now.
Next is Alex Mayo, Mayo is the last of the Jim Manzo era at Lake Orion, Mayo has been through the goods, the bads, and the real bad's. Mayo so far is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15 points per game.
Next is the rest of the Seniors, the Seniors have went through a lot of losing throughout the years together as freshman, sophomores, and juniors. They had to go through two different coaching changes, and that's never an easy thing to do. Now their senior year they are now 8-5 overall, and 5-2 in the OAA White, just one game behind Seaholm for the OAA White.
Next is the parents, it the parents that support the kids, and the program. They went through the pain last year, and now this year even though all the wins were by nine points or less are very happy where the program is going and will continue to support them throughout their ride toward districts.
Next give credit to Lake Orion Athletic Director Bill Reiss, Reiss has given the keys of the basketball program to Shafkalis after a disastrous last season, and it looks like it has been the right choice for not only the team but also the fans, the fan base, and parents who has supported the team.
This year the Dragons were picked to finish last in the OAA White, nobody knew how this team would respond after a 1-3 start, this team could have folded, but they never gave up, they never surrendered, they embraced it. They are a scrappy team who loves to gut it out with other teams. All their wins this season have been by nine points or less. The fans has also been coming out, which is a huge victory for the team, along with the supporting parents.
Maybe the trophy case is going to fill up once again and we could talk division crown or maybe districts or beyond, could it be this year? maybe, the districts is anyone's game with five teams that could win it, Lake Orion, Adams, Clarkston, Romeo, or Stoney Creek. But we all know for sure is the future is bright in Lake Orion and for Lake Orion basketball.
It has been 23 months since Lake Orion head coach Jim Manzo retired and Dragon Star Drew Maynard reunited with fellow Lake Orion comrade manager Anthony Taormina at Oakland University
It has been 12 months since Lake Orion played one of the worst basketball games of the season, only scoring 22 points against Rochester Adams. That year the Dragons finished 3-17 overall, not including playoffs when they finished 4-18 in their only season under Lance Davis.
However the past is the past and those 12 months that described the Lake Orion boys basketball team are gone, but not forgotten. The culture of Lake Orion basketball is changing, and changing for the good. There are a lot of people that have to be given credit for this turnaround.
Enter Mike Shafkalis, the new Dragons varsity coach. In the past 12 months he was the Junior varsity coach for the team, after previously coming to Lake Orion as an assistant at Birmingham Seaholm. Shafkalis had a good JV team until then coach Lance Davis moved up most of his players up to the varsity, leaving Shafakalis with only seven players on his JV team. In his first year on the varsity level he has gotten the varsity players believing in his system, and it has worked so far. The atmosphere is so much better than it is now.
Next enter Randy Maynard, you guessed it, Drew's Daddy. Maynard has been known as a basketball guru. His daughter Dawn played for Orion girls coach Steve Roberts and the legionary Garry Kibby, and of course we all know with Drew at Oakland. Maynard is the Orion freshman coach, and in many ways is responsible for helping basketball players adjust from Middle School to high school, along with his staff of Erik Kuster, and Tim English.
Next is Dave Tooley, the top assistant coach for the varsity. Tooley is of course the defensive coriander of the Lake Orion varsity football team. Tooley was also a former assistant under Manzo, and was on Davis staff last season. Tooley has been re-energized with Shafakalis because he can install his defense and he can also yell a lot from the bench.
Next is Ron Grubbs. Grubbs is the Junior Varsity coach at Orion. After his stint as Freshman coach, Grubbs went 15-5 with virtually the same team he had last season. Grubbs has virtually kept the same team in tact, and is doing a masterful job at the JV level right now.
Next is Alex Mayo, Mayo is the last of the Jim Manzo era at Lake Orion, Mayo has been through the goods, the bads, and the real bad's. Mayo so far is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15 points per game.
Next is the rest of the Seniors, the Seniors have went through a lot of losing throughout the years together as freshman, sophomores, and juniors. They had to go through two different coaching changes, and that's never an easy thing to do. Now their senior year they are now 8-5 overall, and 5-2 in the OAA White, just one game behind Seaholm for the OAA White.
Next is the parents, it the parents that support the kids, and the program. They went through the pain last year, and now this year even though all the wins were by nine points or less are very happy where the program is going and will continue to support them throughout their ride toward districts.
Next give credit to Lake Orion Athletic Director Bill Reiss, Reiss has given the keys of the basketball program to Shafkalis after a disastrous last season, and it looks like it has been the right choice for not only the team but also the fans, the fan base, and parents who has supported the team.
This year the Dragons were picked to finish last in the OAA White, nobody knew how this team would respond after a 1-3 start, this team could have folded, but they never gave up, they never surrendered, they embraced it. They are a scrappy team who loves to gut it out with other teams. All their wins this season have been by nine points or less. The fans has also been coming out, which is a huge victory for the team, along with the supporting parents.
Maybe the trophy case is going to fill up once again and we could talk division crown or maybe districts or beyond, could it be this year? maybe, the districts is anyone's game with five teams that could win it, Lake Orion, Adams, Clarkston, Romeo, or Stoney Creek. But we all know for sure is the future is bright in Lake Orion and for Lake Orion basketball.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Dragons beat Adams in Boys Hoops, Girls Hoops split the week
Written Saturday January 30th, at 7:27 PM
If there was a heartbreaking week for a team with bad luck it sadly has to be the Lake Orion Girls JV Dragons. On Tuesday they lost a heartbreaker 30-29 to Clarkston, and then after having a ten point lead after the first quarter and the lead throughout the game on Friday the Rochester Falcons earned their way to a 30-28 buzzer beating win over the Dragons. Now the JV Dragons are 8-6 overall and 4-4 in the OAA Red heading to a rematch with Pontiac Thursday night at Sy Green Gym at 5:30 PM.
The Dragon freshman girls lost two games in a row this week to both Rochester and to Clarkston. I'm not sure what was the final in the Clarkston game but the final score was 44-12 in the Rochester game on Friday. The freshman girls now stand at 4-9 overall and 2-6 in the OAA Red, travel to play Pontiac at Sy Green Gym at 4 PM Thursday.
The Varsity girls split this week, winning one and then losing a tough one, both games were at home this week. They had a gutsy defensive effort against a defensive juggernaut Clarkston team on Tuesday night at Lake Orion. The Dragons held the Wolves to just ten points at halftime. They were up 12-5 after the first quarter and then 21-10 at half. The Dragons and Wolves both scored six points each in the third quarter, in the score read 27-16 Orion after three quarters. But the fourth quarter belonged to Clarkston, the Wolves outscored the Dragons 16-11, which included two three pointers in the final 40 seconds of the game, but the Dragons held on, winning 38-32 over Clarkston. The Dragons sent the Wolves to 2-9 overall, and 2-5 in the OAA Red after Tuesday night, now the Wolves record is 3-9 overall, 3-5 in the OAA Red thanks to a 50-44 victory at West Bloomfield over the Lakers.
Jackie Hood had 13 points, and barely missed a double-double with nine rebounds, Alexis Haan had 11 points to lead the Dragon charge while Lindsay Reppuhn lead the Wolves with 11 points, and Megan Hastings added nine for the Wolves. The Dragons beleaguered Clarkston star Kaliegh Kenny, who couldn't find a rhythm in the game, Orion limited Kenny to four points total, and kept Kaliegh's little sister Delaney off the scoreboard. The Dragons were 15-24 from the free throw line, but made just enough to hold off a Wolves rally.
The Dragons had another tough game to deal with, but this time it was Rochester. The Falcons beat the Dragons 47-32 earlier in the season, with the refs showing up 45 minutes late to the game. It was a back and fourth see saw between the two teams, Orion lead 12-10 after the first quarter but the Falcons led by Megan Heiden, Hillary Braun, and Ashley Keyes scored 21 points in the second quarter and took a 31-24 lead into the half. The third quarter was a different story, and the Dragons did not back down. The Dragons outscored the Falcons 19-15 in the third quarter but the Falcons still led 46-43 after three quarters.
The Dragons then tied the game on a Maddi Gagen three pointer at 46-46 early in the fourth quarter. However the Falcons went back to their run-and gun offense and put a capping stone over the Dragons. Orion missed some costly free-throws at the end of the game, and during the fourth quarter. Jackie Hood was two for six from the free throw line, she missed two big ones during the fourth quarter and Rochester took advantage with the run and gun offense. The Falcons went on a 14-7 run to close out the game, and escape Lake Orion with a 60-53 victory over the Dragons. After the game Megan Heiden held her shirt high for Rochester screaming at the dejected Orion girls. Hood lead the Dragons with 14 points, Gagen had 13, and Alexis Haan had 12 points for the green and white.
Maybe revenge will come against Rochester likely in districts, if Orion beats Adams, because Rochester has a bye in the first round and will get either Adams or Lake Orion on the Orion court. In my opinion I still don't think Rochester is that good, and their schedule is brutal, at North Farmington and at Lathrup are no easy chores for the Falcons. Orion might have some issues at times when it comes to playing teams with the run and gun offense, and in transition, that's understandable but getting back and playing defense is one of the tough things to do in basketball today, as long you have the work ethic, everything will be fine but it has always been a concern for Orion coach Steve Roberts, and will always be a concern until it gets fixed.
Megan Heiden and Ashley Keyes don't like to do things hard, especially getting back on defense. That also got on the mind of their head coach Adam Sheldon. Sheldon benched Keyes in the second quarter, and then early in the third quarter because of her work ethic. He also benched Heiden as well during the game for her work ethic, especially in the second quarter.Rochester is no Michelangelo team but if they want a long playoff run they need Keyes, and Heiden to be at their best and not lazy, like they were at times Friday night against Orion.
Anyway back to Orion, the Dragons now stand at 9-5 overall and 3-5 in the OAA Red, they now will try and get a little bit of revenge back against Pontiac on Thursday night, at Sy Green Gym, tip off is set for 7 PM. The Phoenix come in 5-7 overall but 5-3 in the OAA Red. They come into play against the Dragons, finishing a three game home stand, beating Rochester on Tuesday night 62-48, however the Phoenix fell at Sy Green Gym 47-37 to Troy on Friday night.
The Orion boys just had one game this week, but it was a big one. It was against Rochester Adams for a tie for second place in the OAA White. Adams came in 7-3 overall, and 4-1 in the OAA White, however it was a shooting nightmare for the Highlanders off the bat, once they entered the greenhouse.
Adams just coming off a 62-44 win over crosstown rival Rochester at Oakland University in "The Crosstown Showdown" last Friday could not find the rim, and were either missing shots, shooting air-balls, or turning the ball over, credit the Dragons defense. The Dragons also took advantage of those Adams turnovers by converting easy baskets for points. The first quarter was a nightmare for Adams fans to see as the Dragons took a 10-0 lead for most of the first quarter, until Adams scored their first point with 1:42 remaining in the first on a free throw by Conner Boyle. The second quarter didn't get any better for Adams either. The Dragons outscored Adams 13-9, and took a shocking 23-12 lead at the half.
Adams took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Dragons 16-13 in the third quarter, however the Dragons still led after three quarters 36-28. The fourth quarter the Dragons weren't to be denied the upset, they held Adams to just ten points behind a smothering defense, while the Dragons scored 11 points to seal the 47-38 upset of Adams. Alex Mayo added 19 points, and Derek Schrauben added 10 points for the Dragons to seal the upset. The Dragons also took power forward Andrew Hammett out of his game, Hammett had 21 points in the win against Rochester only had three points in the game. Conner Boyle led Adams with 16 points, and is Adams leading scorer averaging 13 points per game.
The Varsity Boys are now 7-5 overall and 4-2 in the OAA White, just a game and a half behind unbeaten Seaholm in the OAA White, now they have a tough one against Troy on Tuesday, and then Berkley on Friday, both games will be on the road for the Dragons, and the team hasn't been that good on the road this season. The Colts come in 4-7 overall, and 2-4 in the OAA White, so it will be a good match up against the Colts. The Bears come in also 2-4 in the OAA White but 5-5 overall. The Dragons did have a 59-50 win over Berkley the last time they met at Lake Orion.
The JV Dragons Boys had a good week against Adams, thanks in all part to Jacob Gardner. Gardener was the quarterback of this years Lake Orion JV Football team when they got smoked 35-14 to Adams. He had 26 points including some tough three pointers. The Dragons trailed by seven points at one points, only were down 12-5 after the first quarter, and then went nuts in the second quarter, outscoring the Highlanders 26-14, to take a 31-26 lead at the half. From then on the Dragons cruised to a 63-46 win over Adams sending them to 11-1 overall and still unbeaten in the OAA White at 6-0. Their next game is against Troy on Tuesday and then Berkley on Friday, both on the road.
The Freshman Dragons Boys played Adams, and had another good victory over the Highlanders. The Dragons behind Chaz Miller and Derrick DeLaura went on to a 60-31 victory over Adams. The Freshman Boys now have two home games, against Troy on Tuesday and Berkley on Friday, they are now 10-1 overall and unbeaten in OAA White play at 5-0.
If there was a heartbreaking week for a team with bad luck it sadly has to be the Lake Orion Girls JV Dragons. On Tuesday they lost a heartbreaker 30-29 to Clarkston, and then after having a ten point lead after the first quarter and the lead throughout the game on Friday the Rochester Falcons earned their way to a 30-28 buzzer beating win over the Dragons. Now the JV Dragons are 8-6 overall and 4-4 in the OAA Red heading to a rematch with Pontiac Thursday night at Sy Green Gym at 5:30 PM.
The Dragon freshman girls lost two games in a row this week to both Rochester and to Clarkston. I'm not sure what was the final in the Clarkston game but the final score was 44-12 in the Rochester game on Friday. The freshman girls now stand at 4-9 overall and 2-6 in the OAA Red, travel to play Pontiac at Sy Green Gym at 4 PM Thursday.
The Varsity girls split this week, winning one and then losing a tough one, both games were at home this week. They had a gutsy defensive effort against a defensive juggernaut Clarkston team on Tuesday night at Lake Orion. The Dragons held the Wolves to just ten points at halftime. They were up 12-5 after the first quarter and then 21-10 at half. The Dragons and Wolves both scored six points each in the third quarter, in the score read 27-16 Orion after three quarters. But the fourth quarter belonged to Clarkston, the Wolves outscored the Dragons 16-11, which included two three pointers in the final 40 seconds of the game, but the Dragons held on, winning 38-32 over Clarkston. The Dragons sent the Wolves to 2-9 overall, and 2-5 in the OAA Red after Tuesday night, now the Wolves record is 3-9 overall, 3-5 in the OAA Red thanks to a 50-44 victory at West Bloomfield over the Lakers.
Jackie Hood had 13 points, and barely missed a double-double with nine rebounds, Alexis Haan had 11 points to lead the Dragon charge while Lindsay Reppuhn lead the Wolves with 11 points, and Megan Hastings added nine for the Wolves. The Dragons beleaguered Clarkston star Kaliegh Kenny, who couldn't find a rhythm in the game, Orion limited Kenny to four points total, and kept Kaliegh's little sister Delaney off the scoreboard. The Dragons were 15-24 from the free throw line, but made just enough to hold off a Wolves rally.
The Dragons had another tough game to deal with, but this time it was Rochester. The Falcons beat the Dragons 47-32 earlier in the season, with the refs showing up 45 minutes late to the game. It was a back and fourth see saw between the two teams, Orion lead 12-10 after the first quarter but the Falcons led by Megan Heiden, Hillary Braun, and Ashley Keyes scored 21 points in the second quarter and took a 31-24 lead into the half. The third quarter was a different story, and the Dragons did not back down. The Dragons outscored the Falcons 19-15 in the third quarter but the Falcons still led 46-43 after three quarters.
The Dragons then tied the game on a Maddi Gagen three pointer at 46-46 early in the fourth quarter. However the Falcons went back to their run-and gun offense and put a capping stone over the Dragons. Orion missed some costly free-throws at the end of the game, and during the fourth quarter. Jackie Hood was two for six from the free throw line, she missed two big ones during the fourth quarter and Rochester took advantage with the run and gun offense. The Falcons went on a 14-7 run to close out the game, and escape Lake Orion with a 60-53 victory over the Dragons. After the game Megan Heiden held her shirt high for Rochester screaming at the dejected Orion girls. Hood lead the Dragons with 14 points, Gagen had 13, and Alexis Haan had 12 points for the green and white.
Maybe revenge will come against Rochester likely in districts, if Orion beats Adams, because Rochester has a bye in the first round and will get either Adams or Lake Orion on the Orion court. In my opinion I still don't think Rochester is that good, and their schedule is brutal, at North Farmington and at Lathrup are no easy chores for the Falcons. Orion might have some issues at times when it comes to playing teams with the run and gun offense, and in transition, that's understandable but getting back and playing defense is one of the tough things to do in basketball today, as long you have the work ethic, everything will be fine but it has always been a concern for Orion coach Steve Roberts, and will always be a concern until it gets fixed.
Megan Heiden and Ashley Keyes don't like to do things hard, especially getting back on defense. That also got on the mind of their head coach Adam Sheldon. Sheldon benched Keyes in the second quarter, and then early in the third quarter because of her work ethic. He also benched Heiden as well during the game for her work ethic, especially in the second quarter.Rochester is no Michelangelo team but if they want a long playoff run they need Keyes, and Heiden to be at their best and not lazy, like they were at times Friday night against Orion.
Anyway back to Orion, the Dragons now stand at 9-5 overall and 3-5 in the OAA Red, they now will try and get a little bit of revenge back against Pontiac on Thursday night, at Sy Green Gym, tip off is set for 7 PM. The Phoenix come in 5-7 overall but 5-3 in the OAA Red. They come into play against the Dragons, finishing a three game home stand, beating Rochester on Tuesday night 62-48, however the Phoenix fell at Sy Green Gym 47-37 to Troy on Friday night.
The Orion boys just had one game this week, but it was a big one. It was against Rochester Adams for a tie for second place in the OAA White. Adams came in 7-3 overall, and 4-1 in the OAA White, however it was a shooting nightmare for the Highlanders off the bat, once they entered the greenhouse.
Adams just coming off a 62-44 win over crosstown rival Rochester at Oakland University in "The Crosstown Showdown" last Friday could not find the rim, and were either missing shots, shooting air-balls, or turning the ball over, credit the Dragons defense. The Dragons also took advantage of those Adams turnovers by converting easy baskets for points. The first quarter was a nightmare for Adams fans to see as the Dragons took a 10-0 lead for most of the first quarter, until Adams scored their first point with 1:42 remaining in the first on a free throw by Conner Boyle. The second quarter didn't get any better for Adams either. The Dragons outscored Adams 13-9, and took a shocking 23-12 lead at the half.
Adams took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Dragons 16-13 in the third quarter, however the Dragons still led after three quarters 36-28. The fourth quarter the Dragons weren't to be denied the upset, they held Adams to just ten points behind a smothering defense, while the Dragons scored 11 points to seal the 47-38 upset of Adams. Alex Mayo added 19 points, and Derek Schrauben added 10 points for the Dragons to seal the upset. The Dragons also took power forward Andrew Hammett out of his game, Hammett had 21 points in the win against Rochester only had three points in the game. Conner Boyle led Adams with 16 points, and is Adams leading scorer averaging 13 points per game.
The Varsity Boys are now 7-5 overall and 4-2 in the OAA White, just a game and a half behind unbeaten Seaholm in the OAA White, now they have a tough one against Troy on Tuesday, and then Berkley on Friday, both games will be on the road for the Dragons, and the team hasn't been that good on the road this season. The Colts come in 4-7 overall, and 2-4 in the OAA White, so it will be a good match up against the Colts. The Bears come in also 2-4 in the OAA White but 5-5 overall. The Dragons did have a 59-50 win over Berkley the last time they met at Lake Orion.
The JV Dragons Boys had a good week against Adams, thanks in all part to Jacob Gardner. Gardener was the quarterback of this years Lake Orion JV Football team when they got smoked 35-14 to Adams. He had 26 points including some tough three pointers. The Dragons trailed by seven points at one points, only were down 12-5 after the first quarter, and then went nuts in the second quarter, outscoring the Highlanders 26-14, to take a 31-26 lead at the half. From then on the Dragons cruised to a 63-46 win over Adams sending them to 11-1 overall and still unbeaten in the OAA White at 6-0. Their next game is against Troy on Tuesday and then Berkley on Friday, both on the road.
The Freshman Dragons Boys played Adams, and had another good victory over the Highlanders. The Dragons behind Chaz Miller and Derrick DeLaura went on to a 60-31 victory over Adams. The Freshman Boys now have two home games, against Troy on Tuesday and Berkley on Friday, they are now 10-1 overall and unbeaten in OAA White play at 5-0.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Dragon Ladies problems solved???: Dragon Boys may have some issues
Written Saturday January 23rd, at 9:28 PM
Well this week in Dragons Basketball, it's hard to believe that Scripps is going to play Waldon Monday night at 5 PM in the inaugural Middle School Tournament Championship game for the 8th graders at Waldon Middle School. It should be an interesting game between the two rivals. However in their previous two meetings Waldon has blown out Scripps both times, but beating a team three times is always hard to do.
Anyway things are looking good for the Dragon Varsity ladies, they finally have two wins to close out the week. They had a home game Tuesday night against Southfield, and Thursday night traveled to meet West Bloomfield in a OAA Red showdown. The Dragons were both victorious in both their meetings this week as I said. If I was a teacher grading the Orion ladies for the week it would be a low A- to a high B+ because of the turnover issues they have been going through, but a 2-0 week will fix those problems quickly.
After a tough heartbreaking loss last Friday night at North Farmington (misleading 57-45), nobody knew where the Dragons mindset would be at, not even Orion head Coach Steve Roberts knew how his players would respond after their tough stretch in the season.
Once the Dragons played Southfield, they began to find their rhythm a bit on the defensive end. Southfield was a 4-5 team coming into the game. It was an ugly game though, neither team could gain any momentum in the contest or set any source of structure in the game, and both teams kept turning the ball over, whether it was traveling, or throwing the ball out of bounds, it was just ugly. Until the second half when the Dragons got it going again, the offense was balanced though lead by Marissa Secontine's ten points, Jackie Hood, and Alexis Hann had nine points each. The lady Dragons played brilliantly defensively, only limiting Blue Jay star Lashentie West to just seven points the Blue Jays to just ten points in the first half, and 13 in the 2nd half. They went on and won 42-23 despite committing 31 turnovers, to the Blue Jays 24 turnovers.
Thursday night was literately defense anyone at West Bloomfield??? There was a combined 108 points combined by both the Dragons and the Lakers in this one, points were at a plenty as the Dragons had three scorers (Alexis Hann (20 points), Jackie Hood (12 points, and Marissa Secontine (11 points all in the second half) in double figures and did just enough to hold Lakers freshman star Sydney Davis to 28 points in a 59-49 victory over the Lakers. The Lakers came in 2-8 into this one and 1-3 in the OAA Red. This was a fast pace tempo game, sort of like the Phoenix Suns of the NBA would be proud of. An 11 point lead the Dragons had wasn't even safe at halftime (31-20). A minute into the third quarter the Lakers went on a 5-0 run thanks to a three pointer by their second freshman Kheri Motley and a quick steal by Davis cut the Dragons lead to 31-26 before Roberts called a quick timeout to calm the ladies. Once they were calm the Dragons kept the petal to the medal, and played the Lakers up tempo offense head on. But the turnovers are still a problem for the ladies, as a team Orion had 24 turnovers for the entire game, seven of those were by Davis. The Lakers had 18 turnovers themselves.
The ladies record is now 8-4 overall, and 2-4 in the OAA Red, 3 games behind North Farmington and Rochester. This week the Orion ladies will play two home games instead of going on the road for a change. One game will be on Tuesday as Clarkston comes to Orion for a rivalry showdown between the two teams. The Wolves enter the game 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the OAA Red feature center Kaleigh Kenny, who signed to play at Division II Findlay State. They also feature little sister of Kaleigh in small forward Delaney Kenny, and shooting guard Megan Hastings, who torched Lathrup for 18 points, in their upset win (50-48 in double overtime) at Lathrup Village. The Wolves also lost a game in triple overtime to Troy Athens 39-31 earlier in the season, so they are battle tested.
Orion then plays on Friday against Rochester in a rematch of the disaster that ruined the Dragons unbeaten streak, at Rochester. The Falcons used balanced scoring led by their trio of Megan Heiden, Ashley Keyes, and Hillary Braun. The Falcons upset the Dragons 47-32 on that December night. The Falcons come in at 6-5 overall but is one of the co-leaders of the OAA Red with a 5-1 record, they took down North Farmington 47-41 at home and also Braun returned for that one after a knee injury, that forced her to miss some time. Also the Falcons survived a tough one at Oakland University, when they defeated arch rival Rochester Adams 43-39, after a slow start in that one. Rochester also plays on Tuesday, they travel to Sy Green Gym and play the Phoenix of Pontiac before playing the Dragons. So this week for the Orion ladies should be interesting with arch rival Clarkston and Rochester on the horizon.
The freshman ladies this week went 1-1. They did not have a good start against Southfield, it wasn't good as the Blue Jays rolled onto victory on the Dragons home floor but the Dragons returned the favor and knocked off West Bloomfield 35-19 at West Bloomfield. The freshman ladies are now 4-7 overall, and 2-5 in the OAA Red. The freshman go to Clarkston Jr High school for a showdown with the Wolves on Tuesday afternoon, then they have a showdown with a very good Rochester team on Friday at home. It was the Falcons who limited the Dragons to just eight points total in the meeting in December.
The JV ladies continued their three game winning streak with two wins this week. They beat Southfield at home on Tuesday night and also won a shocking 32-13 win over the Lakers at West Bloomfield on Thursday night. The JV ladies is also 8-4 overall, with a 5-2 record in the OAA Red. They play Clarkston at home on Tuesday and Rochester Friday. The JV Dragons knocked off the Falcons 26-25 at Rochester, so Thursday should be interesting.
If I was a teacher grading the Dragon boys, I would give them a D for the week, for disaster which happened Tuesday night and literately almost disaster Friday night. This week the Dragon boys took on Stoney Creek at the Core (Stoney Creek) on Tuesday night and Troy Athens Friday night at home. The Dragon boys escaped this week by going 1-1, instead of 0-2, which they should have been with the magic they had to pull out in this one.
The Dragons entered the Stoney Creek game, after going through a tough emotional loss to Birmingham Seaholm 62-54 Friday night at Seaholm, thinking that this could be a huge step toward competing with the rest of the OAA White, and thinking that they are back. The Cougars entered the game 8-2 overall, and 2-1 in the OAA White. The Dragons were trying to bounce back from the Seaholm game, and also winning at a place they won last year, Stoney Creek. However Stoney Creek's gym has not been good to the Dragons in the past, in 2006 the Dragons when both the Dragons and Cougars played in the OAA Division three, they blew a 13 point lead and lost 58-57 on a Ben Taormina three-pointer. Sadly for this year's team the trip to Stoney Creek Tuesday night unfortunately would be for the Dragons would love to forget.
After a good first half the Dragons were only down 24-22 at half, then disaster struck in the second half. The Dragons were then outscored 27-13 in the third quarter and then 17-4 in the fourth quarter, in rout to a 68-49 loss to the Cougars if this is a preview of the districts at Clarkston then the Dragons could be in some serious, serious trouble because the Dragons and the Cougars play each other in the first round of the district tournament, also they have another game later in the season at Lake Orion that they have to play as well.
The game on Friday described the pure word of luck and that the Dragons should have not even been in this game against Troy Athens. The Red Hawks came into this game 4-5 overall, and 2-2 in the OAA White, they went into Adams and upset the Highlanders 54-51, and beat Rochester at Rochester 63-50, so the Red Hawks have been described as road warriors and also the three point happies, and boy did they live up to their reputation against the Dragons.
The Red Hawks hit ten three pointers in the game (30 points), five of them were by star center Mike Devita, who had 21 points overall for the Hawks. Athens then climbed to a 41-32 lead after three quarters and then increased the lead to 46-32, that's when the Dragons started coming, and getting going. The Dragons kept fouling, sending Athens to the free-throw line for one and one opportunities. Athens could not hit them and the Dragons started chipping away at the Red Hawks lead. The Dragons then went on a 14-0 run to cut the Hawks lead to two 46-44 with only 58 seconds remaining in the game.
However the Hawks responded back, and hit two free throws to increase their lead to four 48-44, then Orion got a huge two point layup after a Athens turnover by SF Derek Schrauben, cutting the lead back to two 48-46. The Dragons quickly fouled and sent Athens back to the line for the one and one. The Hawks then missed again, and the Dragons quickly ran the ball down the court. Once in the Athens zone, from the right corner Shooting Guard Brian Wandschneider drained a three pointer, sending the LO-Zone, and the Dragon faithful crazy with 8.9 seconds left in the game. Orion lead 49-48, it was their first lead of the game. The Dragons defensively then pressured Athens, and Athens could not get a final shot up. The Dragon fans then stormed the court as they won 49-48, the players from Athens were devastated. They controlled most of the game, and had the lead throughout until those final 8.9 seconds on the clock.
The Dragons in my mind are the luckiest 6-5 team right now, and is 3-2 in OAA White play. They are two games behind unbeaten Birmingham Seaholm, and tied with Stoney Creek (Now 8-3 overall, 3-2 in the OAA White) for third place in the OAA White. This week the Dragons take Tuesday off, before returning back to action for Thursday's huge showdown against second place Rochester Adams at Orion. Adams enters this huge showdown for second place with the Dragons 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the OAA White, Adams does play Southfield on Monday night at home in a non conference tilt between the OAA Red and the White before coming to Orion on Thursday.
The freshman boys just can't put together a good first half. In the game against Stoney Creek the Dragons trailed by seven points at halftime, then the genius of Dragon coach Randy Maynard came to be. The Dragons went nuts against the Cougars, showing no mercy in rout to a victory over the Cougars by 17 points. Then on Friday the Dragons traveled to Athens and played the Red Hawks of Troy Athens, and good friend in Matt Abro. Ah I remember the good memories I had with him in football in 2004, when he threw that interception that set up our winning touchdown. We won that game at Athens 34-16, good times, good times. Anyway back to the game, Athens found themselves down by one point at halftime, then the genius that is of Randy Maynard showed his head. Maynard lead his team after the break and increased the deficit of the Red Hawks by 23 points. The Dragons went on and won that game by 24 points. Orion's record now stands at 9-1 overall, and 5-0 in OAA White play. They play Adams Thursday at Adams.
The JV boys had a good week as well going 2-0, they went on and beat Stoney Creek by seven points. On Friday the Dragons took on Troy Athens at home, in a wild affair. Orion trailed by 10 points 30-20 midway through the second quarter before storming back, only trailing 34-31 at halftime. The Dragons and Hawks kept battling back and fourth, until Orion seized control in the fourth quarter winning 62-54. The JV Dragons improve their record to 10-1 overall and 5-0 in OAA White play. They will also play Adams at home on Thursday night.
Both teams need to get better once February rolls around, especially the Dragon boys. This week the Dragon boys play only one game. The Dragon girls play two games, and better not look ahead to Rochester with Clarkston, this week should be fun because all the games this week is at Orion, so the scoreboards should be lighting up with perfection hopefully.
Well this week in Dragons Basketball, it's hard to believe that Scripps is going to play Waldon Monday night at 5 PM in the inaugural Middle School Tournament Championship game for the 8th graders at Waldon Middle School. It should be an interesting game between the two rivals. However in their previous two meetings Waldon has blown out Scripps both times, but beating a team three times is always hard to do.
Anyway things are looking good for the Dragon Varsity ladies, they finally have two wins to close out the week. They had a home game Tuesday night against Southfield, and Thursday night traveled to meet West Bloomfield in a OAA Red showdown. The Dragons were both victorious in both their meetings this week as I said. If I was a teacher grading the Orion ladies for the week it would be a low A- to a high B+ because of the turnover issues they have been going through, but a 2-0 week will fix those problems quickly.
After a tough heartbreaking loss last Friday night at North Farmington (misleading 57-45), nobody knew where the Dragons mindset would be at, not even Orion head Coach Steve Roberts knew how his players would respond after their tough stretch in the season.
Once the Dragons played Southfield, they began to find their rhythm a bit on the defensive end. Southfield was a 4-5 team coming into the game. It was an ugly game though, neither team could gain any momentum in the contest or set any source of structure in the game, and both teams kept turning the ball over, whether it was traveling, or throwing the ball out of bounds, it was just ugly. Until the second half when the Dragons got it going again, the offense was balanced though lead by Marissa Secontine's ten points, Jackie Hood, and Alexis Hann had nine points each. The lady Dragons played brilliantly defensively, only limiting Blue Jay star Lashentie West to just seven points the Blue Jays to just ten points in the first half, and 13 in the 2nd half. They went on and won 42-23 despite committing 31 turnovers, to the Blue Jays 24 turnovers.
Thursday night was literately defense anyone at West Bloomfield??? There was a combined 108 points combined by both the Dragons and the Lakers in this one, points were at a plenty as the Dragons had three scorers (Alexis Hann (20 points), Jackie Hood (12 points, and Marissa Secontine (11 points all in the second half) in double figures and did just enough to hold Lakers freshman star Sydney Davis to 28 points in a 59-49 victory over the Lakers. The Lakers came in 2-8 into this one and 1-3 in the OAA Red. This was a fast pace tempo game, sort of like the Phoenix Suns of the NBA would be proud of. An 11 point lead the Dragons had wasn't even safe at halftime (31-20). A minute into the third quarter the Lakers went on a 5-0 run thanks to a three pointer by their second freshman Kheri Motley and a quick steal by Davis cut the Dragons lead to 31-26 before Roberts called a quick timeout to calm the ladies. Once they were calm the Dragons kept the petal to the medal, and played the Lakers up tempo offense head on. But the turnovers are still a problem for the ladies, as a team Orion had 24 turnovers for the entire game, seven of those were by Davis. The Lakers had 18 turnovers themselves.
The ladies record is now 8-4 overall, and 2-4 in the OAA Red, 3 games behind North Farmington and Rochester. This week the Orion ladies will play two home games instead of going on the road for a change. One game will be on Tuesday as Clarkston comes to Orion for a rivalry showdown between the two teams. The Wolves enter the game 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the OAA Red feature center Kaleigh Kenny, who signed to play at Division II Findlay State. They also feature little sister of Kaleigh in small forward Delaney Kenny, and shooting guard Megan Hastings, who torched Lathrup for 18 points, in their upset win (50-48 in double overtime) at Lathrup Village. The Wolves also lost a game in triple overtime to Troy Athens 39-31 earlier in the season, so they are battle tested.
Orion then plays on Friday against Rochester in a rematch of the disaster that ruined the Dragons unbeaten streak, at Rochester. The Falcons used balanced scoring led by their trio of Megan Heiden, Ashley Keyes, and Hillary Braun. The Falcons upset the Dragons 47-32 on that December night. The Falcons come in at 6-5 overall but is one of the co-leaders of the OAA Red with a 5-1 record, they took down North Farmington 47-41 at home and also Braun returned for that one after a knee injury, that forced her to miss some time. Also the Falcons survived a tough one at Oakland University, when they defeated arch rival Rochester Adams 43-39, after a slow start in that one. Rochester also plays on Tuesday, they travel to Sy Green Gym and play the Phoenix of Pontiac before playing the Dragons. So this week for the Orion ladies should be interesting with arch rival Clarkston and Rochester on the horizon.
The freshman ladies this week went 1-1. They did not have a good start against Southfield, it wasn't good as the Blue Jays rolled onto victory on the Dragons home floor but the Dragons returned the favor and knocked off West Bloomfield 35-19 at West Bloomfield. The freshman ladies are now 4-7 overall, and 2-5 in the OAA Red. The freshman go to Clarkston Jr High school for a showdown with the Wolves on Tuesday afternoon, then they have a showdown with a very good Rochester team on Friday at home. It was the Falcons who limited the Dragons to just eight points total in the meeting in December.
The JV ladies continued their three game winning streak with two wins this week. They beat Southfield at home on Tuesday night and also won a shocking 32-13 win over the Lakers at West Bloomfield on Thursday night. The JV ladies is also 8-4 overall, with a 5-2 record in the OAA Red. They play Clarkston at home on Tuesday and Rochester Friday. The JV Dragons knocked off the Falcons 26-25 at Rochester, so Thursday should be interesting.
If I was a teacher grading the Dragon boys, I would give them a D for the week, for disaster which happened Tuesday night and literately almost disaster Friday night. This week the Dragon boys took on Stoney Creek at the Core (Stoney Creek) on Tuesday night and Troy Athens Friday night at home. The Dragon boys escaped this week by going 1-1, instead of 0-2, which they should have been with the magic they had to pull out in this one.
The Dragons entered the Stoney Creek game, after going through a tough emotional loss to Birmingham Seaholm 62-54 Friday night at Seaholm, thinking that this could be a huge step toward competing with the rest of the OAA White, and thinking that they are back. The Cougars entered the game 8-2 overall, and 2-1 in the OAA White. The Dragons were trying to bounce back from the Seaholm game, and also winning at a place they won last year, Stoney Creek. However Stoney Creek's gym has not been good to the Dragons in the past, in 2006 the Dragons when both the Dragons and Cougars played in the OAA Division three, they blew a 13 point lead and lost 58-57 on a Ben Taormina three-pointer. Sadly for this year's team the trip to Stoney Creek Tuesday night unfortunately would be for the Dragons would love to forget.
After a good first half the Dragons were only down 24-22 at half, then disaster struck in the second half. The Dragons were then outscored 27-13 in the third quarter and then 17-4 in the fourth quarter, in rout to a 68-49 loss to the Cougars if this is a preview of the districts at Clarkston then the Dragons could be in some serious, serious trouble because the Dragons and the Cougars play each other in the first round of the district tournament, also they have another game later in the season at Lake Orion that they have to play as well.
The game on Friday described the pure word of luck and that the Dragons should have not even been in this game against Troy Athens. The Red Hawks came into this game 4-5 overall, and 2-2 in the OAA White, they went into Adams and upset the Highlanders 54-51, and beat Rochester at Rochester 63-50, so the Red Hawks have been described as road warriors and also the three point happies, and boy did they live up to their reputation against the Dragons.
The Red Hawks hit ten three pointers in the game (30 points), five of them were by star center Mike Devita, who had 21 points overall for the Hawks. Athens then climbed to a 41-32 lead after three quarters and then increased the lead to 46-32, that's when the Dragons started coming, and getting going. The Dragons kept fouling, sending Athens to the free-throw line for one and one opportunities. Athens could not hit them and the Dragons started chipping away at the Red Hawks lead. The Dragons then went on a 14-0 run to cut the Hawks lead to two 46-44 with only 58 seconds remaining in the game.
However the Hawks responded back, and hit two free throws to increase their lead to four 48-44, then Orion got a huge two point layup after a Athens turnover by SF Derek Schrauben, cutting the lead back to two 48-46. The Dragons quickly fouled and sent Athens back to the line for the one and one. The Hawks then missed again, and the Dragons quickly ran the ball down the court. Once in the Athens zone, from the right corner Shooting Guard Brian Wandschneider drained a three pointer, sending the LO-Zone, and the Dragon faithful crazy with 8.9 seconds left in the game. Orion lead 49-48, it was their first lead of the game. The Dragons defensively then pressured Athens, and Athens could not get a final shot up. The Dragon fans then stormed the court as they won 49-48, the players from Athens were devastated. They controlled most of the game, and had the lead throughout until those final 8.9 seconds on the clock.
The Dragons in my mind are the luckiest 6-5 team right now, and is 3-2 in OAA White play. They are two games behind unbeaten Birmingham Seaholm, and tied with Stoney Creek (Now 8-3 overall, 3-2 in the OAA White) for third place in the OAA White. This week the Dragons take Tuesday off, before returning back to action for Thursday's huge showdown against second place Rochester Adams at Orion. Adams enters this huge showdown for second place with the Dragons 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the OAA White, Adams does play Southfield on Monday night at home in a non conference tilt between the OAA Red and the White before coming to Orion on Thursday.
The freshman boys just can't put together a good first half. In the game against Stoney Creek the Dragons trailed by seven points at halftime, then the genius of Dragon coach Randy Maynard came to be. The Dragons went nuts against the Cougars, showing no mercy in rout to a victory over the Cougars by 17 points. Then on Friday the Dragons traveled to Athens and played the Red Hawks of Troy Athens, and good friend in Matt Abro. Ah I remember the good memories I had with him in football in 2004, when he threw that interception that set up our winning touchdown. We won that game at Athens 34-16, good times, good times. Anyway back to the game, Athens found themselves down by one point at halftime, then the genius that is of Randy Maynard showed his head. Maynard lead his team after the break and increased the deficit of the Red Hawks by 23 points. The Dragons went on and won that game by 24 points. Orion's record now stands at 9-1 overall, and 5-0 in OAA White play. They play Adams Thursday at Adams.
The JV boys had a good week as well going 2-0, they went on and beat Stoney Creek by seven points. On Friday the Dragons took on Troy Athens at home, in a wild affair. Orion trailed by 10 points 30-20 midway through the second quarter before storming back, only trailing 34-31 at halftime. The Dragons and Hawks kept battling back and fourth, until Orion seized control in the fourth quarter winning 62-54. The JV Dragons improve their record to 10-1 overall and 5-0 in OAA White play. They will also play Adams at home on Thursday night.
Both teams need to get better once February rolls around, especially the Dragon boys. This week the Dragon boys play only one game. The Dragon girls play two games, and better not look ahead to Rochester with Clarkston, this week should be fun because all the games this week is at Orion, so the scoreboards should be lighting up with perfection hopefully.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Boys and Girls Hoops split this week
Written Sunday January 17th, at 1:50 PM
The Dragons Den would like to Congratulate the Dallas Stars huge win over the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout Saturday Afternoon in Texas.
Anyway it feels great after watching both Scripps and Waldon compete for the future of Lake Orion Athletics, I guess it's time to get back to the high school level basketball, meaning league play for both teams. This week in Dragon Hoops both the Lake Orion Boys and Girls Basketball teams split their weekly opponents by going 1-1 each. The Dragon boys won at Farmington Hills Harrison (53-46)on Tuesday. however the boys fell at Birmingham Seaholm (62-54) Friday night. The Dragon girls had to go through an overtime Tuesday night against Troy at the Green House (52-43), then the ladies lost a tough one at Oakland Activities Association Red leading North Farmington (misleading 57-45) Friday night.
The boys had a tough win down at Farmington Hills Harrison on Tuesday night. The Hawks are no push over, they will be a force in the Oakland Activities Association Blue Division all season long as they go up against teams like Bloomfield Hills Lahser, the team picked to win the OAA Blue. The Hawks even though haven't played as tough a schedule as Orion has had to go through with Avondale, Southfield, and Hartland, but the Hawks have played their fair share of good teams, in Redford Thurston, North Farmington, and also Troy during the season. It was a good win for Orion as surpassed their win total from last season (4-17 in 2008-2009) and took the momentum from their winning into Birmingham Friday night to play the Maples of Birmingham Seaholm.
Seaholm wasn't so good for the Dragons. The Dragons did fall 62-54 Friday night, but there were many positives, the Dragons held Florida International recruit Richaud Pack to just 9 points, however 17 of those points came at the free-throw line. Pack ended up with 26 points and their center Shawn Connolly 24 points for the Maples. However for Seaholm the schedule doesn't get easy for them, they have to play nine of their next 11 games on the road, including a trip to Orion on February 16th. Seaholm has not been as good on the road, as they are on home, despite they are still unbeaten. So far that 20-0 projection Pack and Connolly said is right now true but that will be severely tested with this tough stretch coming up.
The boys are now 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the OAA White. Their next game on the slate and try to bounce back from is Tuesday night when the boys travel in a hostile environment at Stoney Creek. Stoney Creek's fan base is known as "The Core" so that will be interesting. The Cougars are coming in 7-1 overall and is 2-1 in OAA White play, with their only loss being at home to Adams. SC is also an experienced team as the Dragons are. SC is also very gritty as well, and hard working. Expect a tough one down there. Then on Friday the Dragons return home for a game against the Red Hawks of Troy Athens. The Red Hawks come in at 3-5 overall and 1-2 in OAA Red League play. The Red Hawks also took down Adams from the ranks of the unbeaten 54-53 at Adams, so they won't be intimated coming into Orion.
The Junior Varsity won both their contests this week at Harrison and also a 22 point win against Birmingham Seaholm. The Dragons JV is now 8-1 overall and unbeaten in OAA White play, heading into the Stoney Creek and Troy Athens games. The freshman had a scheduling conflict with Harrison, so a make-up date hasn't been announced, so they ended up taking their frustrations on Seaholm at home. The freshman is now 7-1 overall and unbeaten as well in OAA league play heading to Stoney Creek and Troy Athens.
The Orion girls have been flirting with 500 for the last two weeks since we got back from Christmas Break with a win then a loss. This week the Dragons survived Troy 55-46 in overtime, but the problem with this team has been the starts. In three of their four losses (Rochester, Pontiac, and Southfield-Lathrup) the Dragons have not been able to get off to a good start and the bad starts has cost them some games. Against Troy it was the same thing, the Dragons didn't get off to a good start, and were trailing early, however the Dragons fought back slowly as they did, and caught even with Troy in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was back and fourth, then Troy took a 45-43 lead until two free throws by Jackie Hood tied the game and forced overtime tied at 45-45. The Dragons went on an 11-1 run to close out the overtime and win the game.
The girls on Friday traveled to North Farmington for a showdown with the league-leading North Farmington Raiders. The Dragons had a good start, but the Raiders hung in there step-by step, leading Orion 15-11 after the first quarter. The Raiders then controlled the tempo, outscoring the Dragons 16-8 in the quarter, the run also included a buzzer beating three pointer by Oakland University recruit Jenna Bachrouche, she gave the Raiders a 31-19 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was a different story, the Dragons controlled the tempo with their quick strike offense and great defense against the big three and the Raiders. They went on a 9-0 run, cutting North Farmington's lead to 31-28 with two minutes left in third quarter, however a late run by North Farmington gave them a 43-34 lead after three quarters.
The fourth quarter had it all but one play changed the entire game for both teams. The Dragons were coming close yet again to the Raiders. Orion went on a quick 6-1 run to cut the Raiders lead to 44-40, however there was a foul against Alexis Haan, the Dragons center. However the lady ref gave Haan a technical foul, which resulted in her fifth foul. After the technical, the Raiders went on a 13-5 run to close out the game and give North Farmington the 57-45 win over Orion. If the lady ref didn't call the technical then the game would have been a lot closer, or even we would have been calling an upset in Farmington Hills.
The girls now are 6-4 overall and 1-4 in OAA Red play. This week the Dragon ladies go out of league play and play yet another OAA White division team in Southfield. The Blue Jays come in at 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the OAA White. The Dragons are 3-0 this season against the OAA White with wins over Avondale, Adams, and Stoney Creek. Then the girls return back to league play on Thursday at West Bloomfield for a contest against the Lakers. The Lakers come into this game at 4-6 overall, and 2-3 in the OAA Red, so this is a big game for the Dragons and also the Lakers. Thursday will also be the Dragons seventh road game in the 12 games they have played this season, so it's been a brutal schedule for the Orion Ladies.
The Junior Varsity went 1-1 for the week, the JV played Troy tough in the first half, tied at 11-11, however a 22-4 in the third quarter by the Colts gave them a 40-20 win over the Dragons on Tuesday night. Friday's game against North Farmington was very different and very exciting from start to finish. The Dragons played well early, outscoring the Raiders 18-4 after the first quarter, then the fun began.
The Raiders outscored the Dragons in the second quarter, basically doing a 360, outscoring the Dragons 15-8 in the process for a 26-19 Orion lead at the half. The game was tight throughout, but the lead never changed hands, even though there were times that the lead should have changed hands but the Dragons survived a scare winning 41-39. The Junior Varsity Dragons now stand at 6-4 and 3-2 in the OAA Red with games against Southfield and West Bloomfield looming for the week. The Freshman ladies also went 1-1, they fell to Troy down at Troy, but got a huge win at home over North Farmington 21-17. The freshman ladies are now 3-6 overall and 1-4 in OAA Red play with also the same games against Southfield and West Bloomfield looming for the Dragons.
This week should be interesting, let the fun begin so GO GREEN.
The Dragons Den would like to Congratulate the Dallas Stars huge win over the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout Saturday Afternoon in Texas.
Anyway it feels great after watching both Scripps and Waldon compete for the future of Lake Orion Athletics, I guess it's time to get back to the high school level basketball, meaning league play for both teams. This week in Dragon Hoops both the Lake Orion Boys and Girls Basketball teams split their weekly opponents by going 1-1 each. The Dragon boys won at Farmington Hills Harrison (53-46)on Tuesday. however the boys fell at Birmingham Seaholm (62-54) Friday night. The Dragon girls had to go through an overtime Tuesday night against Troy at the Green House (52-43), then the ladies lost a tough one at Oakland Activities Association Red leading North Farmington (misleading 57-45) Friday night.
The boys had a tough win down at Farmington Hills Harrison on Tuesday night. The Hawks are no push over, they will be a force in the Oakland Activities Association Blue Division all season long as they go up against teams like Bloomfield Hills Lahser, the team picked to win the OAA Blue. The Hawks even though haven't played as tough a schedule as Orion has had to go through with Avondale, Southfield, and Hartland, but the Hawks have played their fair share of good teams, in Redford Thurston, North Farmington, and also Troy during the season. It was a good win for Orion as surpassed their win total from last season (4-17 in 2008-2009) and took the momentum from their winning into Birmingham Friday night to play the Maples of Birmingham Seaholm.
Seaholm wasn't so good for the Dragons. The Dragons did fall 62-54 Friday night, but there were many positives, the Dragons held Florida International recruit Richaud Pack to just 9 points, however 17 of those points came at the free-throw line. Pack ended up with 26 points and their center Shawn Connolly 24 points for the Maples. However for Seaholm the schedule doesn't get easy for them, they have to play nine of their next 11 games on the road, including a trip to Orion on February 16th. Seaholm has not been as good on the road, as they are on home, despite they are still unbeaten. So far that 20-0 projection Pack and Connolly said is right now true but that will be severely tested with this tough stretch coming up.
The boys are now 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the OAA White. Their next game on the slate and try to bounce back from is Tuesday night when the boys travel in a hostile environment at Stoney Creek. Stoney Creek's fan base is known as "The Core" so that will be interesting. The Cougars are coming in 7-1 overall and is 2-1 in OAA White play, with their only loss being at home to Adams. SC is also an experienced team as the Dragons are. SC is also very gritty as well, and hard working. Expect a tough one down there. Then on Friday the Dragons return home for a game against the Red Hawks of Troy Athens. The Red Hawks come in at 3-5 overall and 1-2 in OAA Red League play. The Red Hawks also took down Adams from the ranks of the unbeaten 54-53 at Adams, so they won't be intimated coming into Orion.
The Junior Varsity won both their contests this week at Harrison and also a 22 point win against Birmingham Seaholm. The Dragons JV is now 8-1 overall and unbeaten in OAA White play, heading into the Stoney Creek and Troy Athens games. The freshman had a scheduling conflict with Harrison, so a make-up date hasn't been announced, so they ended up taking their frustrations on Seaholm at home. The freshman is now 7-1 overall and unbeaten as well in OAA league play heading to Stoney Creek and Troy Athens.
The Orion girls have been flirting with 500 for the last two weeks since we got back from Christmas Break with a win then a loss. This week the Dragons survived Troy 55-46 in overtime, but the problem with this team has been the starts. In three of their four losses (Rochester, Pontiac, and Southfield-Lathrup) the Dragons have not been able to get off to a good start and the bad starts has cost them some games. Against Troy it was the same thing, the Dragons didn't get off to a good start, and were trailing early, however the Dragons fought back slowly as they did, and caught even with Troy in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was back and fourth, then Troy took a 45-43 lead until two free throws by Jackie Hood tied the game and forced overtime tied at 45-45. The Dragons went on an 11-1 run to close out the overtime and win the game.
The girls on Friday traveled to North Farmington for a showdown with the league-leading North Farmington Raiders. The Dragons had a good start, but the Raiders hung in there step-by step, leading Orion 15-11 after the first quarter. The Raiders then controlled the tempo, outscoring the Dragons 16-8 in the quarter, the run also included a buzzer beating three pointer by Oakland University recruit Jenna Bachrouche, she gave the Raiders a 31-19 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was a different story, the Dragons controlled the tempo with their quick strike offense and great defense against the big three and the Raiders. They went on a 9-0 run, cutting North Farmington's lead to 31-28 with two minutes left in third quarter, however a late run by North Farmington gave them a 43-34 lead after three quarters.
The fourth quarter had it all but one play changed the entire game for both teams. The Dragons were coming close yet again to the Raiders. Orion went on a quick 6-1 run to cut the Raiders lead to 44-40, however there was a foul against Alexis Haan, the Dragons center. However the lady ref gave Haan a technical foul, which resulted in her fifth foul. After the technical, the Raiders went on a 13-5 run to close out the game and give North Farmington the 57-45 win over Orion. If the lady ref didn't call the technical then the game would have been a lot closer, or even we would have been calling an upset in Farmington Hills.
The girls now are 6-4 overall and 1-4 in OAA Red play. This week the Dragon ladies go out of league play and play yet another OAA White division team in Southfield. The Blue Jays come in at 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the OAA White. The Dragons are 3-0 this season against the OAA White with wins over Avondale, Adams, and Stoney Creek. Then the girls return back to league play on Thursday at West Bloomfield for a contest against the Lakers. The Lakers come into this game at 4-6 overall, and 2-3 in the OAA Red, so this is a big game for the Dragons and also the Lakers. Thursday will also be the Dragons seventh road game in the 12 games they have played this season, so it's been a brutal schedule for the Orion Ladies.
The Junior Varsity went 1-1 for the week, the JV played Troy tough in the first half, tied at 11-11, however a 22-4 in the third quarter by the Colts gave them a 40-20 win over the Dragons on Tuesday night. Friday's game against North Farmington was very different and very exciting from start to finish. The Dragons played well early, outscoring the Raiders 18-4 after the first quarter, then the fun began.
The Raiders outscored the Dragons in the second quarter, basically doing a 360, outscoring the Dragons 15-8 in the process for a 26-19 Orion lead at the half. The game was tight throughout, but the lead never changed hands, even though there were times that the lead should have changed hands but the Dragons survived a scare winning 41-39. The Junior Varsity Dragons now stand at 6-4 and 3-2 in the OAA Red with games against Southfield and West Bloomfield looming for the week. The Freshman ladies also went 1-1, they fell to Troy down at Troy, but got a huge win at home over North Farmington 21-17. The freshman ladies are now 3-6 overall and 1-4 in OAA Red play with also the same games against Southfield and West Bloomfield looming for the Dragons.
This week should be interesting, let the fun begin so GO GREEN.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Scripps 7th graders win huge one but Waldon dominates 8th grade
Written Friday January 15th, at 9:50 AM
Middle School Sports in Lake Orion is always spirited, and hard fought everywhere when it comes to sports and other competitions. Either your wearing the green and the black, the green and the gray, or the green and the green. There is always a part of you that wants to say that your the best Middle School in Lake Orion, and this year is no different between Scripps, Waldon, and Oakview.
In the rivalry that is Scripps vs Waldon, the long time middle school rivalry in Lake Orion, this rivalry has never changed when it comes to school spirit, and hard work everyday. New rivals are within, a Scripps alum now coaches at Waldon for shot-put but one thing has become apparent during the 2009-2010 school year, and that has been Scripps ruling the 7th grade in most sports, while Waldon has won the 8th grade in most sports.
Football this season both Scripps and Waldon had their fair shares of ups and downs. In 7th grade Scripps won over Waldon, however Waldon returned the favor and beat Scripps in the 8th grade game. In Basketball it has been no different, clearly in Lake Orion the best middle school team has been Waldon in 2009-2010. In the last few years Waldon has had some powerful teams, I don't know if this is Waldon's best team they had but this team is a good one. Scripps has also had some powerful teams, and players in the past like Drew Maynard, and also Oakview has as well has had some good talent on their basketball program. In women's basketball however the only Lake Orion team to make the tournament was Scripps made the final four of the inaugural Middle School Championship tournament between the towns of Lake Orion, Clarkston, and Pontiac, while Waldon did not make the final four.
Scripps and Waldon split the 7th grade battles with both teams winning at home in boys basketball while Waldon has dominated the 8th grade, and Thursday was no different as these two teams duked it out again.
In the 7th grade game Waldon (1-9) came out strong midway in the second quarter, by going on a 6-0 run to close the half. Waldon took a 11-5 lead heading to the half, but Scripps (1-9) got some three point shooting help, that resulted in a 9-0 run to end the third quarter, and go up 14-11 after three quarters. The fourth quarter, Scripps got a technical for having six men on the court, which resulting in Waldon making one of two free throws to cut the lead to two 14-12, and then tied the game at 16-16 with three minutes to go in the game. Scripps then went on and hit another huge three, sending the Scripps fans, parents, and cheerleaders into a state of excitement as Scripps took the lead 19-16 on their arch rival from the west. Waldon however had one last shot, but the three was too short, and the Scripps faithful celebrated. They beat Waldon for their first win of the season, as they have the bye heading into the Middle School tournament, while Waldon plays top seed Pontiac at Pontiac Middle School.
The 8th grade was dominated by Waldon (7-3) but the first quarter Scripps (1-9) had their chances but most of their shots weren't going in and were making some mistakes, but it was only a 7-3 Waldon lead heading to the second quarter. The second quarter was when Waldon's basketball team and their "White Out" fans got it going, Waldon then went on a 11-1 run to close out the second quarter, changing their four point lead into a 14 point lead, as they led 18-4 at halftime. Waldon did not let up against their rival from the east. They scored 21 of their final 39 points in the second half. The third quarter score was 21-8 Waldon, which didn't make it any better for Scripps Waldon went on to a 39-18 victory over Scripps on Scripps's home floor. Now both teams head to the tournament, where it's the tournament is a new season for all to begin with.
The atmosphere by going to both the basketball games at Scripps and Waldon and football game was completely awesome to be a part of. Both student sections are very spirited from Waldon's White-Out to Scripps Student Section. A lot of class, and a lot of respect by all. I can't wait to see how wrestling goes in boys, volleyball and cheerleading in girls, along with my season track when it gets underway in March, it's going to be a fun ride for the next few months for both these two schools, and also add Oakview to the mix, and you got a three way dance.
Next year the rivalry continues for the 7th graders as they enter 8th grade. However for the 8th graders you will be wearing the green, and white representing Lake Orion High School, and united as one to compete against the other schools that represent the Oakland Activities Association in 2011 as freshman. So let's enjoy the ride of Middle School athletics.
Middle School Sports in Lake Orion is always spirited, and hard fought everywhere when it comes to sports and other competitions. Either your wearing the green and the black, the green and the gray, or the green and the green. There is always a part of you that wants to say that your the best Middle School in Lake Orion, and this year is no different between Scripps, Waldon, and Oakview.
In the rivalry that is Scripps vs Waldon, the long time middle school rivalry in Lake Orion, this rivalry has never changed when it comes to school spirit, and hard work everyday. New rivals are within, a Scripps alum now coaches at Waldon for shot-put but one thing has become apparent during the 2009-2010 school year, and that has been Scripps ruling the 7th grade in most sports, while Waldon has won the 8th grade in most sports.
Football this season both Scripps and Waldon had their fair shares of ups and downs. In 7th grade Scripps won over Waldon, however Waldon returned the favor and beat Scripps in the 8th grade game. In Basketball it has been no different, clearly in Lake Orion the best middle school team has been Waldon in 2009-2010. In the last few years Waldon has had some powerful teams, I don't know if this is Waldon's best team they had but this team is a good one. Scripps has also had some powerful teams, and players in the past like Drew Maynard, and also Oakview has as well has had some good talent on their basketball program. In women's basketball however the only Lake Orion team to make the tournament was Scripps made the final four of the inaugural Middle School Championship tournament between the towns of Lake Orion, Clarkston, and Pontiac, while Waldon did not make the final four.
Scripps and Waldon split the 7th grade battles with both teams winning at home in boys basketball while Waldon has dominated the 8th grade, and Thursday was no different as these two teams duked it out again.
In the 7th grade game Waldon (1-9) came out strong midway in the second quarter, by going on a 6-0 run to close the half. Waldon took a 11-5 lead heading to the half, but Scripps (1-9) got some three point shooting help, that resulted in a 9-0 run to end the third quarter, and go up 14-11 after three quarters. The fourth quarter, Scripps got a technical for having six men on the court, which resulting in Waldon making one of two free throws to cut the lead to two 14-12, and then tied the game at 16-16 with three minutes to go in the game. Scripps then went on and hit another huge three, sending the Scripps fans, parents, and cheerleaders into a state of excitement as Scripps took the lead 19-16 on their arch rival from the west. Waldon however had one last shot, but the three was too short, and the Scripps faithful celebrated. They beat Waldon for their first win of the season, as they have the bye heading into the Middle School tournament, while Waldon plays top seed Pontiac at Pontiac Middle School.
The 8th grade was dominated by Waldon (7-3) but the first quarter Scripps (1-9) had their chances but most of their shots weren't going in and were making some mistakes, but it was only a 7-3 Waldon lead heading to the second quarter. The second quarter was when Waldon's basketball team and their "White Out" fans got it going, Waldon then went on a 11-1 run to close out the second quarter, changing their four point lead into a 14 point lead, as they led 18-4 at halftime. Waldon did not let up against their rival from the east. They scored 21 of their final 39 points in the second half. The third quarter score was 21-8 Waldon, which didn't make it any better for Scripps Waldon went on to a 39-18 victory over Scripps on Scripps's home floor. Now both teams head to the tournament, where it's the tournament is a new season for all to begin with.
The atmosphere by going to both the basketball games at Scripps and Waldon and football game was completely awesome to be a part of. Both student sections are very spirited from Waldon's White-Out to Scripps Student Section. A lot of class, and a lot of respect by all. I can't wait to see how wrestling goes in boys, volleyball and cheerleading in girls, along with my season track when it gets underway in March, it's going to be a fun ride for the next few months for both these two schools, and also add Oakview to the mix, and you got a three way dance.
Next year the rivalry continues for the 7th graders as they enter 8th grade. However for the 8th graders you will be wearing the green, and white representing Lake Orion High School, and united as one to compete against the other schools that represent the Oakland Activities Association in 2011 as freshman. So let's enjoy the ride of Middle School athletics.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Dragon Boys turning it around, girls battling each week.
Written Monday January 11th at 7:30 PM
The Dragons week in both boys and girls basketball has been an interesting one, as we re-enter from the Christmas and New Years Break. So far the Lake Orion Girls Basketball team is currently 5-3, but an alarming 0-3 in the Oakland Activities Association Red Division while the Lake Orion Boys Basketball Team is now 4-3, but is 2-0 in the Oakland Activities Association White Division.
The girls came off a tough 55-46 loss to Southfield Lathrup at Lathrup High School Thursday Night. So far this season the Dragons have played five of their first eight games of the season on the road, including league games at Southfield Lathrup and Rochester, both resulting in losses for the green and white. But all was good Tuesday night when the Dragons took on 0-6 Madison Heights Madison, and boy was it sad to see. The final score was 60-13, not kidding 60-13, I would never schedule this game again, in my opinion but then again it was a good way to get back from the Christmas and New Years break. The Dragons are now 3-2 on the road so far this season, and it doesn't get any better for them. This week the Ladies host Troy High on Tuesday and then travel to league leader North Farmington for a showdown on the road on Friday. North Farmington has been known to play down to the opponents level. They only beat Clarkston by six points (47-41) last week. Troy is coming off a 46-42 loss to Rochester but they do bring Liz Siepker, a center, who played volleyball earlier in the season. This week for Steve Roberts and the ladies, it's going to be an interesting week.
The freshman girls took a 20 point beating from Lathrup, after falling 38-18 after a quicken six minute quarter game, after everything was running late due to the snow. The freshman play Tuesday at Troy, and then host North Farmington on Friday. The JV girls had a good week, after last week destroying Madison 52-12 in Madison Heights, they started the first quarter outscoring the Eagles 19-0, and never looked back. They went back to league play and played Lathrup in a closely tight basketball game. They went on and beat Southfield Lathrup in a competitive game 41-39, it was more drama then some of the National Football League playoff games were this previous weekend. The JV now plays the early games against Troy at home on Tuesday and North Farmington on the road on Friday.
The boys are coming off a tough 68-61 win in double overtime against Rochester. They trailed 22-11 to start off the 1st quarter against the Falcons. So far the Dragons are 2-0 in the OAA White. They also won on Tuesday at home 59-50 over Berkley, and have now matched their win total from last year. The boys still have some flaws that need to be corrected before their huge Friday showdown at Birmingham Seaholm to play Richaud Pack, Brandon Connolly, and the Maples. Birmingham Seaholm earlier in the week destroyed Troy 95-71 behind 56 points and 10 rebounds from Pack, and 27 points and 19 rebounds from Connolly. Pack committed to play for Isiah Thomas at Florida International, so it is going to be an interesting match up for the Dragons. On Tuesday the Dragons return to Harrison for a showdown with the Hawks. Harrison is a pretty good team, so this should be a battle and the last time they met it was the Dragons in 2006, who knocked off Harrison at Farmington Hills 74-66.
The Freshman boys are now 6-1, after destroying Rochester 58-28 at Rochester. The Junior Varsity is also 6-1 with a 47-41 win over Rochester at home. They both move on play Harrison on the road on Tuesday (freshman 4:00 PM, JV 5:30 PM). The freshman then host Birmingham Seaholm on Thursday at home at 4:00 PM, and the JV will travel to Birmingham to face Seaholm in the early game on Friday. (5:30 PM)
This week is going to be interesting, it will be tough for both boys and girls teams to sweep the week but anything is possible, nothing is easy these days when it comes to basketball.
The district parings were announced for both teams, the boys will play OAA White division rival Stoney Creek on March 8th at 5:30 PM at Clarkston, while the winner will either take on Rochester or Oxford, that game would be played at Rochester High School. The other side has Clarkston playing Adams on March 8th at 7 PM, while the winner plays Romeo, which should be interesting. The girls side the ladies will play Adams at home in the district, early in the season the Dragons knocked off Adams at Adams, so the Highlanders should be looking for revenge in this one on March 1st at 7 PM. The winner will play Rochester in the district semifinals. In the other part of the district Clarkston will play Stoney Creek at Orion at 5:30 PM with the winner playing either Oxford or Romeo, which that game will be played at Romeo on March 1st.
The Dragons week in both boys and girls basketball has been an interesting one, as we re-enter from the Christmas and New Years Break. So far the Lake Orion Girls Basketball team is currently 5-3, but an alarming 0-3 in the Oakland Activities Association Red Division while the Lake Orion Boys Basketball Team is now 4-3, but is 2-0 in the Oakland Activities Association White Division.
The girls came off a tough 55-46 loss to Southfield Lathrup at Lathrup High School Thursday Night. So far this season the Dragons have played five of their first eight games of the season on the road, including league games at Southfield Lathrup and Rochester, both resulting in losses for the green and white. But all was good Tuesday night when the Dragons took on 0-6 Madison Heights Madison, and boy was it sad to see. The final score was 60-13, not kidding 60-13, I would never schedule this game again, in my opinion but then again it was a good way to get back from the Christmas and New Years break. The Dragons are now 3-2 on the road so far this season, and it doesn't get any better for them. This week the Ladies host Troy High on Tuesday and then travel to league leader North Farmington for a showdown on the road on Friday. North Farmington has been known to play down to the opponents level. They only beat Clarkston by six points (47-41) last week. Troy is coming off a 46-42 loss to Rochester but they do bring Liz Siepker, a center, who played volleyball earlier in the season. This week for Steve Roberts and the ladies, it's going to be an interesting week.
The freshman girls took a 20 point beating from Lathrup, after falling 38-18 after a quicken six minute quarter game, after everything was running late due to the snow. The freshman play Tuesday at Troy, and then host North Farmington on Friday. The JV girls had a good week, after last week destroying Madison 52-12 in Madison Heights, they started the first quarter outscoring the Eagles 19-0, and never looked back. They went back to league play and played Lathrup in a closely tight basketball game. They went on and beat Southfield Lathrup in a competitive game 41-39, it was more drama then some of the National Football League playoff games were this previous weekend. The JV now plays the early games against Troy at home on Tuesday and North Farmington on the road on Friday.
The boys are coming off a tough 68-61 win in double overtime against Rochester. They trailed 22-11 to start off the 1st quarter against the Falcons. So far the Dragons are 2-0 in the OAA White. They also won on Tuesday at home 59-50 over Berkley, and have now matched their win total from last year. The boys still have some flaws that need to be corrected before their huge Friday showdown at Birmingham Seaholm to play Richaud Pack, Brandon Connolly, and the Maples. Birmingham Seaholm earlier in the week destroyed Troy 95-71 behind 56 points and 10 rebounds from Pack, and 27 points and 19 rebounds from Connolly. Pack committed to play for Isiah Thomas at Florida International, so it is going to be an interesting match up for the Dragons. On Tuesday the Dragons return to Harrison for a showdown with the Hawks. Harrison is a pretty good team, so this should be a battle and the last time they met it was the Dragons in 2006, who knocked off Harrison at Farmington Hills 74-66.
The Freshman boys are now 6-1, after destroying Rochester 58-28 at Rochester. The Junior Varsity is also 6-1 with a 47-41 win over Rochester at home. They both move on play Harrison on the road on Tuesday (freshman 4:00 PM, JV 5:30 PM). The freshman then host Birmingham Seaholm on Thursday at home at 4:00 PM, and the JV will travel to Birmingham to face Seaholm in the early game on Friday. (5:30 PM)
This week is going to be interesting, it will be tough for both boys and girls teams to sweep the week but anything is possible, nothing is easy these days when it comes to basketball.
The district parings were announced for both teams, the boys will play OAA White division rival Stoney Creek on March 8th at 5:30 PM at Clarkston, while the winner will either take on Rochester or Oxford, that game would be played at Rochester High School. The other side has Clarkston playing Adams on March 8th at 7 PM, while the winner plays Romeo, which should be interesting. The girls side the ladies will play Adams at home in the district, early in the season the Dragons knocked off Adams at Adams, so the Highlanders should be looking for revenge in this one on March 1st at 7 PM. The winner will play Rochester in the district semifinals. In the other part of the district Clarkston will play Stoney Creek at Orion at 5:30 PM with the winner playing either Oxford or Romeo, which that game will be played at Romeo on March 1st.
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