The Chippewa Valley gym wasn’t able to hold all the fans who attended the regional final March 19. Nor was Chippewa Valley able to hold Clarkston back from grabbing its second straight regional title.
The Wolves playoff run continued with a 74-55 win over host Chippewa Valley, which improved Clarkston’s record to 20-4 overall and put them in a rematch with Flint Carman-Ainsworth in the state quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Results of that game were not yet available at press time. Should Clarkston win, they would advance to the state semifinals Friday at 7 p.m. at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
A happy, sweaty and hoarse coach Dan Fife said his team’s season has already been very special.
?20-win seasons are always outstanding,? he said. ‘I think in high school, that’s the mark of a good team. I’m happy to get back to quarters. It’s been our goal all year. Our kids remember the loss last year (in the quarterfinals) in Saginaw. Our kids, they just play hard. They have to work hard in order to be successful and I’m proud of them and the way they compete. It (winning a state championship) would be a dream come true. I’ve thought it about it all my life ? playing in a state championship, but we’ve never got there.?
For the third straight playoff game in a row the Wolves started slow and trailed in the first quarter, but for the third straight game they also found a way to fight back and carry a lead into halftime. The Wolves trailed 12-9 after the game’s first eight minutes, but 3-pointers by Robbie Clark and Kyle Rademacher, along with a nice putback by Ryan Kaltz helped the Wolves take a 21-16 lead. Chris Johnston, known typically for his strong play in the paint, showed his versatility on the perimeter by draining a 3-pointer and then brought the Wolves? student section, known as ‘The Jungle? into a frenzy as the 6-foot-6 senior finished off a great pass by Brad Goodman for an alley-oop slam dunk. The jungle then quickly came up with one of its many chants in yelling, ‘You can’t do that!? across the gym floor to the Chippewa Valley faithful. The Wolves carried a 32-21 lead into the break.
The third quarter belonged to junior guard Brad Goodman. A quick jumper with 5:10 to play in the quarter, coupled with steal off an inbounds Chippewa Valley pass, which was taken the length of the floor for an easy layup helped the Wolves extend their lead to 42-28 late in the third.
‘I have a tremendous amount of respect for his courage and his desire. I get mad at some of his thought process sometimes, but I’m hardest on my guards because I was a guard and my kids played guard and I don’t think you can win in high school, or any place, without a good guard,? Fife said.
Clarkston led by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter, but much like the regional semifinal game against St. Johns, the Wolves had to battle through a late game scare.
‘They’re (Chippewa Valley) a big, strong team,? Fife said. ‘I can’t say enough about how our league (the OAAI) prepares us. It’s not something we’re not used to. You just have to adjust and not look for excuses.?
The Big Reds connected on consecutive 3-pointers to cut Clarkston’s lead to 11 and forced the Wolves to take a time out. However, Chippewa Valley resorted to relying on three pointers the rest of the way and was forced to foul Clarkston, who once again missed only one free throw the entire night. They finished 25 of 26 from the charity stripe.
Goodman and Johnston both finished with 23 points, while Clark added 13. The Wolves also got strong performances from some members of a bench, which is growing deeper as the playoff run continues.
‘We got great minutes from Chris Miller tonight and our freshman Bren Berquist did a tremendous job. The other night (against St. Johns) it was (Joe) Moran. I tell every one of our kids be ready. I’m getting more and more confidence with our kids,? Fife said.