By Adam Ming
Special to the Review
Lake Orion’s girls? varsity basketball team was disciplined and determined on Tuesday night, beating visiting Clarkston 38-32.
The Dragons (9-4) were poised throughout the game, particularly in the first half when they outscored Clarkston 21-10 and committed only three fouls.
Clarkston (3-9) went on a shooting run, but missed eight baskets in a row, giving Lake Orion a comfortable advantage.
‘They played some aggressive man-to-man defense and we were able to get some fouls out of it,? Lake Orion coach Steve Roberts said. ‘In this OAA Red league, the best in the state, most of our games are going to be within 10 points and we hope we’re on the winning side of those ten points.?
‘I said before the game if we can get to 40, we’d win because Clarkston plays some really tough defense. That was one of our game goals and we ended up with 38 so we were right there with that. Our defense was pretty sharp, too.?
Clarkston coach Tim Wasilk said his team did a good job of staying in the game.
‘It was important we didn’t hang our heads and we kept up our defensive intensity into the second half,? said Wasilk. ‘We played hard, we knocked a couple shots down. Unfortunately, our first half we had some struggles shooting that ball.?
Alexis Haan led Lake Orion in the first half, scoring on her only shot attempt that she wasn’t fouled on. But Haan shined from the free throw line, going 4-for-6.
Alyssa Wesley also had a good first half scoring eight points, including two three-pointers.
The second half saw much less offense from the Dragons, scoring only six points. Fortunately, Clarkston only managed five points in the same span, keeping the game comfortably in Lake Orion’s control at 27-16 at the end of the third.
And, in spite of Lake Orion’s control of the game, they never really pulled away in points. The game’s largest lead was 11 points and within the last two minutes of the game Clarkston made things interesting.
Clarkston hit back-to-back three-pointers to bring the game within six points with only 28.4 seconds left. With the score 36-30, Clarkston had a chance to make a push with a few more clutch threes but Lake Orion stayed calm and came out winners.
‘It was never over,? Roberts said. We made substitutions and when the game was on the line our big players were there.?
Lake Orion did a great job they deserved to win,? Wasilk said. ‘They did a nice job in the paint and forcing us to the perimeter, and our girls did a nice job fighting back and giving us a chance at the end.?
Lake Orion’s Jackie Hood played well in the first half but was the reason the Dragons kept Clarkston down in the second half. She scored the bulk of her team leading 13 points with made free throws in the second half to keep a steady stream of points going when the offense wasn’t making their shots.
Clarkston’s Lindsey Reppuhn was their star for the evening, scoring a team-high 11 points, including one of the three-pointers in the final minute to put Clarkston within six when the game was on the line.
Lake Orion plays next against Rochester. Rochester broke their last winning streak of four games earlier this year, and will again look to snap their current winning streak, now at three games.