Sometimes you can learn more from losses than wins.
The Lake Orion boys? basketball team suffered from late 2012 blues as they played three of the better teams in the region, losing to Clarkston, Detroit Country Day and Rochester Adams by wide margins.
But those losses have made the team stronger and now that they are playing games against fellow OAA Blue teams, the Dragons have been giving their divisional foes the blues.
Last week, Lake Orion got by two Blue Division opponents, 78-55, against Seaholm and 61-33 against Berkley to go 2-0 within the division.
What also has emerged is a one-two scoring punch with John McCarty and Chaz Miller providing the clout.
Guard Damonte Kruse has been doing an excellent job of setting up the two big men and it will be tough for any OAA Blue Division team to stop the Dragon onslaught in the coming weeks.
Against Seaholm, McCarty scored 24 points and Miller netted 25 to account for the majority of the Dragon’s scoring.
McCarty got hot in the second quarter against the Maples hitting several buckets, including a pair of three-pointers to put Lake Orion up for good, 36-20 in the quarter.
Once McCarty got hot, Miller responded and both players kept it going the remainder of the game.
Against Berkley, Lake Orion jumped to a 15-3 lead after the first quarter and held the Bears to only eight points in the second and third quarters.
McCarty led the Dragons with 13 points, that included a pair of three-pointers. Miller had eight points, Jim Budreau, seven and Roman Kuster added six.
On Thursday, the Dragons host Bloomfield Hills Lahser at 7:30 p.m.
The Knights will provide a challenge for Lake Orion as they have three solid players, including one, center Yante Maten, who is considered the best big man in the county.
Maten, forward Khalil Gracey and point guard Armand Cartwright will provide the firepower for Lahser.
The Knights are the defending OAA Blue champions and the game will be a good test for the Dragons.