The first week back from the holiday break the Dragons hosted and beat both the Berkley Bears and the Rochester Falcons in OAA White League play.
Berkley jumped to a quick lead with a full court press during their Tuesday night visit to the Fieldhouse, forcing many turnovers by the Dragons. As the first period came to an end, the Bears had the lead 12-10.
The opening of the second quarter saw both teams pushing the ball up the floor in what looked to be the start of a very close period. However, the Dragons began to full court press the Bears, forcing countless turnovers, and took full advantage of moving the ball with skilled passing. They went on a 20-6 run to close the half leading 30-18.
The Bears put the full court press on right way in the third, narrowing the Dragon lead to four.
The Dragons started the forth quarter again controlling the tempo of the game and forcing turnovers, stretching their lead to nine. The final period saw a confident, controlled Dragon team take a 59-50 victory.
Friday night Dragons hosted the Rochester Falcons in a packed house.
Like Tuesday’s game, Dragons opening performance gave Rochester a commanding 16-5 in minutes. By the end of the first, the Falcons had a 22-11 lead.
The second period saw Dragon pressure narrow the gap, finishing the half 29-32.
The third period action was a tough defensive battle with some sloppy play by both teams, keeping the scoring close. Rebounding became key in the third, and the Falcons dominated both the offensive and defensive boards, closing out the period 41-37.
Dragons came out strong in the fourth, picking up the tempo. They took the lead for the first time in the game and maintained it for the majority of the forth period. But, with 1:30 left in the game and a five-point lead, Lake Orion turnovers allowed the Falcons back in the game. With 16.1 seconds left in regulation, the Falcons tied the game 51-51, sending the boys into overtime.
The overtime period ended in another tie, 58-58.
Noise from the crowd was intense as the second overtime began.
Lake Orion won the second overtime period 10-3, giving the boys a crowd-thrilling 68-61 victory over Rochester.
Dragons started this week with a 4 -3 record, matching last year’s total wins. They are ranked ninth in the OAA power rankings and are tied for first place in the OAA White. They are on the road this week, Tuesday against Farmington Harrison and Friday against Birmingham Seaholm.
~ Story submitted