From left in front are Clarkston Pony League Basketball players Spencer Pawlik, Ian McGregor, Joe Genoa, Jimmy Delnick, Adam Gohl, Evan Montgomery; back row, Michael Schwartz, Alex Barta, Mac Pearce, Matt Wright, Connor Giroux and Tanner Schulte. Their team, the Pink Sox, won the championship in the league, which is offered through Independence Township Parks and Recreation. Photo by Larry Wright
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The boys golf team secured their place at regionals and became league champions last week.
They scored 317 to take fifth place out of the 13 teams that competed in their division meet last Thursday.
‘We didn’t have our best day,? said Clarkston coach Mark Wiegand, ‘but they did enough to qualify.?
Jordan Roth and Brandon Stone led the team with a par of 78. Jarred Horner scored a par of 80. Tommy Ronk and Matt Fuller had a par of 81.
‘It’s good when the team has talent,? said Wiegand about Roth and Stone leading on Thursday.
‘Not just the same players lead.?
The top six teams from the meet move on to the regional meet next Thursday at Westwynd Golf in Rochester.
They will join Grand Blanc, Waterford Kettering, Rochester Adams, Lake Orion and Davison when they compete against Bay City Western, Traverse City West, Midland Dow, Alpena, Traverse City Central and Saginaw Heritage.
‘We need to go lower than than we did Thursday,? said Wiegand.
Going lower would give them a better chance to go onto the state finals next weekend.
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The boys team became OAA Division Red league champions last Tuesday.
They ended their regular season by beating Waterford Kettering, 157-162.
‘It was really nice. We had good scores,? said Wiegand.
Zach Rogers and Horner led with a par of 35. Mike Graham had 41 and Nate Hedtler had 42.
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The boys took third place out of 30 teams at the Lansing Tournament on May 19.
‘They did well. They played 36 holes in one day,? said Wiegand. ‘That was an excellent experience. One golf course was over 7,000 yards longer than anything played in high school.?
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Senior Julius Porter stood at the line and eyed the basket.
One bounce. Two bounce.
With 22 seconds left in the game, the Wolves were tied with West Bloomfield, 47-47.
Clarkston’s previous game to the Lakers Jan. 17 was also a nailbiter, resulting in their first loss of the season, 50-47.
This time, the OAA I league title was on the line.
Porter made the go-ahead shot, and drained one more for a score of 48-46, and the league championship.
‘We knew it was going to come to the end,? said West Bloomfield coach Andre White.
‘It wasn’t a very pretty game by either team, but maybe that’s what you get when both are playing for the championship,? said Clarkston coach Dan Fife.
The score had remained close throughout the entire game, but in the last three minutes of the game, a three pointer from Rod Hurst and basket by Josh Eichelberger brought the Lakers to a tie, 46-46.
Brandon Pokley brought the Wolves up by one at the line, but with 23 seconds left in the game, an Oliver Kupe foul brought Eichelberger to the line to tie the score again.
Within the next second, a foul against Porter brought him to the line for two.
‘I want to win a league championship,? Fife said.
‘That’s what its there for, to win a league championship. I don’t know why we play leagues if there is no championship. I think that’s very important ? that’s just the way I have always been, I want to play the best teams, I want to play good people, good coaches, good players.?
The game ended the regular season for the Wolves. They had an overall record of 18-2, with a 9-1 record in the league.
Going into the district playoffs, Fife isn’t thinking about records or past scores.
Brandon Pokley scored 15 points and had two assists. Matt Kamieniecki scored 12 points and had one assist.
Previously in the week, Clarkston beat Pontiac Northern, 77-62.
‘This is the end of one season, now we start the next season. Right now everyone is 0-0, I know it’s clich?, but they are. Anything can happen. Someone’s going to lose, it can happen to everybody.?
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