The Scoreboard

By on February 20, 2008No Comment

This web feature is updated throughout the week to bring you the very latest in Lake Orion sports…
MONDAY
* The Lake Orion boys? basketball squad saw their season come to an end, just three days after winning a third-straight league title.
The team got off to a rough start in Monday’s district opener against Waterford Mott (held at Clarkston) and could never recover, falling 65-56.
The Dragons trailed 12-3 after one quarter and were down 24-12 at halftime. They trailed by as many as 19 in the third quarter and their 31 fourth quarter points were negated by Mott free throws down the stretch.
The Corsairs shot 20-of-25 (80%) from the charity stripe in the second half.
Drew Maynard had a double-double for the Dragons, but didn’t lead the team in scoring for the first time all season. That honor went to Jeff Heath, who scored all of his game-high 18 points in the second half.
Mott had four players in double figures, led by Kevin Lewis? 18 points.
Lake Orion’s season ends with a 12-9 mark. Look for more details on Tuesday at www.lakeorionreview.com.
* The Dragon hockey squad also saw their season come to a close on Monday, but in bizarre fashion.
Rochester tied their pre-regional contest at two midway through the third period, and won it just 29 seconds into overtime when the Dragons scored on themselves.
Dave Johnson’s pass in the defensive zone deflected off of goalie Jason Stross and into his own net, abruptly ending Lake Orion’s season.
Corbin Rainey scored twice in the second period, to give the Dragons a 2-1 lead, but they couldn’t hold on.
Look for more details on Tuesday at www.lakeorionreview.com.
SATURDAY
* Regional championships by A.J. Pratt (135), Jake Varilek (152) and Joe Graffeo (160), highlighted a day in which Lake Orion saw seven wrestlers qualify for the individual state championships.
Justin Ruddy (130), Jeremy Peshl (140) and Evan Gros (189) all qualified by placing third at regionals, while Doug Mack (119) advanced by placing fourth.
The Dragons had 12 wrestlers compete at Utica Ford, with their seven state qualifiers just one off of the school record.
The individual finals will be held March 6-8 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Varilek improved to 55-1 on the season, while Graffeo, Gros and Mack also all eclipsed the 50-win mark.
Look for more details, including a preview of the team state finals in Battle Creek, in next week’s Lake Orion Review.
* The Lake Orion boys? bowling squad qualified for the state meet for the first time in school history on Saturday.
Rob Bondon led the Dragons with a ninth place finish in individual competition, as the team qualified by finishing among the top three.
The finals will be held Friday (team) and Saturday (individual) at Northway Lanes in Muskegon.
Look for more details in next week’s Lake Orion Review.
* Other Saturday sports highlights included the Dragon cheerleading squad placing first at the Berkley Invitational and the hockey squad falling 4-2 at Stoney Creek to wrap up the regular season.
Lake Orion will have their boys? and girls? ski teams, boys? basketball squad and hockey team all in postseason action on Monday. Visit www.lakeorionreview.com for updates.
***
FRIDAY
* For the third time in as many years, the Lake Orion boys? basketball squad can celebrate a league championship.
The Dragons improved to 10-2, tying Southfield for the top spot and wrapping up the regular season with a 58-51 victory over visiting Avondale on Friday night.
Drew Maynard led the way for Lake Orion with 26 points, while Anthony Fields added 15, including an 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line.
The Dragons end the regular season with a 12-8 record and begin district play on Monday, with a 5:30 tip against Waterford Mott at Clarkston High School.
Look for more details Monday at www.lakeorionreview.com.
* The Dragon hockey squad gave up three late goals Thursday night, turning a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 loss at the hands of visiting Farmington Hills Unified.
With the loss, Lake Orion falls into fourth place in the OAA I and will need a victory at Stoney Creek Saturday, coupled with some help from Farmington, to overtake FH Unified for third place in the final league standings.
Adam Chapie, a junior, scored a hat trick on senior night to lead the Dragons, netting a goal in each period.
Andy Phillips’ goal tied the game and then Andrew Rauth scored the game winner with just over two minutes left.
***
THURSDAY
* The Lake Orion wrestling squad is off to Battle Creek next week, after topping Utica Ford (50-10) and Romeo (42-24) at home on Wednesday to win a regional title.
The team advances to take on L’Anse Creuse next Friday, with the semifinals and finals slated for the next day. It is their first trip to Battle Creek since 1990, when they won the school’s first state title.
Look for a full recap of the regional matches, as well as a preview of individual regionals (on Saturday at Ford) later today at www.lakeorionreview.com.
* The Dragon girls? basketball squad season came to a close on Wednesday, at the hands of district host Waterford Kettering, 47-44, in an upset.
Kettering, which competed in the OAA I, had never lost to Lake Orion in girls? basketball and led throughout.
The Dragons, which finish the season at 18-3 and as OAA III champions, were led by Bethany Watterworth’s 15 points and 15 rebounds. Melanie Lamerato added 13 points.
Look for more details in next week’s Lake Orion Review.
***
WEDNESDAY
* The Lake Orion boys? basketball is just one win away from a third straight league title, after topping Troy Athens 47-42 Tuesday night in dramatic, double overtime fashion.
Chris Lum’s lay-up with less than five seconds left in regulation, on a Vinnie Booker pass, sent the game into OT.
After neither team put up any points in the first extra session, Drew Maynard’s three pointer and some Chad Nieswand free throws helped the visiting Dragons prevail in the second OT.
Lake Orion got revenge from an early January defeat in which they scored a season low 33 points.
Maynard scored a game-high 27 points, with Lum and Steve Jorgensen each adding seven.
Lake Orion has won seven of their last nine contests, and improved to 11-8 overall and 9-2 in OAA II action.
The team can clinch at least a share of the league crown with a win over Avondale at home on Friday night.

The Scoreboard added by on February 20, 2008
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This web feature is updated throughout the week to bring you the very latest in Lake Orion sports…
***
SATURDAY
With a championship-caliber defense, the Lake Orion girls? basketball squad held Berkley to just three second-half points, earning a 58-14 victory Friday night and their first league title in decades.
Alexis Haan scored 14 points to lead all scorers and Bethany Watterworth added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Dragons.
Lake Orion finished the regular season at 18-2 overall and 11-1 in OAA III play.
The team is off until next Wednesday, after drawing a bye in the first round of district action.
Look for a full story, including a playoff preview, in next week’s Lake Orion Review.
***
FRIDAY
* Brad Berschbach’s goal with under three minutes left broke a 1-all tie and sent Lake Orion to their second victory in as many tries against Clarkston this season.
The Dragons got a disputed goal with 1:30 left from Mike Rinke and held on for a 3-1 victory.
Cody Wendell scored the other goal for Lake Orion and Jason Stross made 33 saves in net.
With the win, the Dragons improved to 6-3-3 in OAA I action. They host Utica on Saturday and Farmington Unified next Thursday, in a game that will likely determine third place in the league standings.
The game against Clarkston also marked ‘Youth Hockey Night.? Look for a full recap in next week’s Lake Orion Review.
* Less than a week after scoring 48 points in a game, Drew Maynard scored 42 to lead the Lake Orion boys? hoopsters to a 66-60 victory over host Groves Thursday night.
Lake Orion improved to 8-2 in OAA II action and was aided by Rochester Adams, who topped Southfield 61-55 on Thursday, creating a tie for first place with two games remaining for both teams.
If the Dragons win-out, they will clinch at least a share of a league title for the third straight year.
They travel to Troy Athens on Tuesday and host Avondale on Friday to wrap up the regular season.
* Both Lake Orion varsity ski teams are off to states after placing in the top three at this week’s regional event held at Mt. Holly in Grand Blanc.
Look for all the details in next week’s Lake Orion Review.
***
THURSDAY
* The Lake Orion wrestling squad topped Rochester and Rochester Adams on Wednesday night to earn a district title.
The Dragons bested host Rochester 49-15 and Adams 45-21.
Lake Orion will host regional action next Wednesday, as they look to return to Battle Creek for the first time since 1990.
Individual district action will take place at Rochester on Saturday.
* The Dragon girls’ cagers earned at least a share of the OAA III title with a 58-42 victory at Lahser Wednesday.
Courtney Zott led all scorers with 18 points and Bethany Watterworth chipped in with 16 points and nine boards.
All but nine of Lahser’s points came from behind the three-point arc.
The Dragons are now 17-2 overall and 10-1 in league action. They can win the outright title on Friday night with a win over Berkley or a Stoney Creek loss.
***
WEDNESDAY
* The Lake Orion girls’ hoops team topped host Farmington Hills Harrison 53-25 Tuesday night, inching closer to the OAA III crown.
Bethany Watterworth scored 16 points and added nine rebounds for the Dragons. Courtney Zott notched 11 points and six assists.
The Dragons improved to 16-2 overall and 9-1 in league action. They travel to Lahser tonight and wrap up the regular season at home Friday against Berkley.
* The Dragon boys’ squad edged visiting Davison 54-52 on Tuesday in their last non-league game of the regular season.
Lake Orion improved to 9-8 on the season with three league games still remaining prior to postseason play. The team hosts Groves on Thursday night.

The Scoreboard added by on February 13, 2008
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This web feature is updated throughout the week to bring you the very latest in Lake Orion sports…
***
SATURDAY
* Five first-place finishes and five more second-place finishes helped Lake Orion earn its first OAA I wrestling title since 2005 and first outright title since 2003, as the host Dragons routed the field at the league tournament Saturday.
Lake Orion broke a three-way tie for first place by winning the meet. Their 221 points beat both Rochester Adams and Clarkston, who settled for a second-place tie with 142 points. All three entered the meet at 7-1 in league action.
‘This is something we’ve been talking about since the first week of December when we lost the dual to Clarkston,? said Coach Doug Kline.
Undersized heavyweight Tyler Benson and teammates Justin Ruddy (130), A.J. Pratt (135), Jake Varilek (152) and Joe Graffeo (160) all won individual league titles for the Dragons.
Varilek’s title was his fourth. The senior has a chance at 200 career wins, but the team will have to advance deep into the state tournament for that to happen.
‘Our team has been working hard in the practice room and it shows out here on the mat,? he said. ‘We’re ready for a trip to Battle Creek.?
Kline said the team has accomplished two of their preseason goals, winning both the county and league championships. Now the team turns their undivided attention to winning district and regional titles, and advancing to the quarterfinals in Battle Creek for the first time in 18 years.
‘The kids wrestled great all day,? Kline said. ‘We were aggressive all day.?
With 10 wrestlers advancing to the finals, the meet was essentially over before the final rounds even began.
‘That really created a gap going into the finals,? Kline noted, quickly pointing out that things didn’t go exactly according to plan.
‘If we won all 10, it might make us a little complacent,? he said. ‘But we still have got room to improve.?
For Graffeo, a senior captain, the individual title capped a long road back to the top, as he missed all of last season due to injury.
‘Last year just gives me the gas to keep going,? he said. ‘It showed me how much wrestling means to me.?
Still, Graffeo said the team title felt much more significant that his personal one.
‘We’re such a strong team,? he said. ‘We’ve got a kid on almost every podium and this isn’t an easy league.?
Runner-up finishers for Lake Orion included Jake Pratt (112), Doug Mack (119), A.J. Fligger (140), Evan Gros (189) and Layne Upcott (215). Upcott, a senior, joined the team when the new semester started, after his family moved into the district from Clarkston.
Morgan Maciejewski (171) placed third and Lance Grzadzinski (103) finished fourth.
* Drew Maynard took a lot of hits, but it’s his back that will be particularly sore on Saturday after he carried Lake Orion to a 69-64 victory over Pontiac Central Friday night.
Maynard scored 20 of his career-high 48 points in the fourth quarter. He added 16 rebounds for the Dragons, who improved to 8-8 on the season.
‘I thought I had 20 or something, I’m not even lying,? Maynard said. ‘It was a tough game, but it gives us good momentum going forward with the rest of our league games and districts. Hopefully we can build on that.?
All eyes were on Maynard before the game, during his signing ceremony for Oakland University, and they stayed on him throughout.
He scored 23 points in the first half, outscoring Central by himself and helping the Dragons to a 35-22 lead.
But the third quarter script looked similar to Lake Orion’s loss on Tuesday against Southfield, as the visitors stormed back.
An impressive reverse dunk from Maynard, while being fouled, brought even the Central fans to their feet and put LO up 44-30.
Capitalizing on eight Dragons turnovers in the quarter, Central closed the last four minutes of the quarter on a 13-0 run. They finally took the lead early in the fourth quarter.
‘The third quarter looked like instant replay,? Coach Jim Manzo said, referring to earlier in the week. ‘We talked in a timeout and said what did we learn? We’re dribbling too much through the press. I said this is just the adversity that this team needed, and they responded.?
Maynard kept the Dragons close, however, by scoring his team’s first 14 points of the quarter. With just over two minutes left, and LO trailing 62-60, Maynard was intentionally fouled on a dunk attempt. He made one of two free throw attempts and then scored on a put-back on the ensuing possession to give the Dragons the lead for good.
An Anthony Fields lay-in with 1:15 left, put Lake Orion up 67-64 and Maynard and Vinnie Booker each hit a free throw in the final minute to cap the scoring.
Reed Losee had five assists off the bench and Jeff Heath had five steals for the Dragons, but the talk afterwards was all about Maynard.
‘There were so many gutsy performances turned in tonight, starting with Drew,? Manzo said. ‘That was one of the best high school performances I’ve seen. He put his team on his back and it was fun to watch.?
‘He’s pretty banged up, but he was determined,? Manzo added.
Game notes?
–The Dragons played without Chris Lum, who missed the game after injuring an ankle against Southfield.
–Drew Hopkins led Pontiac Central with 21 points, including 15 after halftime.
–Maynard went 13 of 24 at the free throw line and 5 of 10 from three-point range.
–A 13-1 run in the second helped Lake Orion to a double-digit lead and Maynard hit three three-pointers in the final 1:30 of the first half.
–Maynard’s 48-point effort was just five shy of the school record, set over 40 years ago.
–Maynard gave credit for his performance to Anthony and Sammy Taormina, who celebrated their 21st birthdays Friday.
***
FRIDAY
* The Lake Orion girls? basketball squad topped Birmingham Groves 75-31 Thursday night in an OAA III contest.
The Dragons held visiting Groves to just eight second half points, turning a 13-point halftime lead into a complete rout.
Bethany Watterworth led the way for Lake Orion with 18 points and seven rebounds. Courtney Zott added 12 points and five assists and Trisha Dalrymple connected on four three-point attempts, also finishing with 12 points.
Lake Orion improved to 15-2 overall and 8-1 in league action. The team plays their final three league games next week (all against teams they’ve beaten this season) and can clinch the title by winning two of them.
* The Lake Orion boys? ski squad won the Pine Knob Divisional Championship this week, edging rival Waterford United for the top spot.
Lake Orion finished with 76 points, to Waterford’s 96 and third-place Notre Dame Prep’s 111.5.
The girls? team, meanwhile, finished third with 106 points, behind Notre Dame (56) and Clarkston (72.5).
Look for a full recap of the event in next week’s Lake Orion Review.

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