Memo to Oakland Activities Association Division III girls basketball teams:
Bring your running shoes.
Sincerely, the 2006 Lake Orion Varsity team.
Expect nothing less than 32 minutes of up tempo action from Coach Steve Roberts? squad this year.
Roberts said his rotation could go at least nine deep regularly and will be all over the court this season.
‘We have a talented, young group,? the coach said of his team, which is made up entirely of juniors and sophomores.
Returning are three juniors who played significant minutes at the varsity level last year in Cortney Kimmel, Cara Booker and Trisha Dalrymple.
Kimmel, a guard who earned all-league honors last year, and Dalrymple, a forward, will serve as captains.
Transfer centers Bethany Watterworth (sophomore from LO Baptist) and Alix Leas (junior from Ferndale) both bring varsity experience.
Junior guard Brittany Daenzer returns after a one-year absence.
‘The players that make a difference are the ones that come up from the junior varsity level,? Roberts explained.
Fitting that bill this season are two sophomores that the coach expects to be big producers as starters in guard Melanie LaMereto and guard/forward Courtney Zott.
Forward Ashley Bringard, forward/center Christine Norton and guard Caitlyn Sutton are three juniors that round out Roberts? squad.
The coach said transition points will be a key statistic this year, and his team knows it will have to give a full effort to make a run at an OAA III league title, where Stoney Creek and Berkley are considered favorites.
‘Our style should be fun to play and exciting to watch,? Roberts said.
On Monday at Oxford, the team used a fun and exciting stretch of the third quarter turning a three point halftime lead into double digits.
‘After halftime, we made some adjustments to go inside more to Bethany,? Roberts said, noting that the team had an 11-1 run out of the gate.
Watterworth scored all but three of her game-high 18 in the second half and Zott added half of her 14 points in the early part of the third.
Still, a resilient Oxford squad made 11-of-21 at the free throw line in the fourth and cut the deficit to as few as three.
But that would be as close as the Wildcats could get as both time and Lake Orion’s poise proved too much to overcome with LO holding on 59-52.
‘We had key baskets down the stretch,? Roberts said, pointing to a reverse lay-up by Booker and clutch free throws from Kimmel.
‘We were very pleased with the composure and poise the kids played with,? Roberts said.