Losses can be more difficult for a team if it occurs when it has led the game going into the final stanza.
That is what happened to the Clarkston Wolves girls basketball team against an unbeaten Rochester team on Oct. 10, falling to the Falcons 48-44.
Two nights later on Oct. 12 facing Southfield Lathrup (4-7, 2-3 OAA), 2005 Class A girls basketball state champions, the Wolves held off the Chargers and closed out the victory, 50-45.
As she has done all season, Chelsea Kouri continued to shoot the ball from the outside, scoring 12 of her 14 points from three-point land. Fellow guard Samantha Carter came up with a big game also for the Wolves, with 14 points of her own, nine points from behind the arc.
Late in the contest as Lathrup attempted to regain footing by fouling the Wolves to put them on the free-throw line, Carter made two key shots from the line to seal the victory for Clarkston.
Guard Jennifer Johnston added nine points for Clarkston.
As a team, Clarkston shot 49 percent from the field, while the Chargers did not shoot so well, only 29 percent of their shots found the bottom of the net.
‘Tonight, we did a pretty good job on the offensive end, we shot the ball extremely well, probably the best we’ve shot the ball all year,? Wolves Coach Tim Wasilk said after the game.
‘Tonight was a situation where they (Lathrup) were pounding the glass really hard on the offensive end and they were really hurting us down there. We battled and we fought through it and made those little steps on the defensive end that helped us out on offense.?
Wasilk was pleased with the way his guards performed, both working against a press defense, a difficulty against Rochester, and their scoring.
‘Our offense did a really good job, we made some adjustments. We’re working on letting them be players and athletes and giving them more freedom,? he said.
The win improves Clarkston’s record to 8-3 overall, and evens out their conference record to 3-3.
The Chargers kept the game close after Clarkston doubled their score in the first quarter, 16-8. Melanie Wilson led the team with 14 points in the loss.
Coach Michele Jackson said the season has been difficult after losing a good number of experienced leaders from last year’s team.
‘When you lose seven kids in your main rotation, (all five starters and top two players off the bench to graduation) you’re talking about a brand-new team with only one senior who plays major minutes on our team, everyone else is brand new to varsity,? she said.
‘We just want to better every game and there are some things we need to focus on.?
Jackson said her team failed to execute the little things like boxing out, rotating to beat screen plays and missing defensive assignments against Clarkston.
‘When you have a team that’s young in grade (level) as well as in the varsity experience, those little things come back on us,? she said.
Clarkston’s road game at Flint Southwestern High School finished too late for this edition of The Clarkston News. The Wolves travel to Auburn Hills Avondale on Oct. 19 for a rematch. The Wolves defeated then no. 1 Avondale Sept. 26 at CHS.