Close wins build character, but Clarkston’s 54-52 win over Pontiac Central on Friday night was built in part by a new character in the Wolves? arsenal.
Julius Porter got much more playing time than he has seen thus far this season. Starting point guard Andy Lyons sat out the night sick and backup Ty Taylor came into foul trouble.
‘Julius Porter was definitely the difference in the game,? Clarkston Coach Dan Fife said.
Fife said Porter’s attributes, speed and scoring ability, as well as his increased efforts in team practices, may lead to an increased role.
‘If he’s going to play like this, he’s a hell of a backup for us,? Fife said.
‘We went to Julius and he wouldn’t let us take him out. He played so well, he kept us in the ballgame and kept himself in the game by making good decisions and handling their heat, which is not easy to do,? he added.
The junior scored 11 points for Clarkston in the team’s first OAA match of the season, which was not decided until the final buzzer.
The Wolves (5-1) had to fight the entire 32 minutes of the game, Fife said.
‘I think this would have been an ugly win for either team. This is a good win for us to come to Pontiac Central and win.?
The Wolves were forced to adjust their game-plan to keep up with the speed the Chiefs brought to the hardwood.
‘We were matched up poorly with their smaller-quickness, so we decided to go smaller with them instead of keeping three or four big guys in there,? Fife said.
Dan Owens, who scored 14 points on 7-14 shooting, scored a basket from down low, breaking a tie at 49 apiece with nearly one minute remaining in the game. Porter added two free-throws with 0:42 remaining, putting the Wolves up 53-49. The lead was quickly put in jeopardy when Central’s Drew Hopkins made a hurried three-pointer with 0:20 left in the game. After being fouled again on the inbounds pass, Porter split his pair at the stripe. The Wolves narrowly escaped after Hopkins missed both a lay-up and a fade-away jump shot in the final seconds.
Hopkins, along with Keyontay Rodgers and Dameon Abram scored all but seven of the Chiefs? points. Hopkins scored 16 points, Rodgers 12, and Abram had 17.
Bren Bergquist, Oliver Kupe and Alex Millard-Swan each netted five points and Kevin Badgley had six points for Clarkston.
Central (4-2, 1-1 OAA) had to work extra hard to fight for rebounds while being on the short end of the stick, literally. The Chiefs brought five players at or above the six-foot mark, while nearly every player for Clarkston measures that.
‘We worked hard up under the boards, we can battle with any big team, it’s just the technique,? Chiefs Coach Albrey Tipton said.
Central’s inconsistent defensive effort and selfish play became its downfall, Tipton said.
‘We did not play our defensive game tonight,? he said.
‘We weren’t patient in running our offense and that killed us. We went too much one-one-one or one-on-three and you can’t play that way. All you have to do is work the ball to get yourself a good shot and we didn’t do that,? he added.
Clarkston travels back to Pontiac to take on Northern at 7 p.m. on Jan. 12, and on Jan. 14 they will take part in a showcase at the school.
Their opponent and the start time is still being determined.