Some say it’s hard to duplicate an original. That was the case when Clarkston met Pontiac Central on Friday.
The Wolves squeaked a two-point win at Pontiac in early January and the Chiefs were looking to take it back on the Wolves? floor.
But Central would have a tough time of it minus a key ingredient from the first game. Drew Hopkins, who scored 16 points in the prior meeting were unable to play and the Chiefs fell in a blowout 79-58.
Hopkins was unavailable for coach Albrey Tipton who was forced to substitute several players in his place. Like Coca-Cola, nothing beats the real thing.
‘In the first half, guys were put in situations they wouldn’t normally be in, so we’ll be alright if we make the adjustment,? Tipton said.
Clarkston ensured its status as a true contender for the Oakland Activities Association I championship with the win, leaving Pontiac Northern as the only team to fall to the Wolves within the conference.
The win brings the Wolves (12-2) to 5-1 in the OAA while the Chiefs (8-7) fell to 3-4.
Dan Owens kept up his team-leading scoring, taking a seat on the bench late in the fourth quarter after a 32-point performance.
The Wolves jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter. The Chiefs failed to make a run at Clarkston in the second as Owens exploded for 14 points, 12 of which from behind the three-point arc. Owens made his first four consecutive attempts behind the arc and finished 6/7 shooting three pointers on the night, which was his new season-high.
Clarkston held onto a 17-0 run dating to the first quarter before Dameon Abram made two free throws at 4:17. Clarkston out-scored Central 24-10 in the quarter.
Abram led the Chiefs with 26 points, including 13 in the third quarter, Central’s best, when they showed life in the third after going to halftime trailing by 22 points, 36-14.
‘We were playing good defense. We were communicating and getting good help. We had Abram where he knew if he went left there was pressure and if he went right there was pressure,? Clarkston coach Dan Fife said.
?(We were) trying to deny him the ball and making him catch it at places he was uncomfortable at, 25 feet instead of 15 feet, that’s the deal with kids like that, because once they get it into their hands, they’re going to make plays.?
Fife attributed Kevin Badgley’s coverage to helping shut down Abrams.
‘He made him earn it, he shot a lot of free-throws,? Fife said.
Twelve of Abram’s points came from the charity-stripe.
The Chiefs looked to force Clarkston errors by employing a backcourt press in the third quarter. The Wolves? lead on Friday was insurmountable, reaching 24 points early in the third quarter.
‘We didn’t play it as aggressively as we normally do. We were kind of in shock because of how far behind we were. Once they got past (that), in the second half, we did a lot better,? Tipton said.
Owens said the Wolves are starting to fire on all cylinders.
‘We’ve been practicing really the last couple of weeks and things have been working really well for us and we came out with a lot of energy tonight. We were ready to play and it showed,? he said.
‘We knew how important this game was and that’s why we came out playing so strong early and took them out early,? he added.
Tipton was happy with the way his team did not quit after encountering a large deficit.
‘We played hard until the end. We played hard in the second half, we didn’t give up or put our heads down which would have been really embarrassing, we kept playing hard,? Tipton said.
Keyontay Rodgers added 13 points and Martez Terrence had nine points for the Chiefs.
Badgley scored 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, and Bren Bergquist had eight points, nine rebounds, and three assists for Clarkston.
Clarkston will face North Farmington at CHS on Thursday. The Wolves made quick work of the Raiders 52-35 on Jan. 19.
Fife likes the Wolves? chances heading into the second round of OAA matches.
‘We’re still in the hunt. We just have to take care of our game and let everyone else take care of themselves,? he said.