BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
It was a great holiday break for the Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball team as they posted wins and personal accomplishments.
The Wolves most recent win was over Carman Ainsworth in the Gotta Get It Hoops Classic at Grand Blanc on Saturday, 65-56. A highlight during the game was senior Matt Nicholson with 27 rebounds, the most for a Wolf in the last five years, as the team officially began keeping track of those stats within that time frame. He also scored 21 points and had five blocks.
Sophomore Fletcher Loyer led with 29 points and had three rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Keegan Wasilk had 12 points, four assists and three steals; and senior Cole Donchez had five rebounds, four assists and three points.
The Wolves defeated Pontiac during the first Dan Fife Classic last Thursday, 65-48.
Clarkston grabbed the lead in the first 50 seconds with a basket by Nicholson off a pass from Wasilk and two points from Loyer on the free throw line.
A 3-pointer from Isiah Sellers and a basket from Deshawn Owens put Pontiac on the board and in a small lead, 5-4
Wasilk and Loyer brought the Wolves back into the out where they would remain as both scored one point off fouls, 6-5.
The lead widened as Nicholson passed the ball out to Loyer, who threw it for a three points. They closed the first quarter with a 13-9 lead. The momentum continued into the next stanza where they closed the first half with a 34-21 lead after a 10-point run.
Nicholson led with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks. Loyer had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Wasilk had 16 points, seven assists and six steals.
The JV and freshman teams also posted wins over Pontiac during the classic. The freshman team defeated the Phoenix, 63-32. The JV team won their game, 60-40, before Clarkston graduates took to the court for an alumni game.
The Wolves posted a 87-66 win over Roseville in the Fourth Annual Holiday Extravaganza at North Farmington, Dec. 27.
Loyer led with 42 points to put himself in the Clarkston history books with most points scored in a game for seventh place. He is now tied with older brother, Foster, who scored 42 points against DeLaSalle in 2018; and Dan Fife, who scored the same amount against Milford in 1966.
Nicholson had 15 points, ten rebounds, seven assists and five blocks. Donchez scored 13 points and had two rebounds. Wasilk scored eight points and had ten assists and six rebounds.
The Wolves opened holiday break with their first loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s on Dec. 20, 68-55.
Clarkston (4-1) opened the week at Bloomfield Hills on Tuesday with a 59-39 win. They host Oak Park on Friday, where they will honor the 1979-1980 team, which made history by being the first to make it to the Final Four.
JV plays at 5:30 p.m., varsity follows.