A few weeks after Clarkston got a big revenge win on the gridiron, the Lake Orion girls? basketball squad did their best to resolve the issue on the hardwood.
Sophomore Bethany Watterworth scored 14 points after the break; to help the Dragons upset the Wolves 50-47 in the first round of district play at Oxford High School on Nov. 14.
‘We wanted to get revenge,? Watterworth said.
Both teams had 14 wins in the regular season, but Clarkston got their victories while playing in the top division of the Oakland Activities Association. Lake Orion finished in a second place tie in Division III of the OAA.
‘I’ve been here eight years and this ranks right up there,? said Dragon Coach Steve Roberts, who had never beaten the Wolves.
Roberts remembered a Lake Orion win in district play against Clarkston some 11 years ago as the last Dragon win in the series.
‘I had to flashback to that moment,? he said, ‘thinking if history could repeat itself.?
‘It’s a big win for our program,? he added.
A Dragon team with no seniors showed a great deal of composure coming from behind in the final minutes.
Lake Orion was led by three sophomores (Watterworth, Courtney Zott and Melanie LaMerato) who combined for 39 points, led by Watterworth’s 16.
‘When she gets the ball down there (in the post), she’s tough to stop,? Clarkston Coach Tim Wasilk said.
Zott’s eight points helped the Dragons jump out to a 15-5 lead after one quarter, but the Wolves responded and took a one-point lead into the half.
After the teams traded buckets for much of the third quarter, Clarkston scored the final five of the stanza on a Sam Carter 3-ball and Jen Johnston jumper, to take a 36-32 lead.
That lead grew to five at 39-34 when Johnston hit a three early in the fourth.
But then the Dragons made their move, going on a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with 3:44 remaining. Watterworth and LaMerato each had four points in the run.
Down four in the final two minutes, Carter hit yet another three and Jess Palace added a baseline jumper to put the Wolves back in front 47-46.
Out of a timeout, Lake Orion went inside to Watterworth, who got free for a lay-up, then got a block on the other end.
Still, Clarkston, down just one, had two good looks from three-point range in the final minute, but Chelsea Kouri couldn’t quite find the mark.
Kouri, a senior who will play at Wayne State next year, was the Wolves leading scorer during the regular season.
‘She got an open look,? Roberts said. ‘It didn’t drop for them and we got the ball back.?
With a chance to ice the game at the free throw line, LaMerato missed the front-end of a one-and-one, but Kouri was tied up on the rebound by the Dragon’s Cortney Kimmel, who led the team with seven rebounds.
The possession arrow favored the Dragons, who inbounded to Watterworth. Her two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining sealed the win for the Dragons.
Clarkston didn’t get a desperation heave off before the buzzer.
‘Their two-three zone was effective,? Wasilk said. ‘We couldn’t hit shots inside and out.?
Clarkston made 18 of their 48 attempts from the field, including 11 of 28 three-point shots.
‘We do shoot a lot of threes, but normally not that many,? Wasilk noted.
One problem for the Wolves was their inability to get to the free throw line. They had only two attempts (both misses), while Lake Orion was 8-11 at the charity stripe.
As a team, the Dragons shot just under 50 percent (21 of 44) from the floor ? an indication of their unwillingness to settle for outside jump shots (they attempted just five three-pointers).
‘I think we were ready to play,? Wasilk said, ‘But give credit to Lake Orion. They played really well.?
Roberts said this was the marquee win his team was looking for this season, and he hopes there are a few more to come.
‘I think we’re still rising,? he said.
The Dragons play Lapeer East on Thursday night at Oxford. Tip time is set for 7 p.m., with the winner scheduled to battle the Waterford Mott/Waterford Kettering winner in Friday’s final.