With heavy hearts members of the 2009 varsity basketball team trudged their way to their locker room.
They had just lost the semifinals to Kalamazoo Central, 58-44.
While hopes to continue and compete in the finals were dashed, to be in the Spartan arena was a goal reached by players, the community, and Clarkston supporters.
It was the second trip for the boys in Clarkston history to make it to the semifinals, and a dream for Coach Dan Fife since he played for the Wolves.
‘It is so much more rewarding to bring kids up here than it would have been as a player,? admitted Fife. ‘It has been a journey for 27 years (of coaching), to be able to get here makes all of those years worth while. It’s just a tremendous thrill and something I will never forget.?
The game started out with a bang for Clarkston when Kalamazoo Central gained possession from tip-off.
The Wolves remained close in points during the first quarter. A few key baskets from Matt Kamieniecki and Brandon Pokley gave the boys an edge as they moved into the next quarter.
‘The second quarter was a big turning point in the game when Kamieniecki got his second foul,? said Fife.
Kamieniecki went to the bench when his foul occurred less than two minutes into the quarter.
‘We really struggled to make things happen to get an easy basket and get easy hooks. They turned the pressure up and we just didn’t get the ball up and inside.?
While Kamieniecki was out, Kalamazoo narrowed the distance and Brendan Smith scored one final basket before the end of the half tied at 27 points.
The Wolves started the second half in the lead with shots from Kamieniecki and Tom Staton.
As the game progressed, Clarkston’s shots weren’t making it in and Kalamazoo took over the lead.
‘They switched out defense,? said Kamieniecki. ‘We have usually been good in the second half of the game all season. For some reason we came out a little lapse. I don’t know what it was.?
Clarkston fans cheered as Pokley finished the third quarter with two back to back shots from behind the arc. The baskets narrowed the deficit to three points and the score to 44-41.
‘We came out a little flat again. They changed defenses and went to a full court trap. All those things are nothing we haven’t seen before, we just didn’t react to it. I think for whatever reason, maybe we took poor shots,? said Fife about the third quarter.
‘From that point on it seemed to take the wind out of us.?
Clarkston didn’t score again until the last minute of the game when Jared Lawrence scored on a basket and one point from the free throw line, ending the game 58-44.
‘I could talk all day about how proud I am,? said Fife. ‘We have been to quarters and finally won one.?
The Wolves will lose starters Pokley, Staton and Verlinden along with six more players to graduation.
For those returning, they know what to work on to get back to the final four next year.
‘Last year was the same way,? said Kamieniecki. ‘We lost in the quarters and it made us work harder in the off season to get back to the quarterfinals and win it. It’s the same for this year. We’re just going to have to put even more work into it.?
Pokley led with 23 points and scored four 3-pointers. Kamieniecki added 14 points.
Doug Anderson led Kalamazoo with 10 points.
Kalamazoo Central went on to play Detroit Pershing and lost, 90-73.
The Wolves finished 24-2 for the season and finished in third place in the Class A rankings.
‘The kids take a lot of pride. We raised the bar a little higher and hopefully that becomes the standard to win the quarterfinals again and be here,? said Fife.