March Madness came back to Lake Orion basketball.
It was all there. From the raucous environment, to the pressure packed moments, to the effort of the players, who all left their hearts out on the fieldhouse floor.
But on a night where two teams were deserving of victory, it was Clarkston that was a bit more deserving, hitting the big shots when they mattered most and beating Lake Orion in a March 10 district final, 56-50.
‘I think our kids gained a little bit of respect tonight,? said Dragon coach Jim Manzo, after his squad watched the Wolves win their 15th district title in 16 years.
Depth proved to be the biggest advantage for coach Dan Fife’s Clarkston squad. This was most noticeable when LO’s leading scorer, Drew Maynard, picked up his second foul late in the first quarter and sat until the second half.
‘He’s their go-to man,? Fife said. ‘When he’s out there, all eyes are watching him. With him out of there, it definitely changes our approach.?
But Fife noted that when his team lost big man Bren Bergquist to two fouls, others filled in admirably.
Senior Joe Moran led the way for Clarkston, scoring 17 while drawing the assignment of defending Maynard most of the game.
Junior Dan Owens hit three 3-point baskets that answered makes by the Dragons at the other end in the third and fourth quarters.
Still, it looked like the Dragons had enough left in the tank to make a late run.
‘When it got up to 12, I got a little concerned because Clarkston doesn’t relinquish leads much,? Manzo said. ‘But our guys had a second wind.?
Half of Maynard’s team high 14 came in the final stanza. Ross Tonyan and Marc Thompson also chipped in double digit efforts, which helped close the gap to 47-44 with under three minutes left.
But down the stretch, Joe Rademacher and Robbie Ronk, two Clarkston seniors, hit their free throws to seal the victory.
The two were a combined 12 of 15 from the charity stripe, and Rademacher hit a big lay-up with under two minutes to put his team up 49-44 and fend off LO’s final rally.
Fife, whose team is now 19-4 heading into regional action, said his veteran players understood the Clarkston legacy.
In returning players like Maynard, Tonyan and Cole Moore, Manzo hopes his team can start a tradition of its own.
‘Maybe the new standard has been set,? the coach said.
Fife was certainly impressed with what he saw from Lake Orion.
‘He told me that he was proud of me,? Manzo said of the two coaches meeting at center court after the game. ‘Hearing that from him means a lot.?
‘I coached against Manzo when he was a player and I know the last few years he’s been under fire,? Fife said. ‘To hang in there and weather the storm says what kind of a man and coach Jim Manzo is. Whether we won or lost, I wanted to tell him that.?
To get the opportunity to play Clarkston in the final, the Dragons had to take on another rival in Oxford on March 8.
The Dragons won the game, 59-50, that at times looked more like football then basketball, with seven players scoring five or more points.
Moore lost a tooth, whileThompson took a head-first fall that forced him to be taken out of action for a few minutes.
‘Everybody just steps it up physically,? Thompson said of the rivalry game.
‘It was physical both ways,? said Maynard, who led the team with 16 points. ‘In districts, the refs let that little stuff go a bit more.?
The Dragons were aided by a poor shooting performance from Oxford, who made just two of their 20 three-point attempts.
‘If you’re tired, it’s tough to get those threes down late in the game,? Manzo said, crediting his team’s defensive effort.
That win was number 19 in a banner season for LO.
After a 17-3 regular season that included an OAA III division crown, the Dragons will likely move up a division. Manzo said that a move all the way up to OAA I is not completely out of the question.
With eight players coming back, and a strong showing from the younger teams in the district, especially the middle school programs, the future of Lake Orion basketball looks strong no matter where they end up.