Those that have been to a Lake Orion basketball game in the past nine years know that Dragon Coach Jim Manzo can be pretty animated.
But the coach was even more revved up during the host Dragons? opening round 56-43 win over Waterford Kettering on Monday night.
‘I was so proud of them tonight, and the people in the stands were as well,? Manzo said. ‘We’re not done. We get to play again, and that’s what’s important.?
Drew Maynard led the Dragons with 27 points, including 11 in the third quarter as the Lake Orion turned a 25-all halftime tie into a nine point lead.
‘We have a little chart of ways to get him the ball,? Manzo said. ‘And we’re checking them off as we go.?
‘From start to finish, he played with more poise this evening then we’ve seen him all year,? the coach added. ‘He crashed the boards, he got some put backs and he made his free throws tonight.?
Maynard capped his huge quarter with a three-pointer as time expired from well-beyond NBA-range.
‘That three was a dagger,? Manzo said. ‘That was, as we call them, a ‘logo? three? (a reference to shooting the ball from around the Dragon logo at center court).
Maynard’s big performance, coupled with the 10 points and eight assists of Ross Tonyan, helped the Dragons offset the loss of four players being suspended by the team.
Starters Cole Moore and Chris Lum joined reserve Chad Nieswand on the end of the Lake Orion bench, while reserve guard Devin Hamilton is no longer with the team.
‘It’s a team matter and it’s being handled by the school,? Manzo said of the players that were inactive, noting that the status of the three players for the rest of the playoffs remains uncertain.
‘Sometimes the most difficult times bring out the best,? he added.
On Monday, it forced the Dragons to play a slower style, as they went just seven players deep.
‘Once we got up in the third and fourth quarters, we tried to slow it down and use as much clock as we could,? Tonyan said.
Both Maynard and Tonyan said the ‘slowdown? game used by some of their OAA II foes paid off in the end.
Lake Orion capped an undefeated league season (12-0) with a 60-51 win over Avondale last Friday night.
Maynard led the way in that win with 23 points, as LO used a 24-8 third quarter to erase a six-point halftime deficit and cruise to the victory.
The (now 16-5) Dragons will take on Oxford Wednesday night at 7 p.m., following the Clarkston/Waterford Mott tilt in the other semifinal.
After limiting Kettering to just 18 second half points, the Dragons will look for a similar defensive effort against the Wildcats.
Ross Wakefield’s 11 points led Kettering, whose season ended at 11-10. Aaron Hensler scored eight in the loss, but all of his points came in the first half, including a pair of three-pointers.
‘He’s the only one that hit threes all season, so we figured if we could stop him from scoring we could shut them down,? Maynard said.
The Dragons used a box-and-one defense after intermission.
‘The box-and-one was effective,? Manzo said. ‘Because it enabled us to put a guy in front of Wakefield on the block and a guy behind him, and it kept the ball out of Hensler’s hands.?
‘They looked a little bewildered,? he added, noting that his team is used to playing that defensive style in practice (since other team’s sometimes use it against Maynard).
Steve Jorgensen, Tom Madigan and Mike Tuzik all saw increased time on the floor for LO, with Jorgensen contributing seven points and five first-half steals.
‘Steve Jorgensen really just continues to come in when he’s called upon and does a great job,? Manzo said, crediting his defensive effort on Wakefield.
‘It’s a great win for us,? Maynard said. ‘We just did what we had to do.?