BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Wolves fans roared as Clarkston senior Nate Steinman sunk a three-point shot after a pass from junior Cavanaugh Diton to begin the second half against Waterford Mott last Friday for the MHSAA Division 1 Boys Basketball District 6 Championship.
Another 3-pointer from Steinman seconds later tied the score 22-22.
The game finished with the Wolves winning the district championship, 50-45.
“It wasn’t pretty – that’s been our season,” said Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball Head Coach Tim Wasilk. “It’s been up and down. It has been a battle. I am proud of our guys. I was proud of the toughness they showed.”
Senior Zach Austin opened the game with a 2-point shot. Mott responded with two field goals from senior Juan Claudio while junior Dajuantee Warren scored a basket and one from the free throw line to put the Corsairs into the lead.

Mott ended up finishing the first quarter with a 16-4 lead.
“We couldn’t hit a lot of shots early,” Wasilk said. “Just didn’t have a lot of good looks. They were in and out, missing layups, missing jumpers. We just couldn’t get anything going. Claudio hit three 3s to get them going in the first quarter and we struggled offensively in the first half just making shots.”
Steinman opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer. Mott responded with their own field goal and a basket but they wouldn’t score again until 45 seconds with one point on the free throw line.
With four minutes left in the second quarter, the Wolves climbed out of the hole with four points from senior Keegan Wasilk, two from junior Brayden Wiley and three points from sophomore Zack Scherler, closing Mott’s lead down to 22-16.
The Wolves outshot Mott 15-11 in the third quarter, closing the gap to two points behind Mott going into the last stanza.
Clarkston captured the lead by five points with two minutes left in the game with five points from Austin and one point on the line from sophomore Brody Kosin.
With a minute left, Mott closed the gap to two off a three-point shot.
Clarkston used three time outs with 33 seconds left in the game as fans sat on the edge of their seats.
Fans breathed a little easier as Steinman scored two points on the free throw line with ten seconds left and another one point with one second to go.
“Mott played a great game,” said Wasilk. “I give Mott credit. They did a heck of a job. They played well. I know they were down one of their better players as well. We just weathered the storm and found a way to make a few more plays then them. We have had a lot of close games this year, and I think it helped us for a situation like this. We don’t always win pretty. Tonight was not a pretty win, but we will take it. I am proud of our kids. The thing about our kids we have lost a lot of games coming into this tournament. We just talked about sticking with it and being positive and getting healthy. It’s good for the kids to come and win a district championship. Just gives credit to them for sticking with it and being positive through tough times.”
Steinman led with 19 points with 16 points scored in the second half. He had four field goals along with 11 rebounds and three blocks.
“He shot particularly well tonight,” said Wasilk. “It was good to see him shoot. He has worked hard in the gym and worked hard on his game in the off season. He is a three-year player for us. When he gets going he can shoot well.”
Keegan Wasilk had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“It was good to get Keegan back too,” coach said. “He came back this week for two games and I was proud of him to get back and get back with the team to run the show again. Just having a four-year point guard on the floor makes it so much tougher and calmer in situations like tonight.”
Austin had eight points and eight rebounds; Scherler had four points and three rebounds; and Kosin had three points, five rebounds and two blocks.
The Wolves defeated Avondale in the district semifinal on March 9 after jumping to a 23-7 lead in the first quarter. They finished the night with a 69-32 win.
Wasilk led with 17 points, nine rebounds, nine assists. Steinman had 15 points and nine rebounds. Austin had eight points and two assists. Kosin and Diton each had seven points and five rebounds. Diton scored two field goals in the night. Scherler had six points and two rebounds while Wiley had six points and two assists. Senior Caleb Woodbury scored one field goal.
The Wolves won the regional semifinal against Rochester Adams on Monday, 64-46. They play Detroit Catholic Central in the MHSAA Division 1 Boys Basketball Regional 2 Final on Wednesday at Lake Orion, 7 p.m. The regional champion moves on to play in the Quarterfinal 1 game at Saginaw Heritage on Tuesday, March 22.

  Boys Basketball