The Clarkston Wolves? girls basketball team made a step back in the right direction on Oct. 5. The team played hard in a close match with rival Waterford Kettering, but finally put the game on ice in the final minutes after huge three-point shots from both Betsy Mellen and Chelsea Kouri.
Mellen finished the night with a total of three points, which were some of the biggest of the game and the Wolves improved to 7-2 with a 44-39 victory over Kettering.
‘We played well defensively, we were just solid. Offensively, players off the bench helped,? Wolves Coach Tim Wasilk said. ‘They all contributed at both ends of the floor.?
Forward Jessica Palace was an inside offensive force for Clarkston, scoring 12 points and Kouri had 16 points, including her late three-point basket which broke a tie at 39 points with 1:45 remaining. Clarkston had been trailing by a handful of points for most of the quarter until that point.
Megan Sioma led the Captains with 19 points and Natalie Rolph added 10 points.
Clarkston had suffered their only two losses of the season in consecutive games to Pontiac Northern and West Bloomfield prior to defeating Kettering.
‘We definitely wanted it (victory), that was a stepping stone for us, we definitely knew we had to win this or else we would have been in a slump. We had the heart and we knew we could do it, so we got it done,? Palace said.
‘We were real fired up because Kettering is our rival and they beat West Bloomfield,? Kouri said.
For the game, Kouri moved over to play point guard due to injuries on the team.
‘She did a good job adjusting and scoring for us too,? Wasilk said.
The lead changed hands several times during the contest, but the Wolves were able to keep Kettering at bay down the stretch.
Forward Taylor Daugherty had five points for the Wolves as well as two steals made with ease after anticipating the Captains? passes.
The Wolves? schedule for the next week includes three strong teams from Rochester (completed after press time), Southfield Lathrup (Oct. 12) and Detroit Pershing (Oct. 13).
‘It’s going to be fun,? Wasilk said. ‘We’re one of these competitors too, our girls know what to expect. We’re not intimidated by anyone.?