Troy holds on at Stoney Creek, wins sixth straight

BY JAKE LOURIM

STUDENT CORRESPONDENT

j.lourim@comcast.net

TROY — A year ago, a fast-paced, high-intensity league game could have been one that the Troy varsity basketball team gave away in the final minutes.

This is a different team.

And this team is 8-1.

Another sensational performance from James Young — 28 points on 4-for-7

shooting from outside the arc and 6-for-9 at the line — powered Troy’s eighth

straight win Thursday at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 64-55.

“He moves pretty well without the basketball, and Evan (Mahone) gets him the ball

when he needs it,” said Troy coach Gary Fralick of his super sophomore.

Despite shooting almost 50 percent from the floor, Troy couldn’t shake the Cougars

until the final buzzer.

Stoney Creek played right with the Colts on its home floor, knocking down seven deuces, five 3s, and three free throws just as Troy did in a dead-even first half.

“I don’t think we were working hard enough,” said Fralick of the high-scoring first half. “We need to play with more intensity, and we need to play with more urgency.

“We didn’t get out to stop their shooters, and we didn’t stop the high post.”

The game was tied as late as the four-minute mark of the third quarter, when

Young pulled Troy ahead.

“It’s hard to keep him off the glass,” Fralick. “He hit some nice 3s, and he’s so long and athletic that he’s going to get his hands on a lot of balls.

“It’s hard to stop a 6’5” young man with his physical tools.”

He knocked down a pair of triples in a span of two minutes and Jeff Holmes added an inside basket to comprise an 8-0 run.

Despite the fact that Stoney Creek never quit, the Colts finished off the Cougars to improve to 8-1, 5-1 in the OAA White.

Stoney Creek had the deficit at five with still seven minutes left in the game, but

Mahone hit a 3 and junior Jeff Holmes knocked in two put-backs to give Troy a 12-point lead.

Seniors John Stibich and Al Wise each scored two-pointers in the next minute, putting the deficit at 61-45 after an 11-0 Troy run.

The red-hot Colts simply proved too fast and strong for the young Cougars, who lost a lot of talent from last year’s senior-laden team.

Troy will return home after taking care of business to take on two OAA White powers, Rochester Adams and Berkley.

The Colts stand in a tie with Berkley and Auburn Hills Avondale, who beat Troy on

Dec. 15.

The showdown with the Bears Friday will go a long way towards deciding the league title if Troy can get past the scrappy Adams Highlanders Tuesday.

Most of it will probably depend on the production of Young and the ability of Troy to finish down the stretch—expect a wild finish both nights.

“We need to have the ball in his hands because most of the time, good things are going to happen,” Fralick added of Young, who raised his scoring average to 23.8 points per game.

“We’re playing with a lot more confidence,” Fralick added. “We believe we’re going to win, and we know that anybody we play, we’re going to have a good chance.”

Tags: boys basketball, prep boys basketball

Category: Prep Wraps, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy