Stoney Creek gets defensive on Lake Orion
DOWN THE LANE: Lake Orion's Chaz Miller tries to drive past Rochester Stoney Creek's Tyler Curtis during Friday's OAA White Division game.
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
LAKE ORION — Already far removed from the OAA White Division title chance, both Lake Orion and Rochester Stoney Creek were both searching for more than just a win Friday, but a building block for the rest of the season.
Stoney Creek found both.
The Cougars dominated the first half, then withstood a fourth-quarter run to earn just its second won of the year,45-36, in OAA White Division play.
Stoney Creek may be far from a well-oiled machine offensively, shooting 16-for-54 for the floor and 11-for-19 from the foul line, but the Cougars were purring on the defensive side of the ball. They also dominated the boards, racking up a 45-31 advantage on rebounds.
“That’s how we won the game. Rebounding and defense,” said first-year Stoney Creek coach Steve Norgrove, who inherited a team with only three returning varsity players. “The one thing I like, and that we can hang our hat on, is that some teams talk about playing defense, but I really think right now we are playing defense. We held Berkley the other night to 50 points, far under their average, and we held Lake Orion to 36 tonight. We didn’t give up more than 12 points in one single quarter. Giving up four points and two field goals in the second quarter really gave us a lot of confidence and energy.”
Forcing 14 turnovers, Stoney Creek held Lake Orion to a dismal 14-for-49 shooting night, including 1-for-13 from three-point range. The Dragons (1-8, 1-7) also made just 7-of-15 free throws.
Lake Orion coach Mike Shafkalis played 12 of 13 players, trying to find the right combination to ignite some offense.
“We were just searching, because nobody was playing well,” said Shafkalis. “When we finally closed the gap, I thought we’d go with certain kids, offensive-defensive kind o thing. We came close, but the bottom line is we didn’t shoot well.”
Stoney Creek led 12-8 at the end of the first quarter and used a 13-4 run in the second quarter for a 25-12 advantage at the half. The Cougars used a 14-12 edge in the third quarter to build a 39-24 lead entering the final frame.
Lake Orion held the Cougars scoreless from the 1:23 mark of the third quarter to their was 2:05 left, a span of 7:18. Stoney Creek’s 15-point lead was dwindled down to 39-34 with 3:38 when freshman John McCarty drove the lane for a bucket, to cap a 10-0 run.
The Cougars hunkered down again, allowing only two free throws the rest of the way.
“We knew that playing that home, that they would have a little fight in them and that they would make a run. Our offense went a little stagnant and they came back,” said Norgrove. “The one thing we talked about in the time outs was to not shoot them back into the game and I thought we did that for about a three-minute span in the fourth quarter. Our shot selection gave them some run-out baskets.”
Sophomore Damonte Kruse led Lake Orion with eight points, while McCarty added seven points, six rebounds and three assists for the Dragons. The duo combined for10 points in the fourth-quarter run.
“We weren’t ready to play,” conceded Shafkalis. “It’s not the kids. I take the blame. It’s my job to prepare them and get them ready to play. We try to put together some good solid game plans, but obviously I’m not doing that. The kids are playing hard. I can’t fault their effort.”
Stoney Creek’s Taylor Rawlings and Tyler Curtis dominated on the boards, combining for 25 rebounds. Curtis had only five points but pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while Rawlings scored 12 with 12 rebounds.
“Those two guys finished with a combined 25 rebounds. We did a good job of limiting them to only one shot, especially in the first half,” said Norgrove.
Alex Jones led the Cougars with19 points, while Blake Wisemann finished with five points and six rebounds.
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Category: Prep Wraps, Rochester Stoney Creek
