Lakecrest Baptist is using small numbers to roll opponents
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
CLARKSTON — Waterford Lakecrest Baptist is trying to write its own, Michigan version of Hoosiers.
The Defenders, the top-ranked boys basketball team in the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division II ranks, have overcome the odds this season despite a very small enrollment. The season continued for Lakecrest Baptist on Tuesday in an MACS-II sectional opener at Clarkston Springfield Christian.
The Defenders never trailed, going up 22-7 over Vassar Juniata Christian after eight minutes of play and cruising to a 60-25 triumph over the Flames.
Lakecrest Baptist, which finished as the MACS-II state runner-up last season to Carson City Fellowship Baptist, improved to 21-6 on the year and will face Lake Orion Baptist, a 57-52 upset winner over host Springfield Christian in Tuesday’s other sectional semifinal, on Friday night at Springfield Christian. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
“We’ve had a very good season so far. We’ve played a lot of games, mostly against bigger schools than us,” admitted coach Jon Dalton, a former all-stater at Temperance Stateline Christian and one of the all-time leading scorers in Monroe County history during his prep days. “We only have 24 kids in our high school and only eight boys. We have a lot more ladies, so we don’t have a big group to choose from.”
There are six high school players on the varsity, forcing Dalton to bring up a couple of junior-high players under the state’s sub-100 student rule to fill out the roster for most games.
“We only have six-player rotation mainly,” said Dalton. “Last week a couple of my guys were sick. I had to bring up a couple of the young kids. I had no choice. We still won, though.
“What I like about my guys is that we have four seniors that have played together for a few years now,” added Dalton. “They really started playing together when they were in sixth grade. Back then, we played against a bunch of other really small schools. Our teams weren’t very good back then. Now, we have a team that plays together. We’ve had a nice run the past couple of years.”
Still, few teams have been able to match the Defenders this season. Most of their losses have been against out-of-state opponents at weekend tournaments.
Lakecrest Baptist put their MACS tournament game away by halftime, building a commanding 37-9 advantage over Juniata Christian, which won the MACS-II state title four years ago but is suffering through a major rebuilding campaign. The Flames finished 4-15.
The Defenders were relentless with their pressure, running four guards at a time and pressuring the ball all over the court. By the end of three quarters of play, the Defenders held a 52-16 lead. Juniata Christian closed with a 9-8 run.
Lakecrest, the regular season champion of the Central Michigan Christian Athletic Conference for the first time, will face Lake Orion Baptist in the second round, a team that gave the Defenders fits in a non-league game earlier in the season.
“The last time we played them, it was a good game,” recalled Dalton. “It was close, I think four points in the second half before we went on a little bit of a run in the fourth quarter. We’re expecting another good game with them.”
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