Lions lock-down Springfield Christian for MACS upset

Dan Stickradt | February 24, 2011 | Comments (2)

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GOING TO THE RIM: Lake OrioGOING TO THE RIM: Lake Orion Baptist junior guard James Noruk glides past Clarkston Springfield Christian's Kevin Bettinger for two of his game-high 28 points Tuesday in the Lions' 57-52 win. Staff Photo | Larry McKee. For a photo gallery, please visit www.lmckeephotography.com

n Baptist junior guard James Noruk glides past Clarkston Springfield Christian’s Kevin Bettinger for two of his game-high 28 points Tuesday in the Lions’ 57-52 win. Staff Photo | Larry McKee. For a photo gallery, please visit www.lmckeephotography.com

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

CLARKSTON — Conner Welby relishes a challenge. He was faced with more than one Tuesday in Lake Orion Baptist’s game against Clarkston Springfield Christian.

The senior point guard drew the second-half assignment of guarding Springfield Christian’s top player, senior Alex Trull, after Trull scored 12 points in the first half and helped his team build a double-digit lead on multiple occasions.

Welby held Trull to only three points in the fourth quarter and helped the Lions surge back from a 45-34 deficit in the final frame to ground the home-standing Eagles 57-52 in a Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division II sectional opener.

Lake Orion Baptist (4-12) closed the game on a 26-7 run, including 23-7 in the final quarter, to pull the upset after Springfield Christian swept the regular season series.

“Knowing that could be my last game, I was getting pretty frustrated. We were turning over the ball way too much and every time we turned the ball over they get a fast break and go down and score,” said Welby. “I said that we needed to lock down on defense and not let them set up on offense.

“We went after their best guy, I was on their best guy. We just shut him down in the fourth quarter,” added Welby. “Once we wouldn’t let them set up their offense, they couldn’t score. I love getting in guy’s faces. There were times where I just missed him and he made his shots, but I think we shut him down big time when it counted most.”

The Lions will face top-ranked Waterford Lakecrest Baptist ay 6 p.m. Friday at Springfield Christian in the sectional finals. Lakecrest Baptist (21-6) romped past Vassar Juniata Christian 60-25 in Tuesday’s other sectional semifinal.

Lake Orion Baptist, which suffered mass losses to graduation and transfer, went to the small band of returnees to carry them in this contest. Lions coach Joe Bullen felt that Welby’s play was a difference maker.

“I thought Cole did an excellent job defensively on their guy,” said Bullen. “We switched it up to a (diamond and one) and it got us back into the game. Our objective was to take their go-to guy (Trull) out. That gave us an opportunity to catch up. We hit those layups that we weren’t hitting earlier in the game.”

Welby, not known for his offensive prowess, mauled the Eagles with a surge in the fourth quarter. After freshman Mark Dewar opened up the fourth quarter with a pair of free throws, Welby scored seven straight in the run, including a three-pointer and pair of lay-ups, the latter which closed the gap to within 45-42 with 5:38 still to play.

Junior teammate James Noruk, who missed half of the season for disciplinary reasons, took over the game at that point, scoring 12 of his team’s final 15 points. It was Noruk’s three-point play with 3:15 to play that put Lake Orion Baptist up for good at 49-47.

Noruk’s final points put the Lions in a comfortable 56-49 position. He finished with a game- and career-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots for good measure.

Welby had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, while senior forward Nathan Shefcyk had eight points and five rebounds for the Lions, who don’t have a player taller than 5-foot-11.

Five of Springfield Christian’s seven fourth-quarter points came inside the game’s final 32 seconds, and Trull’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 56-52 with eight ticks remaining.

“We just couldn’t score in the fourth quarter,” offered Springfield Christian coach Pat Wagner.  “Give their defense credit. I thought if we would have played the way we did for much of the game in the fourth quarter, then we would have won by double digits. They came back and hit some shots and we went (cold) in the fourth quarter.”

Trull finished with 23 points, four rebounds, four steals and four assists for Springfield Christian (8-12), which closed the season with three straight losses. Senior guard Kevin Bettinger added seven points, six rebounds and four assists and sophomore Ben Matthews scored 14 with 10 rebounds for the Eagles, who were held to just 19-for-50 shooting performance from the floor, including 2-of-12 from outside the arc.

Springfield Christian opened with a 9-0 run and led 15-7 after the first quarter. By halftime, the Eagles led 32-25. Springfield pushed the advantage to 11 points (45-34) through three quarters of play, but could not hold the momentum.

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Tags: boys basketball, featured, MACS

Category: Clarkston Springfield Christian, High School, Lake Orion Baptist, Prep Wraps