Oakland Christian holds on against Inter-City Baptist
BY TIMOTHY PONTZER
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
AUBURN HILLS — As the tournament quickly approaches, teams around the area are making their final push to March Madness. One team in particular that likes it chances this upcoming March is Auburn Hills Oakland Christian.
The Lancers (15-1, 10-1) are currently ranked seventh in the Associated Press Class D poll and are off to their best start in over a decade. Despite the success, the team is careful not to overlook their upcoming schedule, taking each game one at a time.
On Friday night, the Lancers hosted Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (11-6, 7-5) in a MIAC Blue Division matchup. Contrary to their record, the Chargers have played tough this season, including a close 44-42 loss to the Lancers late last month. That two-point margin is the narrowest the Lancers have had in a victory this season.
The Chargers looked to give the Lancers their second straight loss, and the first defeat on their home floor. In the end, Oakland Christian had too much firepower for a 49-39 win, which kept them in a first-place tie with Grosse Pointe Woods University-Liggett with two weeks left in the season.
Both teams struggled to hit shots out of the gate, combining for a measly twenty points in the first quarter, with the Lancers leading 12-8. The Chargers only managed to hit three shots in the quarter, including a long desperation three that banked in as the buzzer sounded.
Poor shooting continued to plague both teams in the second quarter, with the scoreboard reading 24-17 at halftime, with the Lancers still on top. Oakland Christian juniors Drew Perrin and Josh Peterson led the home attack with seven and six points respectively in the half.
Inter-City Baptist freshman Evan Kraatz helped to keep the game close with a hard-earned six points in the first half.
Oakland Christian head coach Dennis Hopkins was not pleased with the offensive output by his squad in the game, especially in the first half.
“We didn’t play well offensively, we couldn’t hit our shots,” he said, “We just didn’t execute as well as we know we could have.”
The second half saw slightly higher scoring by both teams with the Lancers outscoring their opponent 13-8 in the third quarter. The Chargers exploded in the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to narrow the deficit to only five points. Inter-City dominated on both ends of the court, blocking shots and getting their own shots to fall.
Oakland Christian junior Charles Hayden proved to be the answer to the Chargers’ late run. Hayden, a transfer from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, scored all of his nine points in the second half, including five clutch free throws in the fourth quarter to deliver the knockout blow to Inter-City.
Despite being outscored 14-12 in the fourth quarter, the Lancers were able to hold on for the 10-point win to remain unbeaten at home.
Chargers head coach Mark Kraatz attributed the loss as a result of too many swings in momentum.
“Ultimately it comes down to a few plays, plays that turn the momentum. They (Oakland Christian) made more of those plays that we did tonight,” noted Kraatz.
In addition to the momentum swings, Kraatz pointed to a lack of presence in the paint for his squad.
“Our starting center, Vladi Smolyanov fouled out and was a non-factor and our other center (Ben Draper) has the flu and was hampered tonight,” added Kraatz.
Despite their early troubles, Kraatz was pleased with the final few minutes of the game, but was disappointed that his squad let the chance to win slip away.
“We definitely were coming back, but there was a few miscommunications on our part that cost us the game,” said Kraatz. “We had a chance, but that one guy (Hayden) hit some really big free throws there at the end, and that was it.”
Hopkins was obviously pleased with the win, but still is expecting more out of his offense.
“We just didn’t hit our shots tonight. We got some to the rim, but they just rolled off,” said Hopkins. “They (Inter-City Baptist) rebounded well offensively, and beat us there especially in the second half.”
Inter-City Baptist freshman Evan Kraatz was very impressive in the game, leading all scorers with 15. Draper added seven points for the Chargers.
Coach Kraatz was pleased with the play of his leading scorer.
“He struggled in the last game against them (Oakland Christian) but fared better tonight. That’s a tough fifteen points against that defense.”
The Lancers never trailed in the contest, employing a balanced attack with juniors Perrin and Peterson each notching 10 points, while senior Andrew Kern and Hayden each adding nine points each.
Kraatz pointed to that well-rounded attack as one of Oakland Christian’s greatest strengths.
“Oakland has balance, it is really hard to focus on one specific player, they can beat you with several guys,” he said.
Despite the shortcomings on offense, Hopkins was pleased with how his team played as a whole, especially with this being the first game back since the Lancers’ tough loss to University-Liggett earlier in the week, tarnishing their perfect record.
“This was definitely a good response to the fact that we lost, I told the boys that you don’t want to peak in February, that means we won’t be playing in March,” offered Hopkins.
Hopkins believed that his team is primed for a deep run, but he is careful to not to rush his squad. “We have gone a long time without a break and exams are coming up. They’ve had dances, snow days, and Super Bowls, we just need some rest. We’re going to dial it back a little in practice and focus more on the fundamentals of our game.”
Category: Auburn Hills Christian Acadamy, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Prep Wraps
