Falcons shut down Mt. Clemens

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — Simply put, points were hard to come by for Rochester last season. And while the Falcons are far from an offensive juggernaut this season, Rochester is starting to lay its hat on defense and overall improvement.

The Falcons, who finished just 4-17 last season, recorded their second win of the season Wednesday night, topping Mt. Clemens, 47-37, in the second semifinal game of the Rochester Holliday Classic girls basketball tournament.

The Falcons (2-3) will face West Bloomfield at 6 p.m. Friday in the finals. West Bloomfield, the defending tournament champions, rolled past Walled Lake Northern, 60-41, in the first semifinal.

“I just think they are starting to gain more confidence,” said coach Adam Sheldon. “We beat Farmington a couple of weeks ago and now we gained this win. Last year, we started 1-11 and we just didn’t have any confidence.”

Rochester outscored Mt. Clemens 14-9 in the fourth quarter, although six of the Battling Bathers’ points came on two late three-pointers inside the final 15 seconds.

Mt. Clemens’ bus arrived only three minutes before the original start of the contest, causing a 20-minute delay.

Rochester took advantage with a 6-0 run to start. The Battling Bathers battled back and closed the deficit down to 9-8 by the end of the first quarter.

Mt. Clemens took its first lead when Sheyna Deans scored off a steal and layup for 15-14 advantage. Rochester regained the lead at 19-17 at the half on a three-pointer by Aubrey Konal.

The Battling Bathers used their full-court pressure defense to force 20 turnovers in the contest, but couldn’t overcome a cold shooting night, which resulted in shooting less than 25 percent from the floor.

Rochester led 33-28 entering the fourth quarter and opened the frame with a layup from Zhana Randolph. Mt. Clemens closed to with 35-30 with 6:55 to play on a layup in transition from Deans.

The Battling Bathers did not convert another field goal until Deans drained a three-pointer with 15 seconds left, a drought of 6:40.

“We just couldn’t’ make our shots,” admitted Mt. Clemens coach Jason Monk. “When you play a team like Rochester that has some quick players and a couple of players that can shoot the ball, you have to be able to knock shots and we couldn’t do that. We couldn’t stay with them.”

Dean finished with 18 points and 20 rebounds for Mt. Clemens. Dominique Turner added 10 points for the Bathers.

Konal led Rochester with 16 points. Randolph added 11 points, including 7-for-10 free throws, and Anne Tucker scored six with eight rebounds for the Falcons.

“I thought we played very good defensively and we showed flashes on offense,” said Shelton. “We did a nice job in the fourth quarter keeping them from making a shot for over six minutes. That was key. I think it all goes back to the confidence. We win some games and it will carry over into the rest of the season.”

Tags: Basketball, girls basketball, Mt. Clemens Girls Basketball, prep girls basketball, Rochester Girls Basketball

Category: Featured Articles, High School, Prep Wraps, Rochester