Green light: Tutu, Clarkston shoot down rival Pontiac

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

PONTIAC — In what seemingly is a rarity this season, Clarkston found itself in a close game in the third quarter Thursday with one of its chief rivals.

Consistently winning by double digits with a couple of 40-point-plus wins, the Wolves led Pontiac by just 36-32 count with 2:59 left in the third frame following a putback by Pontiac’s Derrick Kirk-Turner.

Nick Tutu had seen enough.

Struggling from the field in the first half, Tatu scored all 14 of Clarkston’s points in a 14-3 run that spanned from a three-pointer with 2:47 left in the third quarter to another triple with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter, and Wolves led 50-35 by that point.

Clarkston eventually staved off the Phoenix for a 56-40 OAA Red Division victory.

“That gave us some good game experience. It’s getting later in the season, we’re getting almost halfway (through),” said Tatu about his team’s four-point lead late in the third quarter. “We’ll be playing some tough teams, we’re playing against Detroit Community coming up, they’ll be bringing the pressure against us. We’ve got Southfield, Southfield Lathrup, they’ll be bringing the heat. So this was a good game to play in, especially in this atmosphere. You can’t hear out here, can’t communicate very well. This was a good win.”

Tatu had just seven points at the half, as he was 3-for-9 from the field through two quarters of play. His teammates picked up the slack, as Clarkston built a 33-24 lead by the half.

SLICING THROUGHN TRAFFIC:Clarkston;s Jordan Dasuqi takes the ball to the rim for two of his 17 points in the Wolves' 56-40 win.

“You have to keep shooting and you have to keep playing defense,” offered Tatu. “If you are playing bad offense, you can’t let it go to your defense. That’s how we try to play. Strict defense and force turnovers. The points will come.”

Clarkston (8-0, 3-0) shot a fine 56 percent (15-for-27) from the floor in the first half, and had 12 assists on 15 made baskets. The Wolves cooled off overall, finishing 23-for-49 from the floor (46.9 percent) for the game, but not before remaining unbeaten on the year.

Tatu was a deadly venom in the Phoenix side in the second half when Pontiac made its run, which consisted of an 8-3 spurt to open the third quarter.

“He always does (makes big buckets). He’s shooter,” said veteran Clarkston coach Nick Fife of Tatu. “I don’t know what he had early on in the first half. When you don’t shoot well early and you stay with it, that’s good for a player. That’s mental toughness.”

Tatu finished 7-for-14 from outside the 3-point arc and scored a game-high 25 points to lead Clarkston, which had only four players score points and only five out of nine players that got into the game actually attempt shots.

Jordan Dasuqi chipped in with 17 points and five assists, Matt Dellinger added eight points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Mitch Baenziger added has six points, four rebounds and three steals for Clarkston.

Fife still felt like Pontiac was a good test for the Wolves, who have had several wins by over 20 points.

“I think this was a good ball game. I don’t think it was 16 (point) win,” said Fife. “They threw a lot of different stuff out there that confused us, different defenses that made it difficult. We earned (the win).”

While he didn’t attempt any shots, Zach Collins finished with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and the team’s only blocked shot for the Wolves, who opened the game with a 10-4 run the led 21-14 by the end of the first quarter.

Clarkston never trailed in the contest, and the Wolves’current  seniors recorded their first win in Pontiac’s gym at the varsity level.

“I’m really pleased with our kids and how they responded,” added Fife. “It’s always nice to beat Pontiac. It’s always a good win for us.”

Jamarea Samples scored 14 points to lead Pontiac (6-3, 2-2). Jarod Jones added eight points and seven rebounds for the Phoenix, who finished the night 16-for-37 from the field (43.3 percent).

To submit information to www.northoaklandsports.com, e-mail dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com.  To advertise, e-mail advertising@northoaklandsports.com . Follow us on Twitter @LocalSportsFans and more than a dozen other social media networks.

FOR MORE BASKETBALL COVERAGE:  http://northoaklandsports.com/?s=Basketball&x=13&y=12

* Have photos or video of this event that you wish to share? E-mail pertinent information to www.northoaklandsports.com Senior Editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com or e-mail results@northoaklandsports.com.

(To report varsity results, e-mail results@northoaklandsports.com or dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com )

Tags: Basketball, boys basketball, Clarkston Boys Basketball, featured, high school boys basketball, OAA Boys Basketball, Pontiac Boys Basketball, prep boys basketball

Category: Clarkston, Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Most Recently Updated Stories, Prep Wraps, Top Stories, Uncategorized