When Eagles fly: Rochester Hills Christian bands together to trip up Lake Orion Baptist

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — This contest had trap game written all over it.

With Rochester Hills Christian in the midst of a league championship battle and starting sophomore guard Aaron Berry out of the lineup for another six weeks with a back injury, the Eagles did not want to get caught looking ahead.

The rest of the Eagles have pinched in and helped fill the gap in Berry’s absence.

The latest win came Friday at home against Lake Orion Baptist, where Rochester Hills Christian held off the Lions for a 75-63 FBAC Red Division boys basketball victory. The win keeps the Eagles just one game behind Troy Bethany Christian in the league standings with three league games to go.

RUNNER -IN-THE-LANE: Rochester Hills Christian sophomore forward Josh Steiner scoops in two of his eight points in the Eagles' 75-63 triumph over Lake Orion Baptist. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“Aaron Berry hurt his back and Nathan Simon has been our point guard. We’ve had Jesse Montgomery (step) in and we have Chuck (Kalajian) coming off the bench. We have guys that have stepped up,” noted Rochester Hills Christian coach Jon Bronsing. “Lake Orion played us very tough and I take nothing away from them. But this was our toughest game of the year in terms of mental mistakes. We made a lot of mistakes.

“Nathan Simon is our only senior and we have a very young team,” continued Bronsing. “Fortunately our guys were able to pull this one out.”

Rochester Hills Christian (10-3, 4-1), which has six sophomores and two freshmen on its roster, led 19-13 after the first quarter and 36-26 at the half, but had to stave off the efforts of Lake Orion Baptist senior guard James Noruk in the final two quarters.

GETTING AROUND: Lake Orion Baptist senior guard James Noruk (left) maneuvers around Rochester Hills Christian senior guard Nathan Simon during Friday's FBAC Red Division contest. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

The fourth-year varsity veteran scored a game-high 31 points with six rebounds and kept the Lions (4-4, 2-2) within striking range for much of the second half.

Noruk scored 25 of his points after halftime and scored eight of his team’s final 11 points of the third quarter, which brought Lake Orion Baptist back to within 52-48 entering the fourth quarter.

Noruk continued to shine by opening the final frame with a 3-pointer that brought the Lions to within one point (52-51) with 7:54 left in the game.

Lake Orion Baptist could get no closer, as Rochester Hills Christian responded with a 23-12 run to close the game.

“I thought we did a great job battling back,” said Lake Orion Baptist assistant coach Gordan Halleck, who was filling in for head coach Tim Barnes. “It took us a while to get going but I thought Noruk really got going in the third quarter. He’s a competitor. I thought his brother, Jason Noruk, did a great job on the boards for someone his size, and Mark Dewar also did a great job. I think we just ran out of gas at the end.”

Simon, who came in averaging 19.2 points an outing, scored 28 points with six assists and three steals for the Eagles, who forced 26 turnovers. Sophomore Marquez Hatcher compiled a triple-double with 14 points, 10 steals, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Montgomery had nine points, seven rebounds and a trio of steals and sophomore center Josh Steiner added eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists as a new starter. Kalajian chipped in with 11 points off the bench.

“We’re getting a lot of contributions from a lot of players,” said Bronsing. “We had some great performances from several guys. When Lake Orion made the run at us, we had guys come through in the clutch. Noruk is a great player and he helped bring them back to within one point. But even with a young team, we found a way to pull away in the fourth quarter.”

Sophomore forward Mark Dewar added 14 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots for Lake Orion Baptist. Sophomore forward Jason Noruk chipped in with 17 points, 15 rebounds, eight steals and three assists in his varsity start, as he replaced junior Ben Case, out on an school-related music festival.

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Tags: Basketball, boys basketball, FBAC Boys Basketball, featured, high school boys basketball, Lake Orion Baptist Boys Basketball, prep boys basketball, Rochester Hills Christian Boys Basketbal

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