Rivalry shuffle: Holly picks up the pace, dances past Brandon
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
HOLLY — Message sent.
Message received.
Holly boys basketball coach Lance Baylis was not pleased with his team’s level of play during the first quarter of Friday’s Flint Metro League game against Ortonville Brandon.
His instructions to pick up the pace were heard loud and clear after a lackadaisical first quarter by the Bronchos.
LETTING HER FLY: Holly freshman guard Parker Rowse put ups up this short-range jumper past Ortonville Brandon's Dylan Everett during Friday's Flint Metro League contest. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
The hosts used an 18-4 second-quarter run to overturn an 11-9 deficit and fuel a 63-52 triumph over the Blackhawks.
“We had to pick it up,” said senior forward Nic Stoll. “We have been in a little bit of a slump. I think we did after job (after the first quarter).”
Baylis was pleased with his team breaking the press and picking up the pace. But there are still some areas of concern.
“We did a better job of handling their pressure and that led to the (18-4) run,” he said. “What I’m not pleased with is the 19-for-44 free throw shooting. Have you ever heard of that? We are not a good free throw shooting team. We should have won by 25 or more instead of 11.”
Still, Holly led 27-15 at the break, holding the Blackhawks off the scoreboard for the final 4:52 of the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Bronchos went on a 20-19 run to extend the lead to 47-34 and led by as many as 18 points (54-36) in the fourth quarter.
WITH AUTHORITY: Holly's Nic Stoll slams home towo of his game-high 21 points during the Bronchos' FML win Friday over Ortonville Brandon. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
Stuck in second place in the nine-school FML behind Fenton and one game ahead of Swartz Creek and Flint Kearsley with just one month to go, the Bronchos (11-2, 10-2) are still very much alive in the title hunt.
“We are in the hunt, which is good, but we need to improve in some areas,” noted Baylis. “I think the one thing I do is I play all 13 players in each game. I’m the only coach I know in this league that does that. Perhaps that has something to do with (the inconsistent play). The starters were fine.”
Stoll continued to impress by this season. The Michigan Tech-bound 6-foot-6 forward flirted with a triple-double, scoring a game-high 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Senior guard Jared Plawski added 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, while 6-5 senior forward Alex Hopkin had seven points and 11 rebounds and junior guard Justis Kerner scored eight for Holly.
Brandon (4-10, 3-9) did close the gap down to 10 points late in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback. The Blackhawks were outrebounded 44-26 and committed 16 turnovers.
SMOOTH SAILING: Holly's Jared Plawski shots over Ortonville Brandon's Cody Feltner during the Friday's contest. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
”We just put in a new defense the other day and we went to the press,” said Brandon coach Ross Gauthier. “I thought we did a nice job with it. (Holly) got a lot of points off breaking the press and going inside. We gambled. I am pleased, though, as we kept battling and never gave up.
“We are still a very young team. We had two sophomores and seven juniors out there that played, so we could have nine guys back next year,” added Gauthier. “We are getting better and preparing for the future.”
Dylan Morris scored 11 to lead Brandon. Alexander Bageris added 10 points, Charles Rice chipped in with eight points and Quinton Cook provided five points and seven rebounds for the Blackhawks.
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CLEAN SWIPE: Ortonville Brandon's Dylan Morris makes this steal during the first half of Friday's Flint Metro League game. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
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Category: Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Holly, Ortonville Brandon, Prep Wraps
