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Welcome to the machine: Fine-tuned Athens dispatches Avondale

Dan Stickradt | March 5, 2012 | Comments (2)

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

TROY — The recent return of Marcarius Coakley has given Troy Athens a facelift.

With their entire lineup back and the Red Hawks clicking on all cylinders, Athens was a fine-tuned machine Monday in the opening round of the Class A boys basketball state tournament.

The Red Hawks were crisp on the offensive end of the floor, sending 11 players into the scoring column, including four into double figures, as Athens routed visiting Auburn Hills Avondale, 79-49.

“Obviously we’re a different team with Marcarius. He was averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds before he got hurt,” said Athens coach Dave Scott, whose team will face 14-6 Waterford Mott at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the district semifinals. “When you get that type of production, it’s hard to replace. He’s about 75 percent back now and 75 percent of Marcarius is still pretty good.”

DRIVE BY: Troy Athens senior forward Joly Grewal (Right) brings the ball up the court past Auburn Hills Avondale's A.J. Susick during Monday's Class A district contest. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

Athens had plenty of weapons step up in this contest, as the Red Hawks did a nice job of spreading the floor and sharing the sugar.

Senior Caleb McIntosh scored 20 with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals for Athens. Freshman Tim Shayoka added 14 points, senior forward Robert Dema chipped in 12 points and four rebounds, making all four of his three-point attempts, and Coakley twined 10 with seven rebounds and three assists and was right back in the flow of the Red Hawks’ offense.

Jeff Koch, Athens’ 6-foot-8 junior center, added nine points, six blocked shots and five rebounds for the Red Hawks, who held a 46-38 edge on the boards.

Athens finished the night a fine 28-for-55 from the floor (51 percent), made 16-of-24 free throws and sank 8-of-15 three-point attempts (53.4 percent). The Red Hawks also had 20 assists and 28 made baskets with 10 different players notching at least one assist.

BASKET WEAVING: Troy Athens senior Marcarius Coakley weaves through traffic in search of a basket in the Red Hawks' 79-49 victory over Auburn Hills Avondale. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“We got some great contributions from a lot of people tonight,” smiled Scott. “Robert Dema played good. Caleb McIntosh was steady at the point and was our leading scorer tonight. Our freshman, Tim Shayoka, came in and really sparked us in the first half. In that second quarter, we were a little low and energy and he kind of came in and gave us some instant offense and gave us a little lift.

“This was a nice team win,” added Scott. “We had our guys in double figures…If we can get that type of production, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

Avondale (4-17) was the exact opposite of Athens, struggling to hit from anywhere on the floor. The Yellowjackets were dismal from all over, going 20-for-72 from the field, just 2-of-19 from the foul line and 7-of-19 from 3-point land.

Avondale led 10-5 early but couldn’t sustain any momentum. Athens (15-6) closed the first quarter with a 13-3 run to go up 18-12 after the first quarter.

The Red Hawks went on a 15-7 surge in the second quarter with five different players scoring points in the quarter, which led to a commanding 33-17 lead at the half.

Athens continued to pour it on in the third quarter, outscoring the cold-shooting Yellowjackets 26-17 to up the ante to 59-31 heading into the fourth quarter. Avondale could not cut the deficit to under 20 points the rest of the way.

“We just never got into any type of flow offensively and we struggled shooting the whole night,” said Avondale coach Jeff Borja. “We had a hard time defending. They did a nice job attacking our zone and they were making shots on the outside and inside.”

Sophomore guard Jabbar Mims scored 17 points with five rebounds for Avondale. Junior Brandon Golden added seven points, 11 rebounds and four steals, and senior guard Deonte Randolph chipped in with eight points and five rebounds of the Yellowjackets.

“We just never had the right kind of chemistry this year unlike last year,” added Borja. “That chemistry never came to fruition and it showed. We were constantly looking for lineups and combinations to get us going. But it never happened.”

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