Everest Collegiate trips Lakes for district crown

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

Twitter:@LocalSportsFans

CLARKSTON — Sometimes a metropolitan area can takes years, even decades, to build up. Championship teams often take many years as well.

At Clarkston Everest Collegiate, the boys basketball program has flourished in just three short seasons.

The Mountaineers built captured their first-ever CHSL Intersectional Division title last month, and then followed that up with a fine 43-41, overtime victory over visiting Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes Friday night for  the school’s first district crown in the Class D boys basketball state tournament.

“In our first year, we lost to Lakes by I think 40 in our first district game,” said Anne Lowney, the head coach and athletics director at Everest Collegiate, small catholic school in Clarkston which will graduate its first class this season. “”Last year, we lost to (Auburn Hills) Oakland Christian by 20-something points. This year we were able to win a district championship.

“I think that anyone could have won tis game,” added Lowney.”Our boys played so hard to win it.”

Everest Collegiate advances to its first regional Monday night, and will face state-ranked Southfield Christian at 8 p.m. in the second regional semifinal at Birmingham Roeper.

The Mountaineers (17-6) outscored the Lakers 4-2 in the overtime session to prevail. Ironically, Everest finished 8-2 in its division with both losses coming by the hand of Lakes.

“Remember, when our seniors were freshmen, they played at Lakes (in the cooperative program),” reminded Lowney. “They play with Lakes in all other sports. Basketball is the only sport where we’re not united anymore.”

Donnie Allen, Everest’s 6-foot-5 senior center and one of three seniors on the team, scored 13 points for the Mountaineers. David Smith added 11 points and Blake Beauchamp scored nine for Everest, which struggled at the foul line with a 15-for-30 performance.

Garrett Ross scored 17 points for Our Lady of the Lakes (13-9). Nick Robak added seven points and Jake Weir and Jake Doetsch scored six apiece for the Lakers, who also struggled at the line (11-of-25) in this emotionally-tinged game in front of a packed house.

Everest Collegiate led 11-7 after the first quarter, only to see Lakes storm back with a 13-9 edge to tie the game at 20-20.

Both teams scored eight apiece and were dead even with 11 points each in the fourth stanza, forcing overtime at 39-39.

“This team had come a very long way in three short years,” said Lowney. “There’s such a smart team, too. They were coming some of the plays out there and we even called some plays that we haven’t really practiced this year and they guys remembered them from last year.”

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Tags: Basketball, boys basketball, CHSL Boys Basketball, Clarkston Everest Collegiate Boys Basketball.Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes Boys Basketball, MHSAA Boys Basketball Districts, prep boys basketball

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