BOYS BASKETBALL: Unbeaten Southfield pulls out late win over Troy
BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
TROY — Troy boys basketball team’s OAA Red Cinderella story is over — for now.
Unbeaten Southfield made sure of that.
The Bluejays handed the Colts their second straight loss and first in league play with a 62-52 OAA-Red victory Friday night.
This one came down to free-throw shooting. Both teams took 17 foul shots, but Southfield hit 13 while Troy only hit eight from the charity stripe. That was the difference until the Bluejays broke Troy’s last-gasp full-court press in the final minute for two more baskets.
Southfield smothered Troy’s last hope in the final 20 seconds. The Blue Jays had the ball on the perimeter and were in the one-and-one, meaning one front-end miss could give Troy the ball back. But Troy senior Joe Leonard was the perimeter defender, and he didn’t foul because he had four fouls. Southfield made a quick pass for an easy layup to go up eight points.
The next possession, the Blue Jays grabbed a long rebound and whipped it down the floor for a buzzer-beating dunk.
Turning point: Troy had been hanging around the whole game until the 3:36 mark in the fourth quarter. Chris Dorsey’s free throw brought the Colts within three, but Southfield hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, jumpstarting a 7-0 run that built an insurmountable lead.
Troy game ball goes to: Zak Noor. The senior point guard ran the offense effectively against one of the county’s top defenses, which came in at 8-0. Noor finished with 13 points on three-for-six shooting from long range, four rebounds, two assists and no turnovers.
Key stat: 8-for-13 (Troy’s free-throw shooting). That was the sole difference in the game, although Southfield did shoot a tad better from the field (42 to 34).
Home crowd buzz: For the second straight home game, the student section was smaller than usual. It did have a few brief moments, though: near the end of the first, second and third quarters, the students counted down from three seconds with about ten seconds left, forcing Southfield to heave up an off-balance shot instead of taking a couple more dribbles or passes.
Notable quotable: “These are two games we should have won. For me, that’s enough motivation.” –Danny Wunderlich, referencing the losses to Southfield and Bloomfield Hills Lahser last week.
What it means: After two stunning wins to begin the league schedule, the Colts are now one game back. As long as Troy keeps winning, though, it shouldn’t be waiting too long for the Southfield loss. For starters, the Blue Jays play Clarkston Tuesday.
On deck: Troy (4-3, 2-1 OAA Red) faces three crucial games this week: at undefeated Rochester Adams Tuesday, home against league foe North Farmington Friday and a noon road tip at Warren Fitzgerald Saturday in the Martin Luther King Classic Saturday.
(Jake Lourim is a senior at Troy High School and a member of the S.H.P. Media Group / www.northoaklandsports.com Student Correspondence Program. He is publisher of website www.troycoltsportsupdate.com and a member of the Troy school newspaper editorial staff. He can be reached by e-mail at j.lourim@comcast.net)
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