BOYS BASKETBALL: Lake Orion to continue upward trends
BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
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LAKE ORION — Following a major rebuilding campaign two years ago, Lake Orion is looking to continue an upward trend this winter.
The Dragons finished a dismal 4-17 during the 2016-17 season only to pull a reverse and finish 17-4 in 2017-18. That included an 8-2 record in the OAA Blue Division in which th Lake Orion shared the league title with Rochester.
Lake Orion voluntarily moved up to the OAA Red Division for the first time after originally being promoted to the OAA White Division. The OAA-Red is where the Dragons are competing against perennial programs, including Clarkston, which won back-to-back Class A state championships the past two seasons and own 12 straight league titles and district titles in 23 of the previous 26 seasons.
HEADS UP: Junior guard Jack Cummins is one of several reasons why Lake Orion is off to a 7-2 start this season. Courtesy Photo | Lake Orion Athletics
“We have come a long ways since two years ago and we felt that we returned enough guys this year to try to make the jump,” offered Jim Manzo, who coached the Dragons from 1998-2007 and then returned for the 2015-16 season.
The jump is a much tougher schedule and competing in a significantly deeper and more competitive league in the OAA Red Division — the first time the Dragons have been in the OAA’s top division since the OAA’s inception in 1994-95.
Lake Orion opened the season 5-0 and as of Jan. 8, hold an impressive 7-2 overall record. The Dragons were 2-2 in the seven-school OAA Red Division and tied for third with Oak Park with the only two losses coming against league favorites Clarkston (58-37) and West Bloomfield (64-61).
The Dragons have averaged 60.3 points a game through nine contests while holding the opposition to 48.2 points an outing. Lake Orion scored a season high off 77 against Troy Athens (a 77-48 win) in December and have scored above 50 points eight times and above 60 points a total of six times this season.
“We have the capability of putting a lot of points up on the scoreboard. We have a lot of players who can score and we are deep. We can play a lot of players if we need to,” offered Manzo.
Personal-wise, the Dragons return several players from last season’s rotation, along with some talented newcomers.
Much-improved big-man Nathan Talbot is one of the top post players in all of Oakland County. The 6-foot-9 Talbot recently inked with Division II Wayne State University to continue his career and is a force in the paint, scoring, rebounding and blocking shots.
Senior forward Kyle Loken (6-0) is in his third season on varsity, known for his inside-outside game. Fellow juniors Andrew Van Heck, a 6-2 forward, and 5-11 guard Jack Cummins are also in their third seasons at the varsity level.
Van Heck only played in four games last season due to a season-ending injury but has made his presence felt during his healthy return.
Senior forward Hunter Sites (6-2), senior guard Jake Rydquist (6-0) and senior guard/forward Shayne Barkeley (5-10) also return.
Junior Isiah Harris, a 6-2 guard, transferred over from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s last January, and after sitting out the second semester due to MHSAA transfer rules, has brought some athleticism and scoring ability to the Dragons’ lineup. He is not bashful of going to the basket or pulling up from distance.
“We will try to play a more up-tempo game than we have in the past. Our personal allows us to do that,” said Manzo. “I think guys like Harris really help us in a lot of ways.”
Junior guards Cruz Moran (5-8), Cameron Sutton (5-9), Marion Robinson (5-11) and Mitchell Howell (5-10), along with junior forwards Zachary Hay (6-3) and Dylan Boedgheimer (6-4) round out the roster.
“We’re going to be competitive. We’ll see how we do in the league,” said Manzo earlier in the season. “There’s a lot of very good programs. We know one thing that we will give our best effort. It’s our goal too always try to outwork our opponents. If we do that, then we will compete and beat some teams.”
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