BOYS BASKETBALL: Clarkston rallies past Lake Orion to reach district finals
BY DAN STICKRADT
Senior Editor
S.M.G. Wire Services / www.northoaklandsports.com
Dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
OXFORD — Although somewhat offensively challenged unlike some of its most recent powerhouse teams, Clarkston is still finding other ways to win these days.
The Wolves are laying their collective hats on stingy defense and used that defensive prowess to its advantage Thursday night – along with a little late offensive infusion to remain alive in the Division 1 postseason.
Clarkston used a 20-8 fourth-quarter run — spearheaded by some defensive pressure that led to steals, transition points and free throws – in rallying past Lake Orion, 45-35, in a Division 1 district semifinals at Oxford High School.
The Wolves will face Rochester Adams in the district finals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Oxford. Adams defeated Romeo, 56-44, in the second game Thursday.
Third-year Clarkston coach Tim Wasilk understands that Clarkston’s wins are not a thing of beauty this season, unlike the 2017 and 2018 state championship teams or the 2009 Final Four squad that were all loaded with an array of offensive options. Clarkston only needs to keep stymying opponents on the defensive end to advance.
“Survive and advance,” beamed Wasilk. “We talk about the NCAA Tournament and all of the teams that go down. The kids just have to understand it’s not about how many you win by, but about surviving and advancing because everybody is ready to play by this time of year.”
Clarkston (13-3) led only once during the first three quarters, and that was 4-3 with 2:45 to play in the first quarter on a layup from 6-foot-5 junior forward Mike DePillo.
Defensively, Clarkston is allowing only 42.5 points a game. No team has scored 60 on the Wolves, while only four have scored above 50 and Clarkston has held seven teams to under 40. Most importantly, the Wolves have held six straight opponents to fewer than 44 points – and showcased their defensive style against Lake Orion, especially in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 27-25 entering the final frame, Clarkston moved to some half- and full-court defensive schemes, limiting the Dragons’ space, closing down passing lanes and forcing them to rush decisions. Junior point guard Keegan Wasilk scored 10 points with five assists, two steals and two rebounds in the fourth quarter alone to lead the Wolves’ late-game surge.
Keegan Wasilk’s layup gave Clarkston a 31-29 advantage with 5:33 to go. After Lake Orion senior guard William McClear converted a layup with 3:25 to go that put the Dragons up 33-32, Clarkston responded with a quick 6-0 run for a 38-33 lead with 1:35 remaining. During the run, Wasilk’s dish to DePillo for a jumper with 2:56 to go put Clarkston up for good.
The Wolves outscored Lake Orion 13-2 over the final 2:56 of the contest, including 7-for-9 from the charity stripe during that stretch run.
“Lake Orion played a great game. They’re very well-coached,” said Tim Wasilk. “But we made big plays when we needed to and I thought our defensive pressure was really good throughout the game. We mixed in some traps and made it really tough on them, especially in the second half.”
Keegan Wasilk, the coach’s nephew, finished with a game-high 20 points, going 7-for-11 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free throw line to go along with seven assists and five steals – both which were also game highs – and chipped in with three rebounds for good measure.
In all, Clarkston forced Lake Orion into 20 turnovers and recorded 13 steals as a team. The Wolves finished 18-for-35 from the floor (51.5 percent) and 9-for-17 from the foul line (53 percent). They did not sink a single three-pointer.
Senior center Luke Scherler added eight points, DePillo chipped in seven points and junior guard Zach Austin supplied six points and three assists for the Wolves. Clarkston shared some serious sugar by assisting on 15 of its 18 made field goals.
The head of the defensive monster has been Keegan Wasilk, a third-year varsity veteran and one of two returning starters from last year’s 21-1 team.
“(Keegan has) been awesome. I know he wants this really bad after last year’s ending and with the run we could have made,” Tim Wasilk. “He just kind of said let me take (Lake Orion’s) point guard. Let me guard him and he tried to change the game. He did, and kind of willed us to a win tonight. He made big steals, big layups, and big free throws. He’s the identity of our team. The ultimate competitor.”
Lake Orion came out aggressive and built a 12-7 advantage after the first quarter. The Dragons maintained their lead at 17-15 at the half and 27-25 after three quarters of play but fell apart in the final frame. Lake Orion finished just 4-for-11 from the floor with five turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Lake Orion finished 8-13 last year after reaching the district finals. That game was scheduled to be against Clarkston, but the season was suspended the day before and eventually being called off due to COVID reasons. This year the Dragons saw mass improvement in winning a co-championship in the OAA Blue Division and finishing 11-4 overall.
“We’re getting there,” said second-year Lake Orion coach Joel Schroeder. “There’s so much you have to go through to get over that hump. I’m sad for this group of seniors because I thought they had earned the right to maybe beat Clarkston, but this wasn’t their day.”
Junior guard Malachi Grandberry finished with 12 points and three assists to lead Lake Orion, which loses only four seniors to graduation. Senior center Xander Blackney added eight points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots, and junior forward Alden Ritt followed with seven points for the Dragons.
While Lake Orion held a 21-11 rebounding edge, the Dragons finished the night shooting just 45.5 percent from the floor (15-for-33), 40 percent from the foul line (2-for-5) and 30 percent from three-point range (3-for-10).
“We knew it was going to come down to who could score more and they just had more options they could go to at the end,” said Schroeder.
Category: Basketball, Clarkston, Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Most Recently Updated Stories, NOS reference, Prep Wraps, Sport, Top Stories, Uncategorized
