Avondale uses big run to pull away from Troy
SLICING THROUGH TRAFFIC: Auburn Hills Avondale's Ray Tillman dribbles past Troy's Mike Sully during the Yellowjackets' 66-62 OAA White Division win over the Colts. Staff Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
AUBURN HILLS — A year ago, Auburn Hills Avondale relied mostly on its guards to remain competitive on the basketball court. While the Yellowjackets still have one of Oakland County’s top backcourts, they have added some punch to its front court as well.
Avondale’s speedy backcourt proved to much for Troy during a 22-5 second-half run and the Yellowjackets’ post game proved worthy in a 66-62 OAA White Division victory.
Senior guard Ray Tillman scored for 25 points with seven steals, most coming after halftime, and point guard Tony Harris added six points and six assists for the Yellowjackets. Inside, junior A.J. Susick, who played on the junior-varsity last season, used his 6-foot-6 frame to add 14 points, 16 rebounds and two blocked shots, while 6-5 senior Ryan Brancheau added 10 boards for Avondale.
“We have a lot of experience, a very experienced backcourt. We have great guard play, a lot of athleticism” said Avondale coach Jeff Borja. “Those guys played well, especially when we made our run. We made some steals, got out and transition. But we need to make better decisions and put teams away. We let down a little bit. We played well until the last couple of minutes, then we allowed them to make a run.
“What I do like is our inside play. Our post players are coming along nicely,” added Borja. “We really worked with A.J. over the summer on some post moves and he is starting to really come into his own. Ryan Brancheau started to play a lot late last season and he’s a (leaper) who can get in there and get us some rebounds.”
Avondale and Troy are two of the top teams in the OAA White this season, with Berkley, Ferndale and Rochester Adams also labeled as contenders in a nine-school division. The two traded punches for the first two and a half quarters.
Locked in a 37-37 battle with 4:57 minutes left to play in the third quarter, Avondale (3-0, 2-0) closed the quarter with a 15-5 spurt to go up 52-42. Troy (2-1, 1-1) went ice cold in that stretch, making 2-of-9 shots in that span, including 0-for-6 from three-point range.
“I think we fell a little bit too much in love with the (3-pointer),” admitted veteran Troy coach Gary Fralick. “We attempted 29 of them. We had five in the first half but we only had three in the second half. We need to make 12-for-29 or something like that to stay in this game. We couldn’t make anything there for a few minutes and it took us out of the game.
“We needed to get a little high-low plays going, but instead we were too comfortable of launching threes,” continued Fralick. “If we can get the ball inside a lot more, then we can kick it out to our shooters. We are normally a good shooting team, but we didn’t shoot all that well tonight.”
The Yellowjackets continued to pull away at the start of the fourth, going on another 7-0 to open a 17-point cushion (59-42) with 5:33 left in the contest. Troy did not go away quietly.
Despite finishing the night 8-for-29 from outside the 3-point arc, the Colts slowly clawed back to within 64-60 inside the final minute. Troy finished the game on a 13-4 run inside the two minute mark, but ran out of gas.
Sophomore guard James Young scored over 20 points for the third time this season, this time collecting 25 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Senior guard John Stibich added 18 points, but made just 4-of-10 three-pointers, Al Wise added six points and five rebounds and point guard Evan Mahone was held in check with only four points and three assists.
“We had a nice effort at the end, but we were down by 17. That’s a lot to come back from,” said Fralick. “We were ice cold for about three minutes and it killed us. We know we can
Avondale took the inside track in the league race for now, but with a 16-game schedule, it’s a long haul.
“This was a big win for us, It is going to be a fun league race and we beat a very athletic, well-coached team,” added Borja. “We need to learn to make decisions in situations like this. Troy has some good players and they are well coached. We saw that at the end.”
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Category: Auburn Hills Avondale, Prep Wraps, Troy
