Map to the Division Title: Here Come Basketball Playoffs

Basketball season is heading into the home stretch and with three weeks left until the playoffs, it's time to take a look at where the division races in the Oakland Activities Association stand, starting with the boys.

Lahser looking for revenge; Royal Oak could play spoiler

2011 Champion: N/A

It looks like a two-team race in the OAA Gold division, as Bloomfield Hills Lahser and Oxford sit tied atop the division with identical 5-1 records. Both schools have four division games left to play, including a matchup against each other on Feb. 23.

The Wildcats won the first meeting between the schools 49-42 on Jan. 26 at their gym. Lahser struggled in the first half of that game, only scoring four points in the second quarter.

“We came out very lethargic,” Lahser coach Duane Graves said after the game.

Graves didn’t make excuses for his team, but his team had played three games in four days. Rest shouldn’t be a problem for the Lahser Knights the second time around. They play only one game a week until the final week of the season.

On paper, the loss of Lahser’s leading scorer Armand Cartwright, after a foot injury sustained against Groves Jan. 31, would seemingly give Oxford an advantage. Sophomore Khalil Gracey filled Cartwright's shoes admirably at the point guard spot by scoring 11 points in a 63-54 win over Hazel Park Feb. 3.

Birmingham Groves, 4-2 in the Gold, still has an outside shot at a share of the division title, but coach Scott Sheckell's Falcons will need help. Oxford needs to lose one of its final four games and Lahser needs to lose to Groves in a head-to-head matchup Feb. 28 for Groves to win a share of the title.

“There’s no way someone can go 9-1 in our division,” Sheckell said.  “We assume we control our own destiny and if we can beat Lahser, we’ll hopefully be in the picture.”

One team that could play the role of spoiler is Royal Oak. The Ravens play both Oxford and Lahser in the final three weeks of the season.

With the return of senior guard Brandon Fredrikson from a knee injury, Royal Oak is at full strength for the first time in more than a month.

Senior forward Martel Porter gives them the size to match up against the Knights and earlier this season the Ravens nearly beat the Wildcats 73-68.

Perry and Pereira lead Rochester in the Blue

2011 Champion: Rochester

Can you say back-to-back?

Rochester High School won the OAA Blue division in 2011 with a 12-2 record in the division. This year, the Falcons are in sole possession of first place with a 6-0 record in the division.

Behind strong play from Taylor Perry and Paris Pereira, the Falcons are averaging over 65 points per game in division play.

“Rochester has a great team,” Athens coach David Scott said. “They play hard all the time, they play hard for 32 minutes.”

Barring a pretty significant collapse, the division title should be staying in Rochester.

Seaholm, Lake Orion, Athens and Farmington are all battling for second place. Each team has at least two losses in the Blue. Stoney Creek has yet to even win a division game.

Ferndale will try to pull away in the White on Friday

2011 Champion(s): Troy and Avondale

The OAA White division could be decided Friday at between the Ferndale Eagles and Troy Colts.

With a 6-0 record, Ferndale is in sole possession of first place in the White, a game ahead of the 5-1 Colts. If coach Tom Staton's Eagles win Friday, it would have a two game lead with three left to play.

“It’s going to be a big one, that’s for sure,” Staton said.

After losing to Athens 81-78 back on Dec. 14, the Eagles rattled off 11 straight wins before losing to Country Day 88-59 on Tuesday. The streak included an 83-74 win at Troy back on Jan. 20.

Colts junior forward James Young, a candidate for this week's Patch Athlete of the Week, scored 33 points in the loss.

Containing Young will be a focus for Staton’s defense. The top junior in the state showed how he can take over a game in his team’s 79-74 win over Clarkston last week. He set a new school record with 49 points and went off for over 30 in the second half alone.

Wolves dominating Red division

2011 Champion: Clarkston

Clarkston is making easy work of the OAA Red division.

At 9-0, Clarkston’s average margin of victory in the Red is 24 points per game. They have more 40-point wins this season (2) than games decided by 10 or less (1).

The Wolves 58-52 win over Pontiac on Tuesday was the closest division game they played since a 64-48 win over Southfield on Jan. 20.

Clarkston has the biggest cushion in the entire OAA. They are three games up on the competition with only three left to play. One more win would clinch at least a share of the division title.