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Sports

Friday Highlights: Lahser, Clawson, Ferndale Win Big

The Knights beat Andover in rivalry game; the Trojans double up Center Line; the Eagles win 11th straight.

UPDATED - Clawson and Ferndale scores from Tuesday added.

* home team in CAPS

FRIDAY

Boys Basketball

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The Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School boys basketball team is going for gold. 

A kept the Knights atop the Oakland Activities Association Gold division with four games to play.

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Without starting point guard Armand Cartwright for the rest of the season, Lahser (12-4; 5-1 Gold) is trying to keep pace with Groves and Oxford. The three teams went into Friday all tied with 4-1 records in the division.

Knights sophomore guard Martez Jones had a game-high 20 points. Yante Maten picked up his first career triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks.

“Our team really came together when he (Cartwright) got hurt,” Jones said. “We are just trying to play team basketball right now. This win is real big.”

The key stretch came at the end of the third quarter. Barons guard Myron Butler hit a 3-pointer with 3:27 left to cut Lahser’s lead to 37-36.

They didn’t score again until Terrence Garrett hit a free throw with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter. While holding Andover scoreless for nearly six minutes, the Knights pushed their lead to 54-36.

CLAWSON over Center Line 72-36

How did Clawson respond after its first loss in two months? By trouncing Center Line 72-36 at home on Friday night.

“The kids were really down about the loss on Tuesday, it was very humbling,” Trojans coach Bill Shellenbarger said. “I liked the way we responded. We are going to start a new streak.”

Clawson won by spreading the ball around on offense, it only had one player in double-digits, and getting out into transition. The Trojans rebounded the ball well and constantly pushed the ball up the court.

“That was our primary offense tonight, we did a good job in transition scoring points,” Shellenbarger said.

Marquian Johnson had eight points, 12 rebounds and six steals. Jared Ocampo led Clawson with 11 points.

The Trojans are now 14-2 on the season and 10-1 in the Macomb Area Conference Silver division.

Ferndale over CLARENCEVILLE 88-49

Ferndale didn’t miss many shots on Friday night in a 88-49 win over Clarenceville. The Eagles hit 11 3-pointers and had five players in double-digits.

 Jordan Ellis had a game-high 18 points. Aaron Rice had 17 and Jacob Dotson added 12.

“We were on fire,” Eagles coach Tom Staton said. “Even our center (Dotson) hit a couple of threes.”

Staton said his team went up by 20 in the first half and he was able to empty his bench early. Everybody saw the court in Ferndale’s 11th straight win. The Eagles improved to 12-3 on the season (6-0 OAA White).

Girls Basketball

Berkley over FERNDALE 49-47

Aarica McCray hit a game winning layup at Ferndale Friday night to give Berkley a 49-47 win.

Eagles forward Janecea Jenkins tied the game up with a free throw in the final minute, but McCray came right back to put her team back in the lead.

McCray had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals. Lucy McNally had 9 points and 11 rebounds and Diamond Wilford had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Jenkins had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Micaela Ellis and Taryn Stephens each had 11. Ellis had seven steals and six assists. The Eagles are now 7-8 overall and 6-7 in the OAA Blue.

SEAHOLM over Hazel Park 39-30

Kaija Pack and Lauren Yousif combined for 22 points on Friday to lead Seaholm over Hazel Park 39-30 on Friday night. Pack had a team-high 12 points. Yousif added 10. Grace Kennedy only had three points, but she helped set up the offense with six steals and 10 rebounds.

THURSDAY

Boys Basketball

ROYAL OAK over Hazel Park, 78-72

The boys basketball team put in extra work over the weekend and it paid off Thursday in a 78-72 win over Hazel Park.

Last Friday, the Ravens' poor shooting at the free throw line hurt them in a 40-37 loss to Groves. Dre Smith and Martel Porter organized a voluntary practice over the weekend in which each player shot more than 100 free throws.

The workout helped them hold off the Vikings in the fourth quarter Thursday. Smith was 7-of-8 from the line and 10-of-13 in the game. Porter was 3-of-4 from the line. 

“We withstood a flurry of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter,” Royal Oak coach Michael Massucci said. “They hit five in a six-minute span. Our efficiency at the free throw line really helped.”

Massucci credited the way his seniors responded to Friday’s tough division loss. “That’s leadership,” Massucci said. “The younger kids on the team see that, and see what it takes to win.”

Smith finished with 25 points and Porter added 15. Joel Gorbold and Jalen Mitchell also were in double-digits for the Ravens. Gorbold had 13 points and Mitchell had 12.

Senior Brandon Fredrikson was back in the lineup after missing eight games with a knee injury. He played well in the win, scoring five points and dishing out eight assists.

Royal Oak is now 8-7 on the season and 3-3 in the Oakland Activities Association Gold division.

ATHENS over Seaholm, 63-60

Birmingham Seaholm guard Paris Bass tried his best to even the season series against Oakland Activities Association Blue rival Troy Athens on the road Thursday night.

Down 55-52, Bass completed a 3-point play with six seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. But the junior’s game-high 29 points weren’t enough to keep the Red Hawks down.

Jeff Koch had a couple of big buckets in overtime and Caleb McIntosh was a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line to give Athens a 63-60 win.  

Marcarius Coakley continues to deal with a high ankle sprain. He played limited minutes, so his teammates had to step up and fill the void.

Tim Freiman led the Red Hawks in scoring with 16 points. Koch and McIntosh each had 10.

“Tim is a senior and Caleb’s injury has given him a nice opportunity,” Athens coach David Scott said. “He’s done a nice job of filling in. Jeff Koch has been developing all year and is really coming into his own for us.”

Scott was also happy with the contributions his two freshmen on the team made. John Van Hoef and Tim Shayoka combined for 17 points.

Athens is now 11-4 on the season and Seaholm is 8-7. Both teams are 3-3 in the OAA Blue.

Girls Basketball

South Lake over CLAWSON, 48-45

Clawson lost a close one to South Lake on Thursday night, 48-45. Lizzie Pasquin tied the game with a minute to go, but some late free throws doomed the Clawson Trojans.

“We outplayed them for three quarters,” Clawson coach Kelly Horne said. “We were outscored 19-11 in the third and couldn’t seem to get back in the game. They held us scoreless for six straight minutes.”

Horne said her team also had one of its worst night of free throw shooting this season. Clawson was only 5-of-14 from the line. “That’s very unlike this team,” she said.

Ryann May led the Trojans with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Alli Costine added 9 points.

The Trojans are now 9-7 overall and 7-4 in the Macomb Area Conference Silver division.

Flint Northwestern over ANDOVER, 55-28

Without Shannon Wilson, Andover struggled Thursday night in a 55-28 loss to Flint Northwestern.

Wilson on Tuesday. Flint was able to take advantage by forcing a ton of turnovers and turning a game that was 12-10 at the end of the first into a blowout.

Rachel Rea led the Barons with seven points. Cassidey Wright had a game-high 18 points for Flint.

Andover is now 14-2 on the season.

Wrestling

Team Districts (various)

Wrestling team districts kicked off Wednesday night around the state.

Oakland County teams in Division 2 and 4 wrestled Wednesday and those in Division 1 and 3 wrestled Thursday. The district meets were two rounds and most involved four teams. Districts with less than four teams featured byes in the opening round.

On Wednesday, Andover nearly made it to regionals after cruising past Ferndale in the opening round of the Redford Union district in Division 2. The Barons beat the Eagles 66-12, but in the finals lost to Redford 42-30.

Over at Orchard St. Lake Mary’s, Avondale and Holly dominated the opening rounds of the Division 2 district. The Yellow Jackets beat OLSM 75-6 and Holly beat Bloomfield Hills Lahser 72-6. In the finals, Avondale couldn’t keep with a Holly team that hopes to make the quarterfinals for the second straight season. Holly won handily 59-12.

One of the most competitive districts Thursday was in West Bloomfield where Farmington Hills Harrison beat West Bloomfield by only seven points in the first round, 34-27. In the finals, it was another close match with the Hawks prevailing 45-27 over North Farmington. North Farmington beat Walled Lake Central 36-31 in the first round to get to the finals.

Oxford began its title defense in the Lake Orion district Thursday, winning easily over Lake Orion 53-14 in the opening round and then shutting out Adams in the finals,  64-0. Adams edged out Stoney Creek 43-25 in the opening round, but was no match facing an Oxford team featuring defending individual champion Prescott Line.

The wrestling team Thursday evening at Birmingham , defeating the host team in the first round and Berkley in the finals. The team moves on to the regionals next Wednesday at Warren Cousino High School.

The Ravens used a very effective offensive attack in the opening meet, picking up five falls enroute to a 52-24 drubbing of the host Falcons. The Ravens started out fast with three falls in the first three bouts of the evening – by junior Zeke Burns, sophomore Max Bailiff and senior Tyler McCullough.

After so many exciting matches in the first round, the finals were anticlimactic with Berkley forced to surrender eight forfeits in Royal Oak’s 48-27 victory.

Royal Oak coach Mike McGee was pleased with the team's performance. “We did really well with the team we brought. They wrestled extremely well.”

TUESDAY

Boys Basketball

LAKE SHORE over Clawson 51-50

According to coach Bill Shellenbarger, it was a perfect storm for Clawson at Lake Shore on Tuesday night

“We committed 26 turnovers, we only had 18 rebounds and we were 10-of-20 from the free throw line,” he said.

Lake Shore took advantage by snapping the Trojans 13 game win streak with a 51-50 win.

Clawson had a chance in the final seconds. DeShawn Gilbert missed a free throw in the final seconds that would’ve tied the game. Jalen Harrison grabbed the rebound on the miss, but his buzzer-beater attempt bounced off the rim.

It was the Trojans first loss in the MAC Silver division on the season. They are 9-1 in the division and 13-2 overall.

Ferndale over OAK PARK 66-61

Ferndale needed a strong night from Nate Stepney to stay perfect in the OAA White on Tuesday night. Stepney’s 23 points helped the Eagles win 66-61 over Oak Park and push his team’s win streak to 10 games.

Jordan Ellis had 14 for Ferndale. Jacob Dotson had 15. The Eagles are 11-3 on the season and 6-0 in the White.

University over BERKLEY, 55-50

It was another close loss for on Tuesday night.

The Bears dropped to 2-13 on the season (0-7 in the OAA White) in a nonconference 55-50 loss to . Berkley actually had a eight-point lead in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold on in the final minutes.

“We couldn’t close again,” Bears coach Dave McGlown said. “It was a combination of missed free throws, turnovers and mental lapses on defense.”

Damon Eldridge and Jason Taylor each had 14 points in the loss.

Girls Basketball

A battle for first place in the Oakland Activities Association Blue division came down to one shot on Tuesday night.

With 4.0 seconds left on the clock, Shannon Wilson hit a one-handed jumper fading to the baseline to give an emotional 36-35 win over Royal Oak.

“In my mind, I felt like I had to make it,” Wilson said. “It felt great. Words can’t even explain right now what I’m feeling.”

The sophomore hit the shot with the Ravens’ defense collapsing in and a defender inches from her face.

“We were right there, we guarded it as well as we possibly could have,” Royal Oak coach Brian Sopata said. “When you look at how we guarded her all night we didn’t give her anything easy. She made a big shot at a big time.”

Wilson scored five of her 15 points in the final minute. Wilson initially had a chance to put Andover (14-1; 12-1 OAA Blue) ahead with 22 seconds left. She drove down the lane and missed a floater that bounced off the back of the rim.

The Ravens (14-2; 12-2 Blue) turned the ball over on the ensuing possession when Lizzie Girardot was called for a five-second violation trying to inbound the ball.

“It’s tough,” Sopata said. “At that point in the game, you absolutely have to execute. We didn’t and they did.”

It was Royal Oak’s third turnover in the final minute of the fourth quarter. The turnovers helped the Barons erase a 35-29 deficit in the final 90 seconds.

Ferndale over LAHSER, 59-38

beat up on Lahser in a 59-38 win on Tuesday night behind a strong effort from Micaela Ellis. The sophomore had 22 points, five assists and 10 steals. Janecia Jenkins added 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Katie Stewart led the Knights with 21 points.

The Eagles are 7-7 overall and 6-6 in the OAA Blue. Lahser is 5-9 overall and 5-8 in the Blue.

Clawson over EAST DETROIT, 48-29

Clawson's frontcourt dominated in a 48-29 victory over East Detroit on Tuesday night.

Ryann May and Alli Costine combined for 29 of the Trojans’ 48 points and both girls had double-doubles. May had 13 points and 12 rebounds while Costine had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

“We jumped out to a 16-2 lead,” Clawson coach Kelly Horne said. “We had really good play inside and the girls (May and Costine) really complemented each other. They were boxing out, passing well and we coasted.”

Horne called it a nice bounceback game after the Trojans' 20 point loss to New Haven on Friday. Clawson is 9-6 overall and 7-3 in the Macomb Area Conference Silver division.

Troy over NORTH FARMINGTON, 57-55

A balanced offensive attack led Troy over North Farmington on Tuesday night in a 57-55 win.

The Colts (9-6; 4-6 OAA Red) had four girls in double-digits. Sabria Cotton had a team-high 15 points, Katy McCuish and Karin Moss each had 11 and Sydney Heath had 10.

“I wish we could get that every night,” Troy coach Dennis Koch said.

His team led pretty much the entire game and held off a late surge in the fourth quarter.

“They had a good run at the end,” Koch said. “We were just able to keep them at arms length.”

Jasmine Harris had a strong game for North Farmington with 17 points. And the Raiders’ free throw shooting, 16-of-18 helped keep them in the game.

Previous Weeks 

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