Lake Orion is in second place in the OAA White at 9-3

By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
ORION TWP. — The Oxford-Orion rivalry is never dull and the game on Feb. 4 lived up to the expectations of two teams competing for the top spot in the OAA White division.
For the Dragons (13-7 overall, 9-3 OAA White) – who were on a nine-game winning streak, their only league loss at the time was to the Wildcats on Jan. 3 – a victory would put them in a tie for first place with Oxford.
Oxford defeated Lake Orion 79-67 in double overtime at Lake Orion High School on Feb. 4. For The Wildcats (18-0), who entered the game 16-0, they would need a win to continue their undefeated season and retain sole possession atop the league standings.
“It was a phenomenal game. I’ve been a part of a lot of Orion-Oxford games, whether I was playing or as an assistant coach and now being a head coach. The other great game that comes to mind is the district final in 2019. There was a ton on the line then, and this one ranks up there from an Oxford-Orion standpoint, considering what was on the line,” said Oxford head coach Joe Fedorinchik.
The Lake Orion defense ran up against a tough opponent in Oxford senior Jake Champagne, who had 45 points and 16 rebounds in the victory, setting a new Wildcat school record for most points in a single game.
The first quarter was back-and-forth with the Dragons and Wildcats keeping the score close. Down 11-10, Lake Orion’s Nathan Giacolone drew a foul with seven seconds left in the quarter and went to the free throw line. He made both shots, giving the Dragons a 12-11 lead to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Oxford came back and took a sizable lead, going up 24-15 with 3:20 left in the half. Lake Orion managed to close the gap to six points, but Champagne hit a two-pointer at the buzzer to give Oxford 28-20 lead going into halftime.
It was not until 1:16 left in the third quarter that the Dragons brought the game within two points when Lake Orion senior Zach Price-Parks made it 38-36 on a layup. Oxford quickly countered with a two-point shot and then a three-pointer by Champagne to finish the third quarter with the 43-38 lead.
Oxford held the lead in the fourth quarter until, with 6:09 remaining, Lake Orion took the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 45-43, on a shot from Nick Galben.
Thirty seconds later, Oxford starter Drew Cady got his fifth foul and had to leave the game.
Champagne tied it at 45 a with 4:20 left in the game, and senior Luke Stoffan put Oxford up 48-45 21 seconds later with a three-pointer.
Price-Parks brought the game within three points, 51-48, after making two free throws with around two minutes left, but fouled out of the game with one minute remaining, leaving the Dragons without their leading scorer.
With 14 seconds left in the game, Oxford held a 53-50 lead and called a timeout. On the inbounds pass, the Dragons got the ball to Gabe Scott, who launched a long three-point shot with three seconds left to tie the game at 53 and run out the clock for the end of regulation.
Oxford held the lead throughout much of the first overtime going up by five points, 59-54, with 2:19 left on the clock. The Wildcats maintained a slim lead until the Dragons tied it up at 59 with 43 seconds left, and then took the lead, 61-59 with 31 seconds left.
While it may have looked dire for the Wildcats, they maintained possession of the ball, worked the perimeter and then tied it up to end the first overtime, 61-61.
At 3:27 of the second overtime Lake Orion’s Ryan Rocheleau fouled out, leaving the Dragons without another key player. That foul sent Oxford’s Nolan Mauser to the free throw where he gave the Wildcats a two-point lead, 63-61. The Dragons brought the game 69-67 with 1:01 remaining, but were forced to foul on Oxford’s possession, sending Luke Stoffan to the line for two points. Oxford never lost the lead after that and pulled ahead to win the game by 12 points.
Zach Parks finished the game with 17 points to lead the Dragons. Nate Giacolone had 14 points, Ryan Rocheleau had 11 points, Will Farmer netted three three-pointers for nine points, Gabe Scott had eight points, and Jackson Shoskey and Nick Galben each scored four points.
Lake Orion is 13-7 overall and 9-3 in the OAA White division. The Dragons lost a league game 54-46 to Farmington on Friday. Ryan Rocheleau had 14 points for the Dragons.
Lake Orion travels to Oak Park (5-8) on Thursday for a 7 p.m. and then to Harper Woods (3-12) at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 for the final game of the regular season. Both are OAA White games.