Lady Cagers showed they are coming together as a team Friday, during their loss to West Bloomfield, 48-38, bringing their overall record 3-2.
‘I thought we played pretty well tonight on both sides of the floor,? said Coach Tim Wasilk.
‘Our shots weren’t going down. Tonight we were 5 on 24, that’s not going to put you on top for any ball games,? Walsilk said. ‘West Bloomfield played pretty hard. They looked like they were an experienced team and they did a good job.?
Before going into half-time, the score remained close. With five minutes left in the second period, Clarkston was trailing by three points. With a three-point shot to the basket, Jaclyn Otto tied up the game.
Jennifer Johnston followed up, making three more points for the team, putting them in the lead, 19-16.
The team continued the trend and ended the second quarter two points ahead, 24-22.
West Bloomfield came back from half time bringing a fight. They matched the Wolves point for point until they ended the third quarter six points ahead.
In the fourth quarter, West Bloomfield looked for opportunities to get the ball away from the Lady Wolves.
As the last five minutes began to count down, Clarkston was still close. But after fouls against Clarkston, West Bloomfield added three points to their score. They continued to widen the gap with two more baskets, ending the game, 48-38.
‘I thought we did everything right. We played hard on defense,? said senior Betsy Mellen after the game. ‘Our shots just didn’t fall, we just have to work on our shooting more. I thought we played pretty hard.?
Clarkston’s high scorers were Johnston, 9, Taylor Daugherty, 8, and Alyssa Swindlehurst, 6.
West Bloomfield’s high scorers were Chenise Miller, 21, and Lauren Davis, 13.
Mellen and her teammates are ready to play against Waterford Kettering on Thursday night.
‘We have three days of practice. We going to work our butts off, work on shooting, get out there and beat Kettering,? said Mellen. ‘I’m excited. I feel like we’re going to be strong.?
‘If we play how we did tonight, I think we’ll be okay,? said Wasilk.
‘I think our team is starting to come together a bit and play with more confidence.?
Lady Cagers will host Kettering on Thursday. Junior Varsity will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Varsity team at 7 p.m.
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Lady Cagers won their OAA crossover game with Troy-Athens Dec. 11, 47-39.
‘We need to come to play every single night, that was a big thing tonight on the defensive end of the floor,? Wasilk said.
‘We didn’t get four quarters of good effort tonight. We did about two quarters that made a difference in the game tonight.?
In the first quarter, Alyssa Swindlehurst and Jaclyn Otto helped the team to get ahead by both making three point shots on the basket.
The Lady Wolves led the first quarter, 16-6.
In the second and third quarter, Troy Athens picked up the pace on offense and went into the last quarter trailing by three points.
‘Troy Athens fought hard,? Wasilk said. ‘They’re a young team, they came out and they competed and they didn’t give up. and we made a good game tonight.?
Clarkston players made a tighter defense in the last quarter, making it hard for Troy Athens to score any baskets. A majority of Troy-Athens points were made in the final three minutes of the game were from penalty shots.
‘We put them to the line for a few free throws, I think we were being over aggressive with our hand checks defensively and that put us out a little bit. It’s never good when you’re giving them free throws and the clock stops.
‘I think our girls just need to understand every night they need to come ready to play and that’s the big thing. I think we had a good fourth quarter, brought up the defensive intensity and shot the ball well and pushed the ball to the floor. If we can just do that for four quarters, I think we’ll be alright.?
The high scorers during the game were Kaleigh Kenny, 13, Taylor Daugherty, 10, and Jennifer Johnston, 10.
The high scorers for Troy Athens were Chelsea Miller, 8, Olivia Brannon, 6, and Jenna O’Dell, 6.