Free throws often make last minute differences in basketball games, as the Dragons found out last week.
Competing against OAA Blue leader Rochester on Jan. 31, Lake Orion’s boys? basketball team took the Falcons to double overtime before falling, 73-67.
The fact that the Dragons reached overtime was an achievement, considering their slow start and falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter.
But the second quarter saw Lake Orion begin its slow climb back up the scoreboard. At halftime, the team was down by nine points and its aggressive play during the third quarter put the Dragons up by one.
It was a back and forth contest from there, with the game tied at multiple points until the second overtime period. Lake Orion lost its momentum and missed a number of free throws that spelled the end of an exciting game.
‘It really was a nail biter – no one quit for the entire game,? said Head Coach Tom Risi. ‘We just lost momentum and failed on too many free throws. We went one for six from the line in a second overtime. You cannot do that and win a game.
‘I am very proud of how hard the kids played.?
Top scorers for the game were sophomore John McCarty with 18 points, junior Chaz Miller with 17 points, sophomore Roman Kuster with 10 points and junior Damonte Kruse with eight points. Risi also noted Kruse had very few turnovers.
Defensively, the head coach was impressed with Kuster, in particular. He said the junior took a couple of charges before fouling out in the fourth quarter and, overall, had a ‘monster game.?
The team played again on Feb. 3 against Troy Athens, soundly beating the Red Hawks 61-47. McCarty again led all scorers with 21 points, followed by senior Justin Walukonis with 16 and Miller finished with 11. Walukonis and McCarty went 11-12 and 5-6 at the free throw line, respectively. Overall, the team was 20-25 from the charity stripe.
Risi said it was not unusual for teams to foul more than usual near the end of a close game but, in the case, fouling Walukonis was a mistake given his touch at the line.
‘They kept fouling him and he kept making them pay for it,? the coach said, noting it was a close contest for most of the game ? the Dragons only led by one at the half.
Up next for Lake Orion is Farmington on Friday, Feb. 10. The team previously faced the Falcons on the road in a close Dragon victory. Risi said the team is athletic but, if his team can slow them down, they will have good chance at winning again.

The Dragons managed to break even last week with a win 65-49 win over Notre Dame Prep and a tough 63-56 loss against Ferndale.
In what head coach Tom Risi called the best game his team has played all year, senior Brad Watterworth and sophomore John McCarty led the scoring with 20 points each against Notre Dame. Senior Chaz Miller tacked on another 14 points in the solid victory.
The Jan. 13 game against Ferndale was as disappointing as the victory against the Fighting Irish was exhilerating. With Orion scoring similar to the game earlier in the week, it was a combination of errors that led to the loss, the coach said. While Risi said he was happy with how his team played despite the loss, but pointed out the team struggled on defense early.
‘We were losing 14-2 in the first two minutes of the game,? said Risi. ‘Ferndale created 21 turnovers, and they shot very well from the three point line. Between ball pressure and their shooting we just couldn’t hold them back.
‘They locked us down.?
Lake Orion’s inside game was again its strong point, with the team shooting 20 for 37. Ferndale finished 16 for 36, including five of nine from three-point range. Lake Orion went two for 14 from the three-point arc. Orion did take the lead once in the third period by two after a brief surge.
‘They were very quick and very athletic,? said Risi. ‘Defensively we were not where we needed to be. McCarty got into early foul trouble, which did not help us since he’s one of the better defenders. At the end of the day though, you just cannot turn over the ball as much as we did and expect to win.?
Watterworth scored 14 points while McCarty took 13. Miller, according to Risi, has played much better since the Jan. 3 game against Clarkston. He lead the team in scoring against Ferndale, with 20 points.
‘He’s been playing like I know he could,? said Risi. ‘He’s on fire.?
Risi added his appreciation for the strong crowd that came out to watch his team and said when the crowd gets into the game he cannot thank them enough. He said having so many people in the community care about the basketball team was beneficial to team moral.
Orion also played Birminham Seaholm on Jan. 17 and will play again against Stoney Creek on Friday. Risi said Birmingham would prove a tough opponent as they have the same record. He was not able to offer a comment on Stoney Creek.

Free throws often make last minute differences in basketball games, as the Dragons found out last week.
Competing against OAA Blue leader Rochester on Jan. 31, Lake Orion’s boys? basketball team took the Falcons to double overtime before falling, 73-67.
The fact that the Dragons reached overtime was an achievement, considering their slow start and falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter.
But the second quarter saw Lake Orion begin its slow climb back up the scoreboard. At halftime, the team was down by nine points and its aggressive play during the third quarter put the Dragons up by one.
It was a back and forth contest from there, with the game tied at multiple points until the second overtime period. Lake Orion lost its momentum and missed a number of free throws that spelled the end of an exciting game.
‘It really was a nail biter – no one quit for the entire game,? said Head Coach Tom Risi. ‘We just lost momentum and failed on too many free throws. We went one for six from the line in a second overtime. You cannot do that and win a game.
‘I am very proud of how hard the kids played.?
Top scorers for the game were sophomore John McCarty with 18 points, junior Chaz Miller with 17 points, sophomore Roman Kuster with 10 points and junior Damonte Kruse with eight points. Risi also noted Kruse had very few turnovers.
Defensively, the head coach was impressed with Kuster, in particular. He said the junior took a couple of charges before fouling out in the fourth quarter and, overall, had a ‘monster game.?
The team played again on Feb. 3 against Troy Athens, soundly beating the Red Hawks 61-47. McCarty again led all scorers with 21 points, followed by senior Justin Walukonis with 16 and Miller finished with 11. Walukonis and McCarty went 11-12 and 5-6 at the free throw line, respectively. Overall, the team was 20-25 from the charity stripe.
Risi said it was not unusual for teams to foul more than usual near the end of a close game but, in the case, fouling Walukonis was a mistake given his touch at the line.
‘They kept fouling him and he kept making them pay for it,? the coach said, noting it was a close contest for most of the game ? the Dragons only led by one at the half.
Up next for Lake Orion is Farmington on Friday, Feb. 10. The team previously faced the Falcons on the road in a close Dragon victory. Risi said the team is athletic but, if his team can slow them down, they will have good chance at winning again.

Free throws often make last minute differences in basketball games, as the Dragons found out last week.
Competing against OAA Blue leader Rochester on Jan. 31, Lake Orion’s boys? basketball team took the Falcons to double overtime before falling, 73-67.
The fact that the Dragons reached overtime was an achievement, considering their slow start and falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter.
But the second quarter saw Lake Orion begin its slow climb back up the scoreboard. At halftime, the team was down by nine points and its aggressive play during the third quarter put the Dragons up by one.
It was a back and forth contest from there, with the game tied at multiple points until the second overtime period. Lake Orion lost its momentum and missed a number of free throws that spelled the end of an exciting game.
‘It really was a nail biter – no one quit for the entire game,? said Head Coach Tom Risi. ‘We just lost momentum and failed on too many free throws. We went one for six from the line in a second overtime. You cannot do that and win a game.
‘I am very proud of how hard the kids played.?
Top scorers for the game were sophomore John McCarty with 18 points, junior Chaz Miller with 17 points, sophomore Roman Kuster with 10 points and junior Damonte Kruse with eight points. Risi also noted Kruse had very few turnovers.
Defensively, the head coach was impressed with Kuster, in particular. He said the junior took a couple of charges before fouling out in the fourth quarter and, overall, had a ‘monster game.?
The team played again on Feb. 3 against Troy Athens, soundly beating the Red Hawks 61-47. McCarty again led all scorers with 21 points, followed by senior Justin Walukonis with 16 and Miller finished with 11. Walukonis and McCarty went 11-12 and 5-6 at the free throw line, respectively. Overall, the team was 20-25 from the charity stripe.
Risi said it was not unusual for teams to foul more than usual near the end of a close game but, in the case, fouling Walukonis was a mistake given his touch at the line.
‘They kept fouling him and he kept making them pay for it,? the coach said, noting it was a close contest for most of the game ? the Dragons only led by one at the half.
Up next for Lake Orion is Farmington on Friday, Feb. 10. The team previously faced the Falcons on the road in a close Dragon victory. Risi said the team is athletic but, if his team can slow them down, they will have good chance at winning again.

Free throws often make last minute differences in basketball games, as the Dragons found out last week.
Competing against OAA Blue leader Rochester on Jan. 31, Lake Orion’s boys? basketball team took the Falcons to double overtime before falling, 73-67.
The fact that the Dragons reached overtime was an achievement, considering their slow start and falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter.
But the second quarter saw Lake Orion begin its slow climb back up the scoreboard. At halftime, the team was down by nine points and its aggressive play during the third quarter put the Dragons up by one.
It was a back and forth contest from there, with the game tied at multiple points until the second overtime period. Lake Orion lost its momentum and missed a number of free throws that spelled the end of an exciting game.
‘It really was a nail biter – no one quit for the entire game,? said Head Coach Tom Risi. ‘We just lost momentum and failed on too many free throws. We went one for six from the line in a second overtime. You cannot do that and win a game.
‘I am very proud of how hard the kids played.?
Top scorers for the game were sophomore John McCarty with 18 points, junior Chaz Miller with 17 points, sophomore Roman Kuster with 10 points and junior Damonte Kruse with eight points. Risi also noted Kruse had very few turnovers.
Defensively, the head coach was impressed with Kuster, in particular. He said the junior took a couple of charges before fouling out in the fourth quarter and, overall, had a ‘monster game.?
The team played again on Feb. 3 against Troy Athens, soundly beating the Red Hawks 61-47. McCarty again led all scorers with 21 points, followed by senior Justin Walukonis with 16 and Miller finished with 11. Walukonis and McCarty went 11-12 and 5-6 at the free throw line, respectively. Overall, the team was 20-25 from the charity stripe.
Risi said it was not unusual for teams to foul more than usual near the end of a close game but, in the case, fouling Walukonis was a mistake given his touch at the line.
‘They kept fouling him and he kept making them pay for it,? the coach said, noting it was a close contest for most of the game ? the Dragons only led by one at the half.
Up next for Lake Orion is Farmington on Friday, Feb. 10. The team previously faced the Falcons on the road in a close Dragon victory. Risi said the team is athletic but, if his team can slow them down, they will have good chance at winning again.

Free throws often make last minute differences in basketball games, as the Dragons found out last week.
Competing against OAA Blue leader Rochester on Jan. 31, Lake Orion’s boys? basketball team took the Falcons to double overtime before falling, 73-67.
The fact that the Dragons reached overtime was an achievement, considering their slow start and falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter.
But the second quarter saw Lake Orion begin its slow climb back up the scoreboard. At halftime, the team was down by nine points and its aggressive play during the third quarter put the Dragons up by one.
It was a back and forth contest from there, with the game tied at multiple points until the second overtime period. Lake Orion lost its momentum and missed a number of free throws that spelled the end of an exciting game.
‘It really was a nail biter – no one quit for the entire game,? said Head Coach Tom Risi. ‘We just lost momentum and failed on too many free throws. We went one for six from the line in a second overtime. You cannot do that and win a game.
‘I am very proud of how hard the kids played.?
Top scorers for the game were sophomore John McCarty with 18 points, junior Chaz Miller with 17 points, sophomore Roman Kuster with 10 points and junior Damonte Kruse with eight points. Risi also noted Kruse had very few turnovers.
Defensively, the head coach was impressed with Kuster, in particular. He said the junior took a couple of charges before fouling out in the fourth quarter and, overall, had a ‘monster game.?
The team played again on Feb. 3 against Troy Athens, soundly beating the Red Hawks 61-47. McCarty again led all scorers with 21 points, followed by senior Justin Walukonis with 16 and Miller finished with 11. Walukonis and McCarty went 11-12 and 5-6 at the free throw line, respectively. Overall, the team was 20-25 from the charity stripe.
Risi said it was not unusual for teams to foul more than usual near the end of a close game but, in the case, fouling Walukonis was a mistake given his touch at the line.
‘They kept fouling him and he kept making them pay for it,? the coach said, noting it was a close contest for most of the game ? the Dragons only led by one at the half.
Up next for Lake Orion is Farmington on Friday, Feb. 10. The team previously faced the Falcons on the road in a close Dragon victory. Risi said the team is athletic but, if his team can slow them down, they will have good chance at winning again.

The Lake Orion High School Varsity Boy’s Basketball team triumphed over Troy Athens High School on Friday, Feb. 4, at Lake Orion High School.
The Dragons ended the game with a final score of 66-54.
The Dragon’s also faced off against Southfield High School in an away game on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
They will play again on Tuesday, Feb. 15 against Birmingham Seaholm.

The Lake Orion Varsity Boy’s Basketball team squared off against Troy High School on Thursday, Jan. 27, bringing home a win from the away game at Troy High School with a final score of 66-47.
They will play again on Tuesday, Feb. 1 against Berkley High School.

Friday, Dec. 17 the Dragons fell to Oxford 43-41. In the home game, Chaz Miller contributed 13 points and Connor McCormick added seven for Lake Orion, now 0-3.