One good shot deserves another. And another. And another.
For the Lake Orion boys? hoops squad last Thursday, a 90-second stretch proved to be the difference in a 58-43 OAA II victory over visiting Rochester Adams.
The Dragons hit three-pointers on four consecutive trips midway through the second quarter (including two by Drew Maynard from about 25 feet) to turn what was a tight game into a double-digit lead that Adams could never recover from.
Behind Maynard’s 18-point first half, Lake Orion built a 35-24 advantage that expanded to a 16-point lead early in the second half.
From there, Adams used a 9-0 run to get the game back to a more manageable deficit, but couldn’t get any closer.
The Dragons went cold, making just one of 15 field goal attempts through most of the third and part of the fourth quarter. But 10 Adams turnovers in the second half prevented any chance at a comeback.
‘The fourth quarter was encouraging because we got back to playing defense and we didn’t give them any easy baskets,? Lake Orion Coach Jim Manzo said, adding his team still has a lot to work on.
On the offensive end, the coach was not pleased with his team’s rushed shot selection.
‘If you take quick shots, you enable them to get back into the game quicker,? he said. ‘That’s exactly what happened tonight.?
Lake Orion was led by Maynard’s 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Anthony Fields added 12 points and six assists.
Adams (2-2, 1-1) was led by Kevin Rohner’s 15 points and John Zekaj’s 12, but the duo scored 22 of their 27 points before the break.
The Highlanders played without starters J.D. Osborne and Jake Heinrich, as one was nursing an injury and the other was at his grandmother’s funeral.
‘Without those two kids, our room for error was almost not existent,? Coach John Hall said. ‘We played so hard that it forced us into some mistakes that hopefully we won’t make in the future.?
Manzo gave credit to Adams, given the circumstances.
‘Their kids really rallied and were aggressive,? Manzo said. ‘There were yellow shirts all over the floor. They played their butts off.?
Hall said he hopes the return of the two players will make a difference when Lake Orion travels to Adams in late January.
The Dragons, meanwhile, improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the league, with a big game looming on Friday night at Southfield.
‘They’ve got (Austin) Calhoun back, who’s their best player, and they’re very talented,? Manzo said. ‘I’m sure they want to avenge their two losses from last year.?