By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
 ORION TWP. — The Lake Orion varsity boys basketball is on a three-game winning streak after a tough victory on Thursday against Farmington and followed by a close win over Plymouth on Friday.
On Friday, Lake Orion beat Plymouth High School 51-47 to improve to 5-2.
Lake Orion won their fourth game of the season over Farmington High School, 57-50, at home on Thursday in a back-and-forth battle that saw the Dragons pull ahead in just the final minutes of play.
Leading the way for the Dragons were junior Zack Parks with 19 points and 8 rebounds and senior Quay Fly with 12 points. Senior Ethan Sharkey added 10 points, while Hayden Armstrong and Jakobe Louris each added six.
Lake Orion held a narrow 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Dragons increased their lead by six points in the second quarter, with the first half ending 24-18.
Farmington briefly took the lead with 1:03 left in the third quarter when Fly fouled a Farmington player, who made a free throw and gave the Falcons a 33-32 lead, their first of the game.
After a timeout by Lake Orion, Ethan Sharkey sank a three pointer to reclaim the Dragons’ lead, 35-33.
A free throw by the Dragons and a last second basket by the Falcons made it 36-35 at the end of the third quarter.
While there weren’t any lead changes in the final quarter, the Falcons made the Dragons work for the victory, keeping within a few points throughout much of the fourth. With 5:15 left in the game, Farmington sank a three pointer to tie the game at 40.
A Falcon foul with 4:26 left in the game sent Parks to the line, where he made two free throws to give the Dragons the 42-40 lead. After Parks’ two at the line, the Dragons maintained their lead through the rest of the game.
The Falcons hit a three pointer with 21.8 seconds left in the game to narrow the gap to 54-50. After Lake Orion inbounded the ball, Farmington was forced to foul and sent Sharkey to the line, scoring two free throws. A foul with 8.3 seconds sent Parks to the line, where he scored the Dragons’ final point, making it 57-50.
The Falcons had no chance of closing the gap and the game ended after a failed long three point attempt.
With the win over Farmington, the Dragons improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the OAA White.
Lake Orion previously dominated Holly on Dec. 12, winning 71-33 to begin the current win streak after back-to-back losses to Clarkston and Notre Dame Prep.
Lake Orion was on the road at Troy Athens High School on Tuesday after Review press time. Athens is 4-2 overall and sits atop the OAA White division, with the Dragons only a game behind in second place.
The Dragons travel to Bloomfield Hills High School on Friday for their final game before the winter break.
The Dragons’ next home game is 7 p.m. Jan. 4 against Troy High School.