An aggressive front line fueled a strong second half effort from the Lake Orion varsity basketball squad in their 58-41 victory over Davison on Dec. 20.
The win was especially important for the Dragons (3-1), considering they now begin a five-game road trip and won’t return home until Jan. 24.
‘We said before the season began that if we weren’t 3-1 at the break we’d be disappointed,? said head coach Jim Manzo.
The Dragons were led by sophomore Drew Maynard’s 19 points. Senior Jon Krause had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Junior center Cole Moore chipped in eight points and 12 boards.
Most of the rebounds from Krause and Moore came in the second half, when the Lake Orion defense became a bit more assertive and broke open the 22-22 halftime deadlock.
‘We felt we played the better basketball half,? Manzo said of the first half. ‘But they outhustled us.?
The Dragons came out with a full court press in the third quarter and it paid off. With the game tied at 30 midway through the third, the Dragon backcourt of juniors Joe Barnes and Ross Tonyan forced turnovers on consecutive trips that helped Lake Orion pull ahead by five.
The Dragons kept the pressure on in the fourth and capped a 15-4 run with a Maynard 3-point play with just under four minutes left.
Up 45-34, the Dragons just had to make free throws to clinch the victory.
They did just that, making 11 of 13 in the fourth quarter. Krause was 9 of 10 from the stripe to lead the way.
‘Our kids are in shape,? Manzo said. ‘To see (Davison) get tired and our kids get stronger was a good sign.?
Manzo was also pleased by the balanced scoring his team has displayed in the early going, noting that four guys have been at, or near, double figures in every game.
The Dragons will scrimmage with Novi over the holiday break.
Their next game action is at Hazel Park on Jan. 3.
The long road trip will feature three games at Oakland Activities Association Division III rivals.
‘Our goal is to win all of them,? Manzo said.