In terms of warm, fuzzy-feeling inducing memories, the ‘new ? Clarkston High School gymnasium no longer has to live in the shadow of its more venerable sibling, the ‘old? gym, anymore as the Wolves beat Macomb Dakota 64-59 to win the regional championship on March 17 on their home floor.
Much to the delight of their loyal fans who packed the stands, infiltrating significant parts of the visitor seating, Clarkston’s netted the basketball program its fourth straight regional title, the seventh of Coach Dan Fife’s career.
‘Our crowd was great. This is Clarkston. Clarkston has always been a great athletic community. We’ve always had great support,? Clarkston Coach Dan Fife said during the afterglow of the regional victory.
Coming into the regional tournament, Clarkston’s players were well aware of the special opportunity afforded to them this year.
‘Ever since the summer, my goal has been to win the regional championship here,? said senior and four-time regional champion Joe Moran.
Moran’s sublime shooting was a key component in the Wolves? victory. He poured in 17 of his game-high 27 points after halftime, missing only one of his seven second half shots and in the process knocked down three 3-pointers.
‘It seemed like Moran didn’t miss a shot throughout the whole second half,? Macomb Dakota Coach Bill Snyder said.
Moran’s flair for the dramatic accompanied his bulk scoring as he opened the fourth quarter with back to back 3-pointers followed by another field goal to score the Wolves? first eight points of the period and give Clarkston a 53-47 lead with 4:30 remaining.
‘If I score five points and they need me to play defense and rebound then that’s what I do. Tonight they needed me to score. I just want to win, that’s all I’m concerned about,? Moran said.
After a dunk by sophomore Oliver Kupe gave Clarkston a 58-53 lead with less then a minute remaining in the game, the Cougars nearly snuck up and bit the Wolves in the closing seconds, cutting the lead to three points. Like any good superhero, Moran’s work was never done as he canned two free throws to give Clarkston five points of breathing room with 33 seconds remaining.
Seniors Rob Ronk and John Kast each knocked down one of their two free throws to preserve the victory. The symbolism of Ronk and Kast’s foul shots down the stretch was lost in the revelry which followed the final horn.
Kast, a four-year varsity player and now four-year regional champion, endured numerous setbacks in his senior year as issues with his knee trailed him from summer shoot-arounds into the winter, culminating in surgery. Though by his own admission Kast is not back to 100 percent, he is again contributing for the Wolves.
Ronk, originally slated to backup Kast at the point, started for the Wolves throughout the season and with infallible handles and clutch free throw shooting earned high marks from his coach.
‘He’s (Ronk) going to be in there at the end of the game,? Fife said.
While Clarkston weathered a Dakota rally for their prize, the two teams each scored 36 points in the second half, making the Wolves 28-23 advantage at halftime significant in retrospect.
‘We really got taken out of our offense in the first half,? Snyder said.
Clarkston used 10 players in the first half, harassing the Cougars into 11 turnovers before halftime. While not as wild, the Wolves were no portrait of efficiency in the first and second quarters, turning the ball over seven times.
‘Maybe I’m getting smarter as I get older. I’m using more players. If they learn our defensive sets, then I’ll play them,? Fife said.
Throughout the playoffs, Fife has gone deep into his bench in order to make use of individual talents. At point guard, junior Andrew Lyons? boundless tenacity and senior Ian Sabbag’s craftiness in setting up his teammates helped the Wolves through numerous stretches.
On the way to knocking off Macomb Dakota for the regional title, Clarkston ran up against Grand Blanc on March 15, who they defeated 51-46, ending the Bobcats? season for the second year in a row.
Moran led the Wolves in scoring with 18 points including six of his team’s 10 points in a fourth quarter which began tied 41-41.
Another player giving Clarkston quality clock throughout the regional tournament was junior center Bren Bergquist who scored 13 points and had nine rebounds against Grand Blanc and managed another baker’s dozen of points to go with 10 rebounds for a double-double against Dakota.