LO is 3-2 entering holiday break

By Jim Newell
Review Editor
ORION TWP. — The Lake Orion High School varsity boys basketball team lost a tough defensive battle to Clarkston, 38-35, on Dec. 13 at the Lake Orion Fieldhouse.
Clarkston, which plays in a higher division than Lake Orion, jumped out to an early 13-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Things looked grim for the Dragons to start the second quarter, with Clarkston’s Desman Stephens II making a slam dunk to put the Wolves up 15-6.
Though they could have been demoralized, the Dragons fought back throughout the second quarter, going a 12-8 to close the gap to 23-18 at the half.
By the end of a low-scoring third quarter – Lake Orion scored 10 points, Clarkston just seven – the Dragons had pulled within two points of the Wolves, 30-28.
Less than 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, Lake Orion tied the game at 30 apiece.
A short time later, junior forward Kaydon Degraffenreid passed the ball to senior guard Kevin Tobe who made a bucket and gave Lake Orion its first lead of the game with 5:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Fouls hurt the Dragons throughout the game, sending the Wolves to the free throw line several times in the fourth quarter. With the free throws and some back-and-forth scoring, the Wolves managed to regain the lead, 36-35, with 2:15 left in the game.
That was all Clarkston would need, but the Wolves added two more for insurance. The Wolves’ players then held the ball and made Lake Orion foul.
Lake Orion battled to make up the three-point differential but ran out of time and a last second three point attempt missed the mark.
Leading scorers for the Dragons were junior Ethan Sharkey with 13 points and senior Blake Liddell with eight points. The Dragons fell to 2-1 on the season and Clarkston went to 2-1.
The Dragons opened up the season with a decisive 50-37 victory against Oxford on Dec. 6, followed by a 35-23 win over Birmingham Seaholm on Dec. 9.
Lake Orion lost to Clarkston, 38-35, and then took a 57-29 beating from the Rochester Adams Highlanders on Friday.
The Dragons rebounded on Monday with a 53-49 non-conference win over Holly. The team is now 3-2 on the season heading into the winter break.
Lake Orion plays in the Oakland Activities Association White division, the second highest division in the OAA. Adams and Clarkston are both in the top OAA Red division.
The White division includes Lake Orion, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham Groves, Troy, West Bloomfield and Stoney Creek.
Lake Orion vs. Oxford
Lake Orion won 50-37. Senior Blake Liddell scored with 21 points, senior Kevin Tobe chipped in with eight points and senior Nate Havrilla scored seven. Juniors Kaydon Degraffenreid and Quay Fly each contributed six points, said head coach Jose Andrades.
Lake Orion vs. Seaholm
“Lake Orion defeated Seahom in a defensive battle tonight, 35-23, at Oakland University,” Andrades said.
The Dragons were led by senior Blake Liddell with 12 points and DJ Morrow with 10 points.
The Dragons are back on the court at 7 p.m. Jan. 5 against Royal Oak for the first of a three-game home stand. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek visits Lake Orion at 5:30 Jan. 10, followed by a 7 p.m. rematch against Oxford on Jan. 12 before taking an eight-day hiatus.