Wild finish extends winning streak to 7 games

By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
LAKE ORION — The Lake Orion varsity boys basketball team defeated Troy High School, 41-40, after a fourth quarter that included several lead changes in the final minutes.
The win is Lake Orion’s seventh straight.
The Colts had a chance to win with a final shot, but time ran out before the ball was released on a near half-court shot attempt by senior Mason Parker. Parker’s shot missed off the front of the rim.
Parker shot Troy to an early 9-2 lead in the first quarter thanks to three three-point shots. The Dragons earned the lead over the next few minutes with a 9-0 run that forced a Troy timeout with 3:13 to play in the quarter.

Both teams continued to score for the rest of the period, ending with a 17-15 Dragon lead. Five Dragons scored during the game’s first eight minutes.
A three-point field goal by junior Jackson Shoskey and two points from senior Nick Galben extended the Dragon’s lead to 22-19 by halftime. Shoskey’s five points were the most by any Dragon after the game’s first 16 minutes.
Both teams scored seven points in the third quarter. Junior Ryan Rocheleau scored four points, junior Nathan Giacolone scored two and Shoskey scored one for the Dragons. Troy’s Jack Sobotka scored three points and Will DeArmit scored four. The Dragons held a 29-26 lead going into the fourth quarter.
A free throw from Troy tied the game at 31 points with 6:05 remaining, and a layup by senior Andrew Lake gave the Colts the lead.
Lake Orion senior Zack Price-Parks, who scored a career-high 42 points against Notre Dame Prep on Jan. 17, tied the game at 33 on the next play. After Lake Orion stopped Troy on defense, Price-Parks received the ball near the basket, was double-teamed, split the double team, and scored on a layup to put the Dragons up by two points.
Parker quickly regained the lead for Troy with a three-point shot on the other end of the court.

Price-Parks continued his high-scoring quarter after getting fouled while shooting. He made both free throws and gave the Dragons a 37-36 lead.
With the score at 41-40, and only seconds left in the game, Troy had a chance to take the lead. Lake Orion’s defense forced a travel foul call and regained possession with two seconds left.
The Dragons looked to successfully inbound the ball underneath Troy’s basket, but overthrew the pass. The ball bounced off of the backboard at the opposite end of the court and was regained by Troy, which took a timeout.
Troy inbounded the ball with one second left in the game, which was when Parker missed Troy’s final shot near half court.
Price-Parks led the Dragons with 14 points, followed by Giacolone (nine points,) Rocheleau (eight points,) Shoskey (six points) and Galben (four points.)
Results from Lake Orion’s game against Rochester Hills Stoney Creek on Tuesday were not available by press time. The team’s next home game is 7 p.m. Feb. 4 against Oxford.