The boys basketball team at Lake Orion High School returned from winter break with a new head coach (Jose Andrades) and two back-to-back victories over Lapeer and Oxford High Schools.

The team kicked off the new year with a 47-33 win over Lapeer at home on Jan. 4.

The Dragons struggled with turnovers in the first half but outscored the Lightning 30 to 10 in the second half to seal the win.

Leading the way for the Dragons was senior Malachi Grandberry, who scored a career-high 21 points on 10-for-10 shooting. Senior captain Alden Ritt added 14 points and eight rebounds. Junior DJ Morrow chipped in eight points and senior CJ Witt added four points and six rebounds for the Dragons.

The boys defeated Oxford 45-39 in front of a packed house at Rochester University’s Garth Pleasant Arena on Saturday night.

The neighboring towns’ rivalry game included both competition and compassion as spectators were invited to donate to, and the Lake Orion team wore warmup shirts in support of, #OxfordStrong.

The Dragons balanced scoring effort featured the talented trio of junior DJ Morrow, 15 points, and seniors Malachi Grandberry, 13 points, and Alden Ritt, 12 points. The Wildcats were led by senior Alec Brown with 15 points.

Lake Orion’s record improves to 4-4, and the team travels to Harper Woods for their next game at 7 p.m. on Thursday.