No luck of the Irish was needed as the Dragons readily beat the Flushing Raiders, 42-24, in a Class A state quarterfinals Tuesday night. It just took some good ole? fashioned defense.
The Dragons dominated from the first buzzer, ending the first stanza with a 15-4 lead, and continuing on to a 23-11 lead by the half.
Senior Courtney Zott lead her team’s scoring in the first half, scoring eight points in the first quarter alone.
Behind a solid Dragon defense, senior Melanie Lamerato chipped in three steals in the first, while Oakland University-bound Bethany Watterworth helped her teammates at the other end of the court with four points and five assists in the first 16 minutes of play.
The Dragons limited Flushing’s star player, junior guard Jordan LaDuke, to just six points in the first half of action, and only 10 by the game’s end.
Flushing was able to slow the Dragon scoring attack in the third, but not enough to do any damage to Lake Orion’s lead, who finished out the third, 27-17.
Lake Orion continued to put points on the board in the final quarter of action, ending with 42-24 win and a dream-come-true trip to the state’s final four.
The win advances the Dragons, who captured the school’s first regional title in history last week, on to a semifinal game against Benton Harbor Friday at 1 p.m. The game will be played at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center.
Zott lead the Dragons with 14 points, while Watterworth added 11 points and six assists. Lamerato finished with seven points, junior Alexis Haan chipped in six, and senior Brittney Hopkins lead the rebounding effort and added four points.
The Raiders were lead by LaDuke’s 10 points. Sophomore Meredith Wheatley added six.
The winner of Friday’s semifinal between Lake Orion and Benton Harbor, home of one of the state’s best players, senior Destiny Williams, will continue on to the state championship game Saturday at Eastern. They will face either Detroit Renaissance or Livonia Franklin. Game time is slated for noon.