For the second time in as many years, the Clarkston basketball team is headed to Dragon Country for the district finals. The Wolves will play at Lake Orion Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Wolves earned the trip by knocking off Waterford Mott 58-21 in the semifinals Wednesday.
Clarkston (18-3) regained its footing after letting the Corsairs stay in the contest early on. Tied 8-8 after the first quarter, the Wolves took a 21-12 lead into halftime behind nine of Dan Owens? game-high 21 points and four steals from Andy Lyons. Mott contributed to the run with a four-minute scoring drought to begin the quarter.
The Wolves pulled away for good after the break, outscoring the Corsairs 18-2.
Bren Bergquist added 10 points for the Wolves.
The Dragons played their way into the finals with a 58-28 dismantling of Oxford.
Clarkston beat Lake Orion in the district finals last year, 56-50. Early this season, the Dragons took an eight-point victory on their home court against the Wolves, 51-43.
Dragons coach Jim Manzo took little solace in the early-season victory, saying the win doesn’t matter now.
Clarkston coach Dan Fife said the Wolves will be sent packing if they have a slow start like they did against the Corsairs.
‘They looked like they were walking in mud in the first half,? Fife said.
‘If we come out that way against Orion, they’ll put it to us.?
Fife was confident his team would rise to the occasion given the importance of Friday’s game.
‘The stakes are different, it’s for a championship. They will understand that.
‘It’s a chance to win a district and that’s everybody’s goal. We’re excited to be in the finals.?
The Dragons will have Cole Moore, Chris Lum and Chad Nieswand available Friday night, after being benched for the past two district playoff games by Manzo.
(Staff Writer Colin Baumgartner contributed to this report)