Before going into the next set of games the Wolves have on their schedule, long-time head coach Dan Fife wants to focus on getting offense straightened out.
The focus comes after two losses before going on holiday break and a few hiccups during the Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball team’s most recent game last Friday.
The Wolves headed to the lair of their crosstown rivals Lake Orion for a OAA crossover game.
They came out with a few burn marks and quite a few lessons as they conquered a win over the Dragons, 55-45.
“It was an ugly win,” said Fife. “But after break it was a good win for us.”
A few missed shots in the beginning of the game by Clarkston fueled the Dragons? fire as the home team slowly took control of the game with a five point lead.
The Wolves took control of the ball and senior Dylan Hancook saw an opportunity and passed it to teammate senior Jordan Dasuqi, back on the court from an injury. Dasuqi sunk a 3-pointer to close the distance on the scoreboard.
Junior Nick Owens and sophomore Andrew Myers fueled the board with baskets of their own to bring the Wolves into the lead, 7-5.
The lead wouldn’t last as the first quarter ended with Lake Orion ahead, 12-11.
The battle continued into the second quarter, and the Wolves took control of the score twice before Lake Orion struck back with baskets.
With less than a minute left in the first half, Clarkston stole the ball from the Dragons, and Owens made a shot.
It hit the rim and sophomore Merrick Canada caught the ball and threw it to Dasuqi, who made his shot with only a few seconds remaining putting the Wolves, 27-25.
Lake Orion opened the second half to tie the score but a basket and a 3-pointer from Dasuqi put the Wolves back into the lead. They ended the third quarter ahead 41-33.
They continued to climb the board reaching a 12-point lead.
The Dragons cut the Wolves lead down to five points with 90 seconds to go in the game. Clarkston fans were eased when the Wolves were sent to the line four times and made 6-of-8 free throw shots to end the game, 55-45.
Dasuqi led the team with 19 points, scoring three field goals, and had nine rebounds.
“It’s good to have him back because of the experience,” said Fife. “He can make a lot of shots a lot can’t.”
Myers added 12 points to the board; Owens scored 10 points, and Hancook had nine points.
“I thought Hancook was good in the second half,” said Fife. “He created a lot of opportunities for us. It was his activity, too. He had a lot of offensive rebounds.”
The Wolves host West Bloomfield this Friday and Pontiac next Tuesday. Both games begin with JV at 5:30 p.m. with varsity following at Clarkston High School, 6093 Lake Flemings Lake Road.