Pontiac stays unbeaten with 51-44 win over Avondale
PONTIAC >> The Phoenix are flying high!
Pontiac’s boys basketball team continued its unbeaten 2021 season on Thursday night when they picked up a 51-44 victory over Auburn Hills Avondale.
The win moves the Phoenix to 5-0 on the season, but coach Damon Odneal says his team isn’t focusing too much on the strong start.
“We are taking things in perspective because five wins is not our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to win a league title and compete for a district title and beyond,” Odneal said. “We are very happy with the success we are having, but we are not satisfied.”
Thursday’s victory was established at the end of the first half. Avondale’s Anthony Howard had just knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Yellow Jackets (4-5) a 14-12 lead.
Pontiac senior guard Dionte Harris would immediately answer with a 3-pointer to spark a 10-0 run to close out the half. The Phoenix held a 2214 lead at the break and wouldn’t trail again.
“I stress to my guys that closing out quarters is very important,” Odneal said. “That took precedence for us in terms of closing out the half on a strong note and doing the thing we needed to do.”
In the third, Pontiac would extend its lead up to 16 points thanks to eight points from senior forward Terah Hazard.
“Terah has been a fouryear starter for us. He’s our man in the middle and he’s our anchor,” Odneal said.
“We depend on him to bring the intensity and set the tone for our team.”
Avondale would find get the lead down to 10 points multiple times during the fourth quarter, but couldn’t consistently knock down shots to threaten Pontiac.
“We have been able to get some good looks at the basket, we just have to focus in and concentrate on finishing play and finishing through some contact,” Avondale coach Pat Clancy said. “We need to be a little tougher. That was the difference (Thursday). (Pontiac) just wanted it more.
They picked up the intensity and played with some urgency. We got hit in the mouth a little bit and didn’t recover.”
The Phoenix were led on the night by sophomore Octave Lawrence, who had 15 points and knocked down a trio of 3-pointers.
“He’s only a sophomore and I inserted him into the starting lineup recently and his confidence has grown a great deal,” Odneal said of Lawrence. “I have all the confidence in the world in him, and he’s grown a lot as a player.”
Harris finished with 11, while Hazard tallied eight.
Avondale was led by Howard, who finished with 16 points. Javonn Carter added 12.