Clarkston surges past Stoney Creek, 48-37
CLARKSTON » The host Clarkston Wolves used a strong second half to defeat the Stoney Creek Cougars 48-37 in an OAA crossover Saturday afternoon.
Leading by just one point at halftime, 20-19, the Wolves outscored the Cougars 15-8 in the third quarter — then got eight quick points on their first three possession of the fourth quarter to turn what had been a close game into a comfortable looking 43-27 lead.
“We generally come of halftime and do a better job with our adjustments, and I thought Clarkston did an outstanding job moving the ball, getting the ball to their scorers. And when they started to go on a run, we could not stop them. Usually, you can stop a run by scoring or having long possessions, and I thought we had a couple possessions where we took quick shots, let them go back on the offensive, and gave them some transition threes that really hurt us,” Cougars head coach Steve Norgrove said.
The Cougars still had a run in them though. Stoney Creek called a timeout and switched to a press that generate a few turnovers and a quick 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 44-37 with 2:30 to play.
But Clarkston settled down after that, started breaking the press, and that short circuited the Stoney Creek comeback.
The game was played at a slow pace as both teams dug in on de
fense forcing the offenses to slow down and work the ball for a shot– and they did it without fouling. At halftime, each team had committed just one foul.
“Both programs grind out on defense. We pride ourselves on long defensive possession, not giving up easy shots. I thought for the most part tonight, we forced some tough shots. But there was a couple times they got away from us, and if you let those shooters have a clean look at the basket for Clarkston, they’re going to knock it down,” Norgrove said. “Usually, teams foul defensively because they’re out of position. I think both teams have good defensive possessions, so you don’t get out of position so you don’t get in foul trouble,” he added.
Clarkston was able to move the ball better, especially in the second half.
“We definitely talk about ball movement and stress that and screening and cutting and looking for the open man,” Wolves head coach Tim Wasilk said. “You look at our stat line tonight, we’re not going to have one guy or two guys that stand out with a bunch of points. Usually, it’s spread pretty well across the board.”
And this game was no exception as the Wolves spread the scoring around with Nathan Steinman leading the team with 13 points. Keegan Wasilk added 12 points, and Mike DePillo added seven points and 10 rebounds.
“Mike (DePillo) has definitely been good for us. He’s strong. He’s 6-6. He’s physical. When he gets around the glass, gets around the rim, he’s pretty good with rebounding,” Wasilk said.
Stoney Creek was led by a game-high 17 points from Trevor Smith Jr.
Back court mate Zac Jones added seven points, and Ozzie Villafuerte-Esparza chipped in six points while battling away in the low post against the Clarkston big men.
With the win, Clarkston improves to 12-3 overall.
“Stoney Creek’s very well coached. That’s a really good team they have. They have a lot of good shooters, an outstanding point guard. They’re a good team, so it was a very good win for us,” Wasilk said. “I’m happy with how our guys competed and found a way to show toughness. We’ve played a lot of close games this year, and I think as the season goes on it’s only going to help us.”
The Wolves wrap up their OAA Red season next week, starting with an away game against West Bloomfield on Wednesday.