Second-half explosion leads Clarkston to district title over Adams
ROMEO >> For 16 minutes the Clarkston offense looked like it was soda can on the verge of exploding.
At halftime, head coach John Weyer pulled the tab.
After finding themselves tied 2727 with Rochester Adams at the break of their Division 1 district final at Romeo High School, the Wolves put together a 48-point second half to storm past the Highlanders 75-48.
“That locker room was interesting at halftime,” Weyer said. “I challenged them and they responded really well. That third quarter of basketball is how we should play basketball. I was impressed at the way they responded. They should be very proud.”
Right out of the break, Clarkston turned up the tempo on offense and earned a lot of transition points. Senior Kaelyn Kaul and junior Madison Skorupski combined for 17 points in the quarter to help establish a 14-point lead that Adams didn’t have an answer for.
In the fourth, Clarkston erased all doubt of an Adams comeback by knocking down five 3-pointers, quickly expanding the lead to 20 points.
“Clarkston got hot and it looked like we ran out of gas a little bit,” Adams coach Shay Lewis said. “You have to be able to put two halves together. We put one together, but just couldn’t put that second one together.”
In the opening half, Rochester Adams was able to score the first six points and establish a lead, but Clarkston eventually put together a 14-2 run thanks to second-chance opportunities on offense.
The Highlanders trailed by six midway through the second, but were able to claw back and tie the
game up at halftime thanks to junior Abbey Drahnak, who had 10 points in the quarter.
Drahnak had 12 points in the game while seniors Elizabeth Blaine and Maddie Dolenga each had 13 points for the Highlanders.
Adams will graduate five seniors. Along with Blaine and Dolenga is Lauren Petersmark, Snigdha Tenneti and Lindsay Kania.
“I am so thankful for my seniors. They are amazing people, and I am truly going to miss them,” Lewis
said. “Maddie Dolenga and Lauren Petersmark, I have been coaching them since the eighth grade. It’s tough to see them go, but all of our seniors and our team really gave me everything they had, and that is all a coach can ask for.”
Skorupski had 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and eight steals to lead the Wolves in the win, while Kaul finished with 19 points and Izzy Hadley had 16.
Clarkston now has won back-toback district championships. The
Wolves advance to next week’s Division 1 regional tournament at Holly. Clarkston will take on Birmingham Marian in the semifinal on Monday at 7 p.m.
Last year, the Wolves lost to Walled Lake Western in the regional semifinal, 54-47.
“Last year’s regional was tough. We lost a game that we all felt we should have won, and that’s hard,” Weyer said. “We are going into it with eyes wide open this year and seeing what we can do.”
Clarkston has been battling through a shorthanded roster for weeks, as different players have had to quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure. Skorupski just returned to the team on Friday after missing over a week of action.
Weyer admits he has been anxious prior to each game because of seeing other teams around the state having to forfeit due to the virus.
“Every game has been a blessing. Every practice has been a gift. To be able to still be going is a blessing and a gift,” Weyer said. “I was waiting all day, looking at my phone all day waiting for another text (that said we were in quarantine as a team). Yesterday I lost Emerson Wood. She’s in quarantine. I’ve got Anna Thomas in quarantine. Maddy just got back (Friday). She missed all the practice and missed the game Wednesday and the game against Groves last week. I was waiting for the call that we were shutdown. I don’t know how much longer we will be able to go or if (our opponents) will make it. This year, you just have to enjoy every moment.”