Clarkston’s energy overwhelms Lake Orion for 65-44 victory
The years may change, but the philosophy of Clarkston basketball doesn’t.
High energy and scrappy defense have been a staple of the Wolves for many decades, and the 2021-22 version of the squad looks to be following suit.
Clarkston moved to 2-0 on the young season Friday night when it overwhelmed Lake Orion for a 65-44 victory.
“We have always talked about playing defense here at Clarkston and I don’t think it’s any different with this team,” Clarkston coach Tim Wasilk said. “We’re just scrapping and getting after it. We are going to have some off nights offensively, but we have been shooting the ball well so far to start the season.”
It was the Clarkston defense, led heavily by its guard play, that created a lot of turnovers against Lake Orion, but also a number of deflected passes slowed the Dragons down offensively.
Overall, Clarkston tallied 14 steals as a team in the victory.
“I like how we played tonight. We got into the passing lanes. A lot of deflections, a lot of steals, not letting (Lake Orion) reverse the basketball,” Wasilk said. “We were all up in their stuff. That’s kind of what we have been preaching. We have pretty good defensive guards, and I was really pleased with our effort.”
Clarkston found itself holding a 14-8 lead in the first quarter when things started to turn more in the Wolves’ favor.
Clarkston would put together a 24-4 run that lasted well into the second quarter and put the Wolves up 38-12.
“(Defense) has been a staple of their program for years, so we knew they were going to pressure. They went a little smaller, playing four guards, and they just got into us,” Lake Orion coach Joel Schroeder said. “(Clarkston) plays with great energy and we just didn’t match it.”
Clarkston’s energy on offense was strong as well, led by fourth-year senior guard Keegan Wasilk. Fresh off a triple-double in Wednesday’s win over Eisenhower where he tied a school record with 11 assists, Wasilk tallied nine assists in Friday’s win to go along with eight points and four rebounds.
“He’s definitely a coach on the floor and gets people involved,” Tim said of Keegan Wasilk. “He passed the ball really well today. When someone has been out there for four years, it gives you a sense of comfort.”
Fellow senior Nathan Stein
man led Clarkston in scoring with 26 points, including four 3-pointers. He also had five assists and five steals. Senior Logan Austin had 15 points, five assists and four steals as well.
Lake Orion actually won the second half 29-25 to try and build some momentum for upcoming weeks. Senior Alden Ritt led the Dragons with 15 points, while Nathan Havrilla had six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
“It’s early, but our teams always get better at the end. We run a lot of stuff and different sets, so it takes time for that to really come together. In the second half, our intensity went up, which was good to see, but we have to be able to find that energy that (Clarkston) brought to the floor.”