CLARKSTON – The defense and array of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s shooters played a big part, but Tuesday was simply not Clarkston’s night.
In an early season showdown between two of Oakland County’s most talented teams, the Wolves struggled mightily to find the bottom of the net, suffering their first loss, 61-37, to the Eaglets.
“That first half was atrocious,” Clarkston head coach Aaron Goodnough said plainly. “That’s what we said (at halftime) after we were down 11. I’m like, we literally made nothing. We missed so (many shots). It is what it is.”
She saved the best for the second half, but St. Mary’s junior guard Allie Crighton, along with senior forward Brooke Shockey (12 points) got the visitors out to an 11-3 lead by the end of the first quarter, a spurt only interrupted by a 3-pointer by Clarkston junior guard Brooklyn Covert.
The Wolves had some decent looks as the opening half wore on, but nothing seemed to fall outside the paint. Part of that has to be credited to the Eaglets, who held Oxford and Bloomfield Hills to a combined 39 points in their first two conquests of the winter.
“I think (the win) started with our defense,” OLSM head coach Brad Crighton said. “We really bought into what we were doing. I thought Jess (Asmussen) did a great job on Elli (Robak). Because all five girls out on the floor can score. But our team defense, Reese (Holton) was ready to help. We were in the right spots. Rebounding, we did a great job. It was a great team win.”
Allie Crighton, who had a combined 47 points in those aforementioned victories, really flashed her scoring ability after the interval. Following a triple by Wolves sophomore Brooke Bond that cut cut the lead to 16, Crighton knocked down a three and scored on back-to-back possessions as part of a 13-2 run that put the game away before the fourth quarter had even gotten started.
Clarkston sophomore forward Bella Flavin (32) scores two of her team-high 18 points in the Wolves’ 61-37 home loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s on Tuesday. (BRYAN EVERSON – MediaNews Group)
Half of St. Mary’s 24 points in the third came from Crighton, who knocked down four 3-pointers altogether and finished with a game-high 25 points.
“She’s always been a shooter, and I think her defense was really good today,” Brad Crighton said of Allie. “I think that was a step up. She’s starting to see the floor very well … She’s just grown up. She’s matured. I think that’s just (come with) another year under her belt, and that’s what she needed. She’s really been working out, getting stronger, too, so that’s helped her as well when she’s getting bumped off everything, because it’s going to be a physical game.”
Photos of Clarkston vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in a D1 girls hoops contest
Junior Laney Larsen has complimented Allie’s outside shooting with eight 3-pointers already this season, while Coach Crighton credited Holton’s defense, Shockey’s progression (including her offensive rebounding effort on Tuesday), and called junior guard Jordynn Ratliff, who added six points in the win, a “fantastic player,” also.
The Eaglets (3-0), who went 18-5 last season, will be a handful for anyone this season if they keep defending like they are and continue to create numerous open looks for shooters surrounding their ball-handlers.
“All of us can drive, kick it out, all of us can shoot it, so we all just can contribute to wherever we can,” Allie Crighton said. “Whoever it is, we just know when to get our teammates the open shot … It makes it so fun, so easy (that) everyone can shoot. We all trust each other with taking the open shot, so that makes it fun, and all these girls, we love each other off the court, so that really helps.”
St. Mary’s limited Robak, Clarkston’s only senior, to just five points. Sophomore Bella Flavin was easily the bright spot offensively for the Wolves (3-1) in the loss, scoring a career-high 18 points.
“We didn’t pressure the key tonight, and that’s where our youth comes in,” Goodnough said. “We’ve got Brooklyn and Elli who know exactly what do be doing in those situations, and then I’ve got two sophomores and a junior who didn’t play much last year and love the side-to-side stuff that doesn’t move anybody … Thank god we had Bella down there, that helped a ton.
“But we’ll get there. It’s a growth game for us, and we knew it would be, we just thought we could hang in there a little better and give them a better game, but we shot so poorly in the first half, and that just put us behind the 8-ball.”
The Eaglets’ gauntlet of OAA opponents continues on Thursday at Lake Orion. Clarkston is back in action that night, too, hosting Detroit Country Day.