Inside the OAA and OAA Now Top Basketball Games of the 2017-2018 Season.

Written Friday April 6th at 11:30 AM
Updated Friday April 6th at 11:15 PM

Here is a list of the top games, even though not in particular order but changed the tone of how the season would come down.

Boys

Oxford at Lake Orion: This was a game that would change the fortunes of both teams. The Dragons came off a 4-17 season in 2016-2017 keeping them in the Blue while the Wildcats went 16-4 and went up to the White. This game would end up being a classic, going to overtime tied at 39-39 with both teams refusing to lose. It was the Dragons behind a winning free throw winning 55-54. Oxford would struggle in the tough and challenging White while Lake Orion would go 17-3 sharing the Blue with Rochester. It is always interesting how rivalry games can change the tempo of each team’s emotions.

Hazel Park vs West Bloomfield (Both Games): This matchup became an instant classic at both places. The Vikings had a senior heavy team against the Lakers athleticism and talent. Hazel Park though would win both meetings but close. The Vikings used strong defense late to give them a 69-65 win at West Bloomfield. The second time around at Hazel Park featured a tense drama as the lead went back and forth but the Vikings won 65-63 over the Lakers on a buzzer beater. It didn’t do each team well later in the postseason as both teams suffered early playoff exits, West Bloomfield fell to Bloomfield Hills while Hazel Park fell to Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit.

Ferndale at Berkley: This game was weird in many ways between Ferndale and Berkley, two arch rivals. The Bears honored legendary coach Steve Rhodes and his words of wisdom encouraged Berkley to have a 24-1 lead to start to the game. Everything was favoring the Bears, they led 28-11 at the half and seemed to have everything in control. The second half however everything changed. The Eagles were without one of their main players whom transferred to Ecorse used a 41-23 second half to stun Berkley 52-51. The Bears won the first meeting in Ferndale 54-49. The Eagles would lose four straight to close out the season but they have a very good junior class who will be seniors next season.

Troy at West Bloomfield: The Colts used this game as somewhat of a season turner. After a tough loss to Hazel Park, Troy went on the road to West Bloomfield to take on a Lakers team that had played a really tough schedule. West Bloomfield was starting to turn things around after getting a big win over Belleville but this 72-71 win for the Colts benefited both teams at the time. For Troy, they would win five of seven. For West Bloomfield, they would win six straight. The second time around wasn’t even close as the Colts blew out the Lakers 77-62. The first time these teams met though changed a lot for both teams.

Royal Oak vs Berkley (Both Games): The Ravens and Bears have a rivalry and neither game didn’t disappoint. Berkley came from 11 down in the second half to stun Royal Oak 49-46 on the road. The second game was more dramatic at Berkley, it ended up being a tense drama but it was the Ravens in double overtime stunning the Bears 72-70. The loss continued the downward spiral for Berkley but the win gave Royal Oak some confidence later in the season. Both teams should be improved heading into next season.

Bloomfield Hills vs North Farmington (Both Games): The Blackhawks were picked to finish last in the Red. They have a new coach in Phil Kurjian and taking on a team like North Farmington looks to be a mismatch on paper, right??? WRONG. Not only did Bloomfield Hills beat the Raiders but they beat them twice. The Blackhawks went into Farmington Hills in the house of Negoshian and stunned North Farmington at the time 56-52, it was the team’s first league win of the season. Bloomfield Hills would then win the second meeting 52-46. Both teams were very competitive but had some weaknesses teams could exploit. Next year will be interesting to see where the Blackhawks and Raiders will be at.

Farmington vs Rochester (Both Games): These two sets of Blue Falcons would split their meetings eventually creating impacts in the Blue standings for both teams. Rochester won the first meeting at home 63-61, needing a defensive stand to escape in that game. Farmington would get their revenge later at home with a 63-59 victory. The Farmington victory caused a tie with Lake Orion which led to a share of the Blue title. Farmington used the win to get themselves ready for a playoff run which would include a district championship.

Berkley at Harrison: I still am in shock after all of these months looking at this score. It was 59-54 in favor of the Bears at home the first time these two teams met but Berkley was desperate after losing two straight games going into Farmington Hills against a Hawks team that was struggling to find an identity. Harrison took advantage of Berkley’s terrible play that night and stunned the Bears 59-54, the same score from their first meeting. This game had a ton of ramifications which impacted both teams. Harrison was more competitive after this win while Berkley would never win another game this season.

Lake Orion at Farmington: This is a game where the Dragons got ripped off but the Falcons came back from eight points down to force overtime in Farmington. The game would go to overtime where the Falcons would stun Lake Orion 84-80 in a wild affair. The Dragons hammered Farmington 70-51, the first time these two teams played at Lake Orion. The Dragons and Falcons will both be very good next season.

Farmington at Pontiac: Perhaps this was the upset of the Blue which kept the Falcons from winning at least a share of the division. Farmington was upset 52-45 by Pontiac at Sy Green Gym. The Phoenix exploded in the fourth quarter of that game giving them the win. Pontiac would be very competitive the rest of the season. The Falcons would win five of their last six games after that loss but they did get a district title in the process.

Adams at Oak Park: This game would be a stepping stone for both teams. The Highlanders have played a soft schedule to that point would challenge themselves against a Knights team that was searching for an identity. This game would benefit both teams with Oak Park winning 49-46 giving Adams their first loss of the season. The Knights would never lose again after that game winning the White outright. The Highlanders knew they had a future building up that could not only be competitive this season but for years to come.

Flint Carman Ainsworth at Clarkston: The Wolves had to escape this one at home and were bailed out by Foster Loyer. Loyer ended up getting the Player of the Year in the State of Michigan. Loyer led Clarkston whom finished fifth nationally from a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter to give the Wolves a come from behind 72-67 win at home. This would be a big win for Clarkston at the time even though they won the Red and had to overcome an 80-71 loss to Detroit East English Village Prep during the season. The Wolves would see the Cavaliers again in the State Quarterfinals at Grand Blanc where they dominated Flint Carman Ainsworth winning 52-31 to get to the Breslin Center and eventually winning the State title again.

Hazel Park vs Clarkston (Both Games): The Vikings were ranked second in the State heading into their big time showdown with Clarkston. Hazel Park came into the game undefeated and played a really tough schedule taking on a Wolves team that was the top team in the State and was the defending State Champs. In a sold out environment in the small gym of Hazel Park, the Vikings failed miserably losing 70-39. The 39 points was the lowest that Hazel Park scored all season until the second meeting. The second meeting at Clarkston was more interesting as Foster Loyer was out with an knee injury and the Vikings had a chance to clinch at least a share of the Red crown but they couldn't take advantage of Loyer's injury and lost 48-38 which ended up being the lowest score to date. The two losses to the Wolves hurt Hazel Park's chances in the postseason while Clarkston went on and won the State title again.

Girls

Southfield Arts and Tech at Clarkston: The game at Clarkston will be most remembered for what it was called “Book-Gate.” The Warriors thought they tied the score at 44-44 in the middle of the fourth quarter but a book error caused Southfield Arts and Tech two points on the scoreboard. The Warriors would lose that game 55-50 leaving coach Michelle Marshall furious at the time. Southfield Arts and Tech would get their revenge the second time around winning 47-36 over Clarkston. The Warriors and Wolves would each get a share of the Red title this season.

Royal Oak at Groves: This was the game that gave the Falcons the share of the White title with the Ravens. Groves lost 54-36 at Royal Oak the first time these two teams played but the Falcons were ready this time around against Royal Oak in Beverly Hills. Groves won the second meeting 55-50 in an instant classic. The Ravens after that loss would win nine straight games while the Falcons would win eight straight riding high into the postseason.

Avondale vs Farmington (Both Games): This was a matchup of both teams showing their wills on each other. The Yellow Jackets won the first meeting at Farmington 63-58 giving themselves the edge up in the Blue race but the Falcons won the second meeting in Auburn Hills winning 49-42. After that game, Avondale would win eight straight games until the postseason. Farmington would go 5-2 in their final seven games after that point.

Lake Orion at Clarkston: The Dragons had a rough year under first year coach Mike Griffin with injuries to half of the team but Lake Orion took Clarkston to overtime on the road and behind a questionable call late the Wolves escaped with a 55-54 win in that game. The 54 points the Dragons scored where the most they have scored this season. Lake Orion should be better next season.

Bloomfield Hills vs North Farmington (Both Games): The Raiders and Blackhawks had different styles of attacks to which both teams benefited from. Bloomfield Hills relied on ball movement and accurate three point shooting. North Farmington had a very good big in Samantha Cherney whom was dominating games to go along with an emerging star in Maya Kelly. The Raiders took the first meeting in Bloomfield Hills with a 55-50 victory behind Cherney. The Blackhawks would get a measure of revenge at North Farmington when they sneaked by the Raiders with a 39-38 victory but Cherney went off in that matchup scoring the majority of North Farmington's points on their senior night. Both games benefited both teams as it got them ready for the postseason in their respective districts with the Raiders playing at Farmington Hills Mercy while Bloomfield Hills hosted their district.

Groves at West Bloomfield: The Lakers were a very young team under first year coach Bert Mosley but hope for the future showed even though West Bloomfield lost to Groves 68-63 but the 63 points was the most that the Falcons allowed all season. The Lakers have basically all of their team back next season, they could make some noise.

Troy at Troy Athens: The city rivalry lived up to the hype at Troy Athens. The Colts destroyed the Red Hawks 44-25 at Troy in the first meeting but in the second meeting Troy Athens showed its will against their city rivals even having an 11 point lead at one point but the Colts didn’t back down and made it a game late but the Red Hawks hung on and won 45-43. Troy and Troy Athens will be teams to keep an eye on next season.

Birmingham Marian at Royal Oak: This was the game that sent shock waves across Southeast Michigan when they Ravens beat Birmingham Marian 31-30 in the team's annual pink-out game. To some folks it was an upset, to others not so much. It was a confidence booster for Royal Oak at the time when you beat a program with that much high profile. These two teams would met again in the district finals at Birmingham. It was one bad quarter being the difference for the Ravens in their 39-25 loss to the Mustangs. Royal Oak will be senior heavy next season and could make some noise again.

Oxford at Stoney Creek: This game would change the fortunes of both teams heading into the season. The Wildcats won at Rochester 36-33 in a horrible shooting performance from Stoney Creek in this game. The Cougars played a very tough non conference schedule while Oxford had to play River Rouge early in the season. Oxford would finish 15-5 while Stoney Creek struggled throughout the season but will have the majority of their team coming back next season as does the Wildcats.

Groves at Clarkston: The Falcons had the Wolves beat late in the fourth quarter but Clarkston found a way and survived Groves 52-46 in a wild game. This game would benefit both teams as the Falcons shared the White with Royal Oak while the Wolves shared the Red with Southfield Arts and Tech.

Royal Oak at Clarkston: The Wolves had to survive a very good Royal Oak team early winning 37-28. The win for Clarkston would set the stage for a future playoff run for the Wolves to the State Quarterfinals where they ran into a very good Saginaw Heritage team. The Ravens would also benefit from this game as they went onto share the White crown.

It was a great basketball season in the OAA, one State Champion in Boys Basketball but a lot of teams that made impacts that impacted each of their seasons.

Now lets get ready for next year.

Here is the Soundcloud from the podcast that includes this story.
https://soundcloud.com/user-539915961/oaa-now-04-10-18