February Basketball Storylines.

Written Sunday February 2nd at 2:45 PM

As we head to the final month of the regular season here are my top ten storylines around the OAA that I am keeping an eye on closely.

The Blue in Boys Basketball Could Come down to some Big Games.

The Blue right now is really tight right now between four teams separated by two games. Seaholm sits on top of the Blue and has Pontiac, Troy Athens, and Berkley coming to Birmingham this month. The Maples still has to go to Troy Athens. The Phoenix have been a huge surprise in the first year under Coach Damion O’Neil. Pontiac has one loss in league coming to Seaholm but they have the Maples this week. They have to go to Berkley, Troy Athens, and Seaholm. The Phoenix also has Berkley coming to Sy Green Gym as well. The Bears also has one league loss to Seaholm has to go to Troy Athens, Seaholm, and Pontiac and they have Pontiac coming to Berkley. The Red Hawks is the other contender in the Blue but they have some work to do after league losses to Pontiac and Berkley. This week is a huge week for them as they have Berkley and Seaholm coming to Troy but they have Pontiac and a trip to Seaholm to close out the league season. There is still a lot to decide this month in the Blue.

What is wrong with Lake Orion Girls Basketball???

The Dragons have had a lot of struggles since the 2015 season. Lake Orion is a young team that is having a hard time finding that chip on their shoulder. When looking at the roster they start two freshman and a sophomore at the guard and wing positions which is always hard. The Dragons decision making has been very suspect at times along with effort and their inability to score (2-6 when they score at or below 40 points, they are 2-2 when they score over 40 points). There is a reason why this team is 4-8 right now but there are still a ton of winnable games left on the schedule but they got to find that chip on the shoulder quick.

Is Clarkston Boys Basketball a State Championship Team???

The Wolves are starting to round up and take form heading into the postseason. Clarkston has played a tough schedule and feature three very talented players in Fletcher Loyer, Keegan Waslik, and Matt Nicholson but something looks to be a miss for the Wolves despite the success that this team has had this season. I ask this question because there is one person that has gotten the best of Clarkston in the last two years and he is Brad Crighton. Crighton coached at Adams when his Highlanders upset the Wolves 38-37 in the pre-district at Lake Orion last season. Crighton is now an assistant at Orchard Lake St. Marys for coach Todd Colbert. Crighton also has a son in Jack who plays for the team. He was a huge factor in the Eaglets 68-55 victory on December 20th on their home floor. If the Wolves want to prove they are a State Championship quality team they will have to likely go through Orchard Lake St. Marys.

Will Southfield Arts and Tech Girls Basketball win their district???

The Warriors have had a good season basically doing it with three girls in Cheyenne McEvans, Kayona Willis, and Jasmine Worthy. McEvans is going to be a likely candidate for Miss Basketball in the State. Southfield Arts and Tech has their two remaining challengers in the Red in Clarkston and West Bloomfield coming to Southfield this month. The Warriors are in a very tough district as they will be in the Birmingham Marian district with the likes of Catholic League power Birmingham Marian, Berkley, and Royal Oak. I know that coach Michelle Marshall’s team has played a brutal schedule but this could be her team’s toughest district yet.

Is Southfield Arts and Tech Boys Basketball a Contender in the White???

The Warriors have had a surprising start which resulted in a 10-2 start with both losses being buzzer beaters. Not to mention that Southfield Arts and Tech beat Farmington 66-65 on Friday night which has them a game back of Troy and Farmington in the league race. They still have to play Troy twice and go to Farmington. The Warriors have two very good players in Jailen Lee and Caleb Banks to lean on for Coach Darryle Buchanan who is in his second year. The Warriors have a very tough district looming in March at Farmington with the likes of North Farmington, Farmington, Groves, Seaholm, and Birmingham Brother Rice. We’ll see if Southfield Arts and Tech can keep this up or not.

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