Royal Oak rode its fast-break offense to 19 fourth quarter points as it pulled away from Troy Athens, 51-38, late Thursday to remain undefeated in the OAA White Division.
Junior guard Sam Potter finished with 19 points and junior forward Jessica Adams had 15 as the pair accounted for all 19 of Royal Oak’s fourth-quarter points.
“We like to get the ball in their hands, especially in crunch time,” Royal Oak coach Brian Sopata said.
Athens (3-9, 1-5) led 18-15 at halftime, and hit seven 3-pointers through three quarters. The halftime deficit was no obstacle for the tested Royal Oak team.
“They knew what they had to do, but we certainly had to reiterate that we could play a better second half,” Sopata said. “We didn’t panic, that’s for sure.”
Royal Oak (9-1, 5-0) struggled to gain offensive momentum, but staunch fourth-quarter defense translated to a successful transition game.
“They were knocking down shots, which didn’t allow us to run as much as we’d like,” Sopata said. “In the fourth, we were finally able to get some stops, which allowed us to run our fast break.”
Clare Kochanski added 10 for Royal Oak.
“We did a really nice job of getting the ball inside to her and she was finishing in the paint,” Sopata said. “She played a really good game for us all-around.”
The Athens offense had Royal Oak running around early behind Julia Lower’s 13 points, using quick ball movement to find open shots all over the court.
Sopata said his team was able to slow down the opposition when it got back to basics.
“We were just a lot more disciplined – each person doing their job, not trying to do too much,” Sopata added. “If you’re keeping the ball out of the paint individually, that makes everyone’s job easier.”
More girls basketball
Birmingham Groves 62, Troy 46: Sha Carter had 27 points and Jasmine Worthy chipped in 10 for Groves (9-2, 6-1 OAA White). Emily Olsen led Troy (5-6, 2-4 OAA White) with 17.
Carleton Airport 58, Grosse Ile 49: Emily Swiercz scored 27 and Hadley Gratz 11 for Airport (10-1, 5-1 Huron). Marisa Swick scored 16 and Helana Formentin had 15 points for Grosse Ile (7-4, 3-3 Huron).
Detroit Collegiate Prep at Northwestern 57, Detroit Westside Academy 53: Sapphire Dawson had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Ajanee Horton scored 24 and Nikiya Cordell added 15 for Northwestern (8-1). Raven Jackson led Westside Academy (7-4) with 23.
Detroit East English 63, Detroit Osborn 20: Alexis Thompson scored 29, Jayla Smith had 16 and Kendall Taylor added 13 for East English (4-4, 1-2 PSL).
Detroit King 70, Detroit Denby 26: Jordan Lewis had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six steals, Deljanaeu Williams scored 16 with six steals, and Keiah Dancy scored 12 with eight rebounds for King (8-2, 6-0 PSL).
Detroit Renaissance 56, Detroit Cody 19: Kailee Davis led Renaissance (7-4, 2-0 PSL) with 21 points, five assists and four steals.
Grosse Pointe North 66, Macomb Dakota 63: Julia Ayrault had 32 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks and Christina Braker scored 14 for North (7-2, 3-2 MAC Red). Emily Basila and Taylor Williams each scored 15 for Dakota (8-2, 5-1 MAC Red) and Tara Bieniewicz added 10.
Grosse Pointe South 38, Romeo 35: Alexa Downey had eight rebounds and three steals and Savannah Srebernak had eight points for South (5-7, 1-5 MAC Red). Amber Flinn scored 16 and Audrey Medaugh added 11 for Romeo (7-5, 2-4 MAC Red).
Girls basketball scores
Dearborn Riverside Academy West 26, Michigan Math and Science 18
Dearborn Heights Star International 37, Southfield Manoogian 27
Boys basketball scores
Dearborn Heights Star International 89, Southfield Manoogian 43
Michigan Math and Science 57, Dearborn Riverside Academy West 38