WHITEHALL – It has been way too long since the Eagles hoisted a district title. Since the start of the season, head coach Tracy Ruel and many of their seniors have been eyeing a chance to compete in regional play.
With a 60-47 win over Fruitport, Oakridge is just one win away from achieving that goal in one of the hardest districts in Division Two.
Oakridge was led by many scorers on Wednesday night. Three Eagles finished in double digits: Evan Miller, Bryson Stephenson, and Evan Jozsa.
“You look at the second half of the season, the last 10 games, all five of our guys are averaging double figures. If somebody is hot that night, let’s feed him and give him the ball,” coach Ruel said.
The message to his guys in the locker room was simple for Coach Ruel: “The message was to get to Friday night, how much heart are you going to give? If you lose, you go home, you’re done playing.”
In the first quarter, both teams were heaving up three-pointers; it almost looked as if a cornhole match was being played.
A combined six triples connected in the first eight minutes by both squads, almost simultaneously. Lillmars recorded one for Fruitport, while Peyton Ruel and Evan Miller added one each for Oakridge. With three and a half minutes left in the first quarter, Bryson Stephenson made his influence on the game, scoring seven points in less than two minutes. The Eagles went on a 10-1 run but were halted by a Hudson Hazekamp and Brady Hanson three-pointer right before the first-quarter buzzer, cutting the Oakridge lead to just four points, 19-15.
The second quarter served as a true back-and-forth affair, with neither team going on a big-time run. Trailing 26-24 with 3:10 left in the half, Trojan junior Grade Anspach nailed a three-pointer to take a narrow one-point lead. Fruitport’s freshman phenom, Dexter Lillmars, netted a triple at the 38-second mark and held on to take a 32-30 halftime lead.
Michael Wambaugh, with just over three minutes left in the third, served up back-to-back buckets that started the distancing on the scoreboard. However, Steve Erny’s Trojan team has faced much adversity over the last few seasons, which triggered the comeback mentality. DayDay Williams, who has been a key part of the team since he was a freshman, scored an electric and-one and followed it up with a crafty layup that resulted in a tie ball game heading into the final eight minutes.
A stifling Oakridge defense held the Trojans to just five points throughout the fourth quarter, while Jozsa and Miller took turns exploiting Fruitport down low. Wambaugh’s three-pointer with 1:16 left in the game was the true nail in the coffin.
Miller finished with 19 points, while Stephenson followed closely with 18, and Jozsa chipped in 11 points.
Lillmars easily led Fruitport with his five beyond-the-arc triples and ended with 15 points.
Oakridge and Spring Lake will face off at 7 PM Friday night in Whitehall.
Interested in more content from us? Check out our website catchmarksports.com, our Facebook page, or our YouTube page!
