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Orange dunks CVC win over West G
(by Tony Lange - January 18, 2012)
Orange dunks CVC win over West G
By TONY LANGE
The Orange boys basketball team remained unbeaten at 5-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division with its 70-62 home win against West Geauga (8-3, 2-3) last Friday.
With both teams having a variety of playmakers, the Lions (8-2) knew it would be a battle until the end, Orange head coach Bobby Wright said.
"I really liked where we were at halftime, and I just told the kids, you're not going to blow them out. You could play really well, and you still won't blow them out," Wright said. "It's just that they're good, they're balanced, they're big, they've got shooters, they're tough, they're well-coached, so you just have to continue to play and take it quarter by quarter."
At halftime, the Lions led West Geauga, 34-33. It was still a one-bucket game late in the third quarter until Orange ended with a quick 5-0 run.
Nelson Maxwell had a steal and followed it up with a layup, and then Trae Williams drained a three to make it a 52-45 ballgame heading into the fourth quarter.
Williams' three was a rare one, Wright said. "Trae doesn't really shoot threes," he said. "But he just got into the moment. He was wide open in the deep corner and just let it fly. He shoots probably about four threes a year, so that's just one of those times he did, and he knocked it down, and the momentum was there for us in that third-quarter ending."
Orange and West Geauga had four scorers in double digits each.
The Lions were led by Devaughn Wingard with 19 points and backed by Williams with 13, Julian Turner, 13, and Spencer Williams, 10.
The Wolverines were led by Hayden Diedrich with 14 points, Noah Bidar, 13, Aaron Rabe, 11, and Mario Formichelli, 10.
When there are that many guys capable of scoring that many points, it's difficult to predict the outcome, Wright said.
"When you play really good teams, that's just the way it goes. We tell our guys that, if you work really hard, that's not good enough. It's got to be almost to exhaustion," Wright said. "When we give a lot of energy, we're usually good. When we don't, we struggle. Games are just tough to win in this league. At a high level, you just have to appreciate each win."
Despite having a slight meniscus tear, Orange's sophomore point guard, Spencer Williams, was able to play last Friday after missing the previous two games.
Wright said Williams was cleared the day of the game, and he played about 16 to 20 minutes, which is two-thirds of the time he usually plays.
"Against West Geauga, I thought we could beat them, but I knew it would be really hard without him," Wright said. "He played well, and it helped, so he's back. It's just going to be a grind. We'll take it game by game, day by day. We want to win the league, and that's every team's goal, and you need all your players, so we'll keep a close watch on him and see how things progress. I know he's OK for now."
After finishing 16-6 last season and out to an 8-2 start this season, the Lions know they have to work hard to win, but they expect to win every game, and that's something that's exciting this season, Wright said.
"Each year we've gotten better and better, and we're excited about the improvement, and we've done so much in the off-season to prepare for a high level of play," he said. "Every game we go into to win. The culture is we expect winning. For us to be 8-2 and be ranked in the area for the second time in school history, our kids are really excited."
Up next, the Lions host Aurora at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20. Earlier in the season, Orange beat the Greenmen, 69-51.
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