By Don Horkey | Special to The Michigan Catholic
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Waterford -- Of course, it’s premature and risky for a team to start thinking about the state tournament a couple months away.
But if you’re in the sneakers worn by the girls varsity of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, you can’t help noticing the huge photo on the wall behind their bench of the jubilant Lakers celebrating the Class D state title last year.
Eleven of the 12 players on that championship squad are back this year.
“First things first,” cautions coach Steve Robak.
CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO GALLERY OF THE GAME
Grabbing his immediate attention is a visit Monday night by arch-rival Mt. Clemens Cardinal Mooney – a team sporting an 8-0 record (3-0 in the Catholic League East Division) and a game ahead of the 7-1 Lakers (2-1 league). The schools have faced one another 10 times in the last three years, each winning five games.
Based on last night’s 65-48 conquest of Madison Heights Bishop Foley (7-3, 1-3 league West Division), Robak admits that his team is not quite there yet to begin a defense of the state title. “We’re maybe 2-3 weeks away.”
The Ventures and Lakers traded basket-for-basket (and even turnover for turnover) in the first half with the Lakers taking a precarious 35-33 lead into the locker room.
Keyed by three-point baskets by Lauren Robak and sophomore guard Ava Doetsch, and a fast-break basket by Robak, the Lakers had an 8-0 lead before two minutes expired off the clock.
Coach Dave Joseph’s Ventures responded with a 10-2 tear to tie the score, and then kept on going to build an 18-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Senior guard Nikki Taylor with three triples and a pair of free throws and junior forward Colleen Szakacs had a triple and two baskets to account for Bishop Foley’s points.
The pace continued hot and heavy in the second quarter. The Robak sisters – senior guard Lauren (who will attend Oakland University in the fall on a four-year basketball scholarship) and sophomore guard Lexie – each connected on three-pointers to quickly tie the game at 20. They combined for 12 points to neutralize 11 by the combo of Szakacs and Taylor.
The third quarter was a disaster for Bishop Foley. Lexie Robak and Doetsch buried back-to-back triples to put the Lakers eight points ahead, and the rout was on. Szakacs scored the only four points in the quarter for the Ventures. She wound up with 22 points (and nine rebounds) to share scoring honors with Lauren Robak (seven rebounds). Taylor had 13, all in the first half.
The Lakers doubled up on the Ventures, 30-15, in the second half.
“The things we did in the first half – scoring, rebounds and defense – we didn’t do in the second half,” Joseph said. “Great teams keep the pressure on you, and that’s what they did.”
Steve Robak acknowledged as much. “Yes, we stepped up our defense, put more pressure on the ball.” The Lakers had 20 steals (the Robak sisters combined for 13) and forced 23 turnovers by Bishop Foley. The Lakers’ 13 turnovers were the first time this year they hit double figures in that statistic.
Lexie Robak had 17 points (5 triples) and Doetsch 13.
