Lahser Boys Win Rivalry Game Over Andover 73-58

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – The Bloomfield Hills boys basketball team is going for gold.

A 73-58 win over rival (7-9; 1-5 Gold) on the road Friday night kept the Knights atop the Oakland Activities Association Gold division with four games to play.

Without starting point guard Armand Cartwright for the rest of the season, Lahser (12-4; 5-1 Gold) is trying to keep pace with Groves and Oxford. The three teams went into Friday all tied with 4-1 records in the division.

Sophomore guard Martez Jones had a game-high 20 points and Yante Maten picked up his first career triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks.

“Our team really came together when he (Cartwright) got hurt,” Jones said. “We are just trying to play team basketball right now. This win is real big.”

The key stretch came at the end of the third quarter. Barons guard Myron Butler hit a 3-pointer with 3:27 left to cut Lahser’s lead to 37-36.

They didn’t score again until Terrence Garrett hit a free throw with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter. While holding Andover scoreless for nearly six minutes, the Knights pushed their lead to 54-36.

During the stretch, the Barons’ aggressive style on defense worked against them. Lahser was in the double bonus with 7:44 left in the game and at that point had already attempted 25 more free throws than Andover.

“We realize we foul, that’s the nature of when you’re pressing full court and trying to get the tempo up, but I was little unhappy with some of the lackadaisical play we had fouling,” Barons coach Jeff Rubin said.

Marlon Pruitt hurt his team’s cause with a technical foul with 2:14 left in the third. He argued passionately with officials that whistled him for a foul while trying to guard Maten under the basket. Jones hit both free throws to extend Lahser’s lead to 43-36.

Rubin also received a technical foul for arguing with officials at the top of the fourth.

“At that point I get the technical, the foul discrepancy was 24 to 4 (in favor of the Knights),” Rubin said. “In the second half when we are driving and not getting anything, it just seemed like I had to protect my kids.”

After Rubin’s technical, the calls did even out a bit. Lahser finished the game with 13 fouls to Andover’s 28.

When the game got heated, Lahser coach Duane Graves said he was happy with the way his team stayed composed.

“Rival games get physical,” Graves said. “We talked all week, about keeping our heads together.”

Collin Feilla gave Lahser its biggest lead of the game with a 3-pointer with 6:00 left. His second 3-pointer of the quarter made it 59-37. Andover picked up a little momentum in the final four minutes by hitting three 3-pointers, but never cut the Knights lead below 13 points.

The game didn’t just make a difference in the OAA Gold standings. It also will have an impact off the court.

Friday’s game was the first time the Bloomfield Hills schools hosted a charity game together. In the past, the schools have each put own their own , but this year they teamed up.

Both schools sold purple shirts and the game featured a raffle with a variety of prices. All proceeds are going to the American Cancer Society.

“Lot of purple shirts tonight, there’s no real loser tonight because of all the money we raised, it was just outstanding,” Graves said. “I lost my mom to cancer in 2002. It’s a very personal, emotional thing to me.”