Troy Boys Basketball Edges Out Lahser, 54-51

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – The Lahser High School boys basketball team battled all game and nearly stole a victory from Troy on Tuesday night.

In a crossover game between the Oakland Activities Association Gold and White divisions, the Knights were within striking distance in the final seconds before falling 54-51. The Colts (4-3) play up in the Gold, two divisions higher than Lahser (7-3).

“I’m extremely proud of my boys,” Lahser coach Duane Graves said. “They played hard, this is a highly touted team, and to be able to handle the pressure and hype of this game, they fought really well. That’s a really good team over there.”

Armand Cartwright had a chance to tie the game at the free throw line with 7.3 seconds left on the clock and Troy up 52-50. The point guard, battling the flu, hit the first one to make it 52-51. After a timeout by Troy, he missed the second.

“Armand is a special kid. He was sick yesterday, came to practice and watched,” Graves said. “He’s playing at 80 percent, you should see him at 90.”

It was Cartwright’s aggressiveness in the fourth quarter that helped keep the game close. 

Lahser didn’t have a field goal in the final four minutes and starting sophomore center Yante Maten fouled out of the game with 2:36 left in the fourth.

Cartwright hit eight straight free throws in the fourth quarter before missing his final attempt. He finished the game with game-high 20 points.

“Give Lahser a lot of credit - they play hard, they play smart and they play a nice brand of basketball,” Troy coach Gary Fralick said.

Troy had to deal with foul trouble of its own. James Young, the top-ranked junior in the state of Michigan, fouled out less than 30 seconds after Maten.

Young picked up two fouls in the opening four minutes of the game and then picked up two more in the first half of the third. The 6-foot-6 forward spent more time on the bench than he did on the floor.

He fouled out trying to post up with 2:14 left in the game and was called for pushing off defender Andrew Gikas’ back. Fralick said it was the least amount of playing time Young has had all season. He fouled out with 13 points.

“If he played 30 minutes it would’ve been a different score,” Fralick said. “He was in constant foul trouble.”

A strong second half from sophomore Maceo Baston helped soften the blow. Baston led the Colts with 16 points, scoring 11 after halftime.

“I thought he did (step up),” Fralick said. “And I thought our defense played better, with more energy.”

The win gave Troy its first two-game win streak of the season. Fralick said his team is still searching for some stability. He made a lot of substitutions and is still trying to figure out his rotations.

“We haven’t been able to score much inside, our rebounding is not very good right now and we have been inconsistent with our outside shooting,” he said.

Things don’t get easier for the Colts. They play Detroit Community High School, one of the top ranked teams in the state, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Warren Fitzgerald High School. Lahser hosts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Notes – The teams combined for more than 40 fouls and went to the line a combined 53 times. Khalil Gracey and Kyle Riley each had nine points for Lahser. Evan Mahone had seven points off the bench for Troy.