Clawson Wins Conference Game, Ties With Two Teams for First Place

If it were a movie, Clawson’s boys basketball (6-2, 3-1) home game conference win over Centerline (4-5, 3-1) Tuesday night would be an Academy Award nominee. The 62-57 win featured an early tentative Clawson team that fell behind, couldn’t hit a free throw but hung on with defense to keep the game close.

The team then took charge with defense in the third quarter that ignited its offense, found its shooting touch from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, brought home the win and everyone lived happily ever after.

“We were tentative, back on our heels and didn’t establish the baseline at all,” Head Coach Bill Shellenbarger Jr. said. “We were settling for three after three after three. I think we had one two-point field goal in the first half.”

Down four points in the first quarter – 10-6 – and four at halftime – 25-21, Clawson had hit only 4-11 free throws by halftime. But a defensive gem third quarter where Clawson only allowed eight points while adding 19 put them in the driver seat with a seven-point third quarter lead – 40-33.

“With the size we have and the strength – our guards are tough – and we have to impose that,” Shellenbarger explained. “The first half we didn’t. The second half we did. We had 21 points in the first half and 41 in the second half. We imposed our will on the baseline. We went at them.”

Centerline fought its way back into the game and tied it at 41 with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter. The teams juggled the lead four more times with one tie thrown in for good measure over the next few minutes before senior guards Steve O’Connell and Tyler Marwin hit key jump shots and free throws while senior center Eric Thompson cleared rebounds and Cody Lehman picked up some timely steals.

Marwin lead the team with 27 points, while O’Connell picked up nine and Lehman had seven. The team shot 12-20 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to end the night 19-33 for 58 percent. The team was 11-36 on field goals for 31 percent and 7-19 from the three-point line for 37 percent. Thompson had 15 rebounds while junior Jalen Harrison added nine. The team totaled 29 defensive and 14 offensive rebounds for 43 total. Seven assists and five steals while giving up only five turnovers helped create the win for Clawson. But Centerline hung tough inside and out defensively against the Trojans all night.

“The played tough defense,” Marwin said. “You have to give credit to them. It was a great game, I thought it was close the whole time.”

Marwin hit 8-10 free throws on the night and took a lot of pushing and shoving while trying to control the ball offensively.

“It’s part of the game,” he said. “We’re arguably the two best teams in the conference so when we go head-to-head it’s going to get physical.”

Shellenbarger compared the game to gridiron action with the win going to the last man standing.

“It was like an old football game – we had to win it in the trenches down at the baseline,” he said.

Centerline was 10-18 for 56 percent at the free throw line. Junior Joseph Lendzion had 21 points while senior Brett McArthur added 19.

The conference win ties Clawson for first place with Centerline and Lakeview. On Friday, Clawson hosts Lamphere in conference action. It will be a double-header night with the girls hosting first at 5:30 p.m. and the boys game following. The rivalry game will be a “Yellow Out” and all fans are asked to wear yellow or purchase a special t-shirt designed for the event at the game.

“It’s a conference game. We’ve got to get it. We’ve got to have it,” Shellenbarger said. “If we’re going to stay in the hunt and be the lead dog – which we’re tied for first place. We have to win games. We’re supposed to win Friday, we need to win Friday, we have to win Friday.”