High School Hoops: Falcons Finish Strong to Beat Lake Orion

The Falcons advanced to the second round in the district tournament after gliding past Lake Orion 59-46 on Monday night.

Both teams started slow and the Falcons had a 19-18 lead at halftime, but they outscored the Dragons by 13 in the second half to get the win.

The Hero: Nick Bradley led the Falcons with 18 points, including three 3-pointers and he shot 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.

The Turning Point: After being down 19-18 at halftime, the Falcons came out of the locker room and outscored the Dragons 21-11 in the third and 19-16 in the fourth.

The Quote: “The defensive intensity picked up in the second half,” Rochester head coach John Pleasant said.  "We started out in zone coverage, but it wasn't working so we switched to man (one-on-one) coverage."

"Once we started making shots our defense protected our lead," Pleasant said.

The Bottom Line:  The Falcons won the game in the third quarter with strong defense and a high-scoring offense.

Taylor Perry blocked shots while the rest of the Falcons' defense held steady and created turnovers to give them the victory.

Key Stat: The Falcons outscored the Dragons 21-11 in the third quarter after a sluggish first half.

Nick Bradley scored 18 points for the Falcons, made three 3-pointers and shot 3-for-3 from the line.

Who’s next? The Falcons will play crosstown rival Stoney Creek in the semifinal on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.