LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON — After falling into a 12-point hole midway through the second quarter, Ludington’s boys basketball team closed the deficit to just four at halftime and then came all the way back in the second half for a 75-63 win over Orchard View at Muskegon in a makeup game Monday night.

The two teams were originally scheduled to play the Lakes 8 Activities Conference game last Friday, but the snow and bad roads forced a cancellation.

Orchard View blitzed the Orioles from long range early, and made 11 3-point shots for the game, permitting them to gain the lead.

It was only a one-point difference, 21-20 after the first quarter before the Cardinals bombed their way to that double digit lead in the second quarter. The Cardinals outscored the Orioles, 14-11 in the second period and led, 35-31 at the half.

“OV’s got a perimeter dominating team, and they really shot the heck out of the ball,” Ludington coach Thad Shank said. “They hit seven 3’s in the first half.

“We just had a heck of a time guarding them. But, at the same time, they had a heck of a time dealing with our size. It was a little bit of a battle of mismatches tonight.”

It was a close game in the second half as well, but the Orioles gained a 53-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter with a 22-12 scoring edge in the third period.

Ludington held a slim, 63-61 lead with about 4:30 left in regulation and then went on a 12-2 finishing run to pull away at the end.

“We were able to punish them inside, and they were able to spread us out knock down some 3’s. I was proud of our composure in the second half,” Shank said.

Four players scored in double figures for the Orioles. David Shillinger, Levi Laman and Matthew Westhouse each scored 14 points and Peyton LaCombe had 12.

Senior Darius Williams poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the Cardinals. Williams also grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 6 assists and had 3 steals. Delaney Oakes contributed 11 points while sophomores Keith McCallister and Stephon Oakes tossed in 9 points respectively.

With their second consecutive win, the Orioles improved to 4-4 overall and 3-0 in the Lakes 8 Activities Conference. Orchard View dropped to 2-3 in all games and 0-3 in the conference.

Ludington’s next scheduled contest is Friday at home against Muskegon Catholic Central, while the Cardinals host West Michigan Christian.