LocalSportsJournal.com

LUDINGTON — It wasn’t much of a contest after Ludington’s boys basketball team raced out to a 34-13 halftime lead, and the Orioles cruised to a 64-38 victory over Muskegon Catholic Central in the Lakes 8 Activities Conference at Ludington on Friday night.  

The Orioles got off to a strong start, with a 15-4 advantage over the Crusaders in the first quarter. Ludington then outscored MCC, 19-9 in the second to build its big halftime cushion.  

MCC tried to climb back into the contest in the third quarter, when the Crusaders outscored the Orioles, 12-9.  

But, that didn’t gain MCC much ground on the Orioles, as Ludington still enjoyed an 18-point lead, 43-25 going into the fourth quarter. Ludington finished the game out with a 18-13 run in the final eight minutes.  

“We had 11 players score, and they shared the ball very well,” Ludington coach Thad Shank said. “Catholic never quit.”  

Peyton LaCombe led the Orioles in scoring with 14 points, while David Shillinger added 10, and Matthew Westhouse and Dylan Eaton scored eight apiece.  

Jaden Johnson scored 11 points to lead the Crusaders to go along with 12 rebounds. MCC turned the ball over 23 times.

“All credit to Ludington who plays tremendous team basketball. They play so unselfishly with incredible intensity on the defensive end,” said MCC head coach Rob Recknagel.

Ludington bumped its record above .500 for the season at 5-4, and improved to 4-0 in the conference with its third straight win. The Orioles are scheduled to play at Muskegon Heights on Friday, Jan. 21.  

Muskegon Catholic fell to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the conference with its second straight loss. The Crusaders are next scheduled to play at Wyoming Potter’s House on Tuesday, Jan. 18.