LocalSportsJournal.com
LUDINGTON — The Ludington Orioles bounced back from a tough loss to Spring Lake on Wednesday night and came away with a hard-fought 60-49 non-conference win over Traverse City St. Francis.
Jumping out to an early lead, the Orioles never looked back. Ludington finished the first quarter with a 19-6 lead, which pretty much put the Gladiators on the roles at Hawley Gymnasium.
The Orioles’ pressure defense forced the Gladiators into multiple turnovers early, and that led to easy baskets on the other end of the floor.
After that big first quarter, the Orioles just kept the Glads at bay, although scoring was closer in the second with Ludington owning the period 18-13 for a 37-19 halftime cushion.
St. Francis made a feeble attempt to get back in the game, but could only edge the Orioles 11-10 in the third quarter which did not do much to dent the deficit as Ludington took a 47-20 lead into the final quarter.
David Shillinger paved the way for the Orioles, as the big man pumped in 19 points. Jack Stidham scored a career-high 14 with four 3-pointers and Gage Jones netted 10.
Joe Benz and Shillinger triggered the Orioles’ pressure defense with five steals each.
Ludington, which improved to 2-1, continues its early season homestand with a conference matchup against Fremont on Friday night.
