The Lakers competed in a plethora of events this week featuring West Bloomfield High School Boys Swim and Dive, Boys and Girls Basketball, Wrestling, Hockey, and Cheer.
Boys and Girls Basketball teams took their skills to the court on Tuesday, January 13th. The Boys Varsity team took on De La Salle Collegiate High School (DLSCHS) at DLSCHS. The Varsity team fell to devastating first loss of the season, 57-45, despite giving it their all. The 6’5’’ center, Zach Allread (senior) lead the team with 17 points and guard, Kevin Mcadoo (sophomore) finished with 9. The Girls Varsity Basketball team dribbled into action against North Farmington High School (NFHS) at WBHS. The girls team fought hard in front of their home crowd but came up short in a 42-28 final.
On Wednesday, January 14th, the Boys Varsity Wrestling team headed to Harrison High School (HHS) where they clashed with Lake Orion High School (LOHS) and Pontiac High School (PHS) in a dual meet. The first match was against Pontiac as the Lakers pulled off an easy victory. Pontiac struggled due to only having 7 guys on their team and multiple voided weight classes. The Lakers then took on a talented Lake Orion High. The Lakers managed to sneak out with a win by a slim 3 points, which is extremely close in wrestling. Despite being short three players, the Lakers performed exceptionally well bringing home two victories back to WBHS.
The WBHS Boys Varsity Swim and Dive team battled with Stoney Creek High School (SCHS) on Thursday, January 15th as the Lakers swam their way to a 4-0 undefeated record. The WBHS Swim and Dive team had been on roll sweeping their opponents in their last three meets and they did not disappoint against Stoney Creek as they concluded with a final combined score of 109-76. This talented Laker team was led by Jacob Thoma (senior) with his two wins in the 200 IM and the 100 Back. In addition, Nate Neeley (freshman) took 1st in the 100 Fly, Tyler Edwards (senior) took 1st in the 100 Free, and Chase Yarber (senior) took 1st in the 100 Breast.
The following day, Friday, January 16, the Girls Basketball teams were back on the courts, as Freshman and Varsity matched up against Troy High School (THS) at THS. Varsity played through a nail bitter as the game came down to the final seconds, but fell short of victory with a 35-32 loss. The same could be said for the Girls Freshman team as they also fell to Troy, 26-17. While the girls teams faced a few tough away losses, the Boys Basketball teams were at WBHS taking on Farmington High School (FHS). The Boys Varsity team played in front of a massive home crowd and noisy student section that had a ton to cheer about. The Lakers controlled the second and third quarters, taking a comfortable lead only to be outscored in the fourth 17-9. The game was tied at 49 apiece with just seconds to go in the game and Laker’s point guard, Trishton Jackson (junior) attacked the basket making the game winning layup. The Lakers avoided overtime and took the 51-49 victory. Trishton Jackson (junior) finished with 18 points, Zach Allread (senior) had 12, and Gervon Winn (junior) had 10. The Freshman team pulled off a victory over Farmington after struggling to get on a hot start this season. The Lakers won with a final score of 41-28 and look to build on that win. At Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Ice Arena, the WBHS Boys Varsity Hockey team went up against Royal Oak High School (ROHS).WBHS beat the Ravens in a close game that extended to overtime, 4-3. The four goals were scored by Sean Wigler (senior), Michael Kolodin (senior), Alec Rinaldi (sophomore), and Daniel Kassab (sophomore). Anthony Crews (sophomore), recorded 45 saves in the overtime win. Their record is now 8-4-1 this season, which places them in second place in the league. The WBHS hockey team is having an incredible season this year, and they have proved to be a very worthy opponent for any team they face.
On the last sports day of the week, January 17, there was only one event. The Boys JV and Varsity Wrestling teams attended and competed in an invitational at Walled Lake Northern High School (WLN) against WLN. The varsity team concluded the meet with two winners of which included Justin Hollins (senior) at HWT and Deshawn Cole (senior) at 160 LBS. Brandon Munson (freshman) also finished with a solid 4th place. The JV team also dominated and finished with three guys taking home medals. Barr Shlagman (freshman) took 2nd place, Chris Kalaj (sophomore) took 2nd place, and Scott Budka (freshman) took 3rd place.
The past week was definitely an exciting one. The WBHS athletic teams never failed to excite the fans, students, and teachers of WB. Next week will be just as exciting, if not even more. Make sure to come back next week for more Laker Sports Line.