WARREN, Mich. — Orchard Lake St. Mary's showed just how dangerous it can be Tuesday night when it paid a visit to De La Salle Collegiate.
The second-ranked Eaglets knocked down five first-quarter 3-pointers and then displayed tremendous athletic talent throughout the second quarter of their 75-52 victory over the Pilots at the Bill Fox Gymnasium.
In all, five different St. Mary's players hit 3-pointers in the game, and four players reached double figures, led by Wisconsin-bound senior Lorne Bowman (20 points). Junior center Peter Nwoke scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half. Junior Julian Roper had 11 points and sophomore Kareem Rozier added 10 in his team's win.
De La Salle did its best to stay in the game for as long as it could. Junior Linden Holder knocked down a pair of first-quarter 3s, and senior Josef Gjonaj added another and finished with five of his team-high 16 points in the first, as the Pilots trailed by just six points, 19-13.
The Pilots were unable to put a dent in a 16-point halftime deficit in the third quarter, but they made another push early in the fourth. An early layup by Roper gave the Eaglets an 18-point cushion. But De La Salle then went on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to 57-48 with 4:01 to play. Sophomore Caleb Reese scored eight points during the run, including a pair of 3-pointers. Holder also knocked down a long ball to help rejuvenate the crowd.
But the momentum quickly swayed back in favor of St. Mary's, which immediately went on an 8-0 run to take back control. The Eaglets outscored the Pilots 18-4 over the game's final 3:47.
Reese finished the game with 10 points for De La Salle (9-5 overall, 2-5 CHSL). Holder had nine points in a game in which nine different Pilots scored. De La Salle returns to the court Friday night on the road where it will play at U-D Jesuit.
St. Mary's will host Brother Rice Friday night.