REDHAWKS SNAG FIRST WIN OF SEASON IN SPECTACULAR FASHION, SHOCK CLARKSTON IN FINAL MOMENTS THANKS TO BOARD WORK AND CLUTCH SHOOTING

Rebounds were all around Tuesday night in Troy at the Athens High School boys basketball game. Not only did the Red Hawks rebound big time from a dismal 0-3 start to pull the upset over state power Clarkston, 41-40, Athens was all over the glass, outrebounding its opponents by more than a dozen boards.

All-conference senior power forward Jake Duzey led the Red Hawks' offensive attack with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

Reserve junior guard Aaron Fox knocked down a triple in the game's final minute to put Athens up for good, 41-38.

Caleb McIntosh and Jolly Grewell augmented Duzey in the post admirably, pulling down eight rebounds apiece.

Tuesday's Red Hawks victory was the first ever for the team over perennial big brother Clarkston, which falls to 1-2 on the season.

Duzey, a standout tight end in the fall, is headed to play football in college in the Big Ten Conference at the University of Iowa. Last season, he averaged a double-double.

Since opening the season with a win over Orchard Lake St. Mary's, the Wolves have dropped two straight. Clarkston was led by junior sniper Nick Tatu, who showed off his long-distance shooting skills by sinking six trifectas on his way to a game-high 22 points. As a sophomore last year, Tatu was a starter on the Wolves district title squad.

Clinging to a one-point lead on the game's final possession, Athens got a huge defensive stop to clinch the win. When a Clarkston missed a foul-line extended jumper at the horn, the Red Hawks and their fans celebrated ecstatically.

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