Winner Takes All

ST. MARY'S CAGE CONTINGENT ROMPS ITS WAY TO TOURNEY CROWN

Sometimes a final score can be deceiving, and a game can be more of a blowout in real time than it actually looks on paper.

Wednesday's championship game of the 9^th annual Crusaders Classic, the yearly Holiday tournament held at Mount Clemens L'Anse Creuse North High School, was one of those times.

Jumping out on top with ferocious intensity, the Orchard Lake St. Mary's boys basketball team crushed the host Crusaders, holding a 42-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter, before cruising to the finish line for a 57-48 victory and claiming another in a long line of trophies for the school's trophy case.

The star of the game for the Eaglets was senior guard Ethan Woelke, who scored a game-high 20 points. Fellow seniors Chewy Ukandu and Justin Barrows put up 11 points and nine rebounds apiece for St. Mary's.

Barrows was the standout Tuesday in the Eaglets 56-54 takedown of Warren Cousino in the tourney semifinals, tallying a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds and reeling off three straight hoops late in the fourth quarter to catapult St. Mary's into a lead they would never relinquish.

Showing off their balance in Wednesday's final, the Eaglets placed four players in double figures in the scorebook. Besides Woelke, Barrows and Ukandu, junior Sam McClendon notched 10 points for the winners, too.

Since losing its opener in disappointing fashion against Clarkston two weeks ago, St. Mary's has won four straight games and holds a 4-1 overall record heading into the start of the Catholic League schedule next week.

McClendon and Barrows started for the Eaglets last season when they won district and regional titles on their way to an appearance in the Class A Elite 8. Both Woelke and Ukandu came off the bench last year.

Starting to get looks from a number of colleges for his prowess on the hardwood, Barrows, a 6-foot-7 forward that can hurt opponents inside and out, came over to St. Mary's as a sophomore from Auburn Hills Oakland Christian. A dangerous shooter and playmaker, McClendon has been on the Eaglets varsity since he was freshman.