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Alderson’s 27-point effort leads Clarkston past North Farmington in OAA Red Opener
Clarkston – When Dylan Alderson transferred into Clarkston going into this season, the Wolves knew what kind of impact player they’d be getting, but that patience would be needed as they tried to get him acclimated with their program.
On Thursday night, Alderson made a big impact for the Wolves in their OAA Red Division opener against one of Clarkston’s top competitors for the Division crown, North Farmington.
The 6-foot-4 junior guard poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the Wolves to a 60-47 win as the Wolves got out to a comfortable first quarter lead and never trailed on Thursday night.
Clarkston coach Dan Fife said that Alderson stepped up in a big way for his team on Thursday night when star sophomore point guard Foster Loyer had an off-night, and the Davison transfer came through for his team.
“I think tonight, he blossomed pretty good to be honest with you,” he said. “He’s still trying to find his way and where he fits in with our kids with the transition, going from one program to the other and our league is very, very tough. But to be honest with you, when Foster, our point guard, struggles like he did tonight and we still get a good win, that’s big for us, because other players have to play and step up. For Dylan, every time it seemed like we needed a basket, he got one, he got steals, made big three’s and just had an outstanding game.”
Holding a 10-point lead coming out of halftime, Clarkston saw its lead balloon to as large as 13 points in the third quarter.
But North Farmington would manage to trim the Clarkston lead down to six late in the third quarter when senior Billy Thomas knocked down a 3-pointer and then a layup to make it 42-36.
“We made shots,” North Farmington coach Todd Negoshian said of the key on chipping away at Clarkston’s lead in the third quarter. “I felt like we had good looks and open shots the whole night and we just didn’t make them. To beat someone that plays the way that they (Clarkston) plays, you have to be able to make shots and we didn’t shoot it real well tonight.”
Thomas finished with a team-high 20 points, while junior Amauri Hardy added 19 points in the loss for the Raiders.
But Alderson continued to knock down key shots all night long as he responded with a 3-pointer of his own to push the lead back to nine late in the third quarter and the Wolves would watch their lead grow to as large as 14, early on in the fourth quarter.
Alderson gave credit to his teammates being the key for his big night.
“My teammates were getting me open,” he said. “I was coming off of screens and they really just set me up to get the ball.”
Fife said that for his team to respond with a run of its own that lasted from the late stages of the third quarter and into the fourth was key for his team to keep North Farmington at bay.
“North Farmington’s not going to quit,” he said. “We weren’t getting relaxed, but we just made some silly mistakes at that time and missed some shots, but it’s a game of runs and we just have to stay with it.”
Alderson said that even though he is new to the Wolves program, he feels like he’s been a part of Clarkston basketball since day one, which has helped him get comfortable with his new team quicker.
"It’s great,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been here my whole life. The coaches, the teammates, the staff here at Clarkston, they’ve all welcomed me really well.”
Loyer scored nine points and tallied 10 assists on the night to go along with Alderson’s 27.
