Minutes earlier a small but enthused pack of Canton Prep supporters attempted to fire up their team with chants of “let’s go Chargers” in a close and competitive back and forth game.
Whitmore Lake senior forward Nate Dillon wasn’t having any of it. This was his time. Dillon, a 6-foot-6 post player with strong hands and a knack for pounding the boards, took over. He smashed the boards twice, got to the free throw line each time.
He hit four consecutive free throws on a night where Whitmore Lake struggled at the line to give the Trojans a 50-44 lead with 5:15 remaining. Then for good measure Dillon led his own chants and fired up Whitmore Lake supporters.
Let the good times roll.
The men of Whitmore Lake are on the prowl now with Dillon leading the way. WL (3-2 overall, 1-1 in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference) is on a two-game winning streak after dispatching Canton Prep 62-52 Friday night.
Dillion pumped in 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, made it difficult for Canton inside and overcame the hot shooting of Prep’s James Gay (27 points) to send folks home happy. This is expected of a three-year starter who plays with enthusiasm and with a great spirit.
“He’s got a lot of miles on him,” Whitmore Lake coach Steve Ewald said. “He’s a veteran and that’s who we go to.”
“I want to keep people up,’ Dillion said. “I want them to be active. I want them to keep playing hard.”
In other words Dillon wants teammates to be like him. Dillion was that and more. We saw a contrast in styles. Prep attempted to pressure Whitmore Lake into mistakes. It worked for a while. Prep led by as many as eight points (37-29) midway through the third period.
However, Dillon began his charge with a manly offensive board and putback. And then he began a march to the free throw line during which he made nine of 12 attempts. That was critical because at one point the Trojans had missed 14 of 17 attempts.
Whitmore Lake needed this win in the worst way. The Trojans are attempting to win their first league title in 19 years. They needed to keep pace with Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (5-1 overall, 2-0 in league play) which beat Whitmore Lake 60-49 earlier in the season.
“We are a very young team. We only have three seniors but we come in every day of the week and work,” Dillon said. “As long as we keep it up and keep improving we have a very high chance to win league this year.”
Whitmore Lake likes to run the ball, but if that does work it depends on junior forwards Isaac Fair (6-5), Jayden Carter (6-3) and Dillon to control the boards.