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 Updated:  12/05/2008

ADAMS HIGHLANDERS

2007-2008

Boys  Freshmen Basketball

DAY

DATE

Opponent

H/A

Time
Tuesday12/4/2007TROYScore:43-33
Adams 43, Troy 33  The Rochester Adams Freshmen opened their 2007-2008 season with a 43-33 win over Troy on December 4rth.  Admittedly Adams did not look as sharp as they have in some of the pre-season scrimmages and really struggled from the free throw line completing only 11/25 attempts.  They made their free throws when they counted the most however…down the stretch to seal the win.  After being behind by 1 point to end the 1rst quarter, Adams went on a 16-0 run and finished the half up 25-13.  The freshmen provided balanced scoring, tremendous energy and very good rebounding in the 1rst half.  Troy pulled to within 4 points early in the 4rth quarter before Adams pulled away and sealed the victory with a couple of Nick Zekai free throws with 13 seconds in the game. Nick led the Highlander attack with 10 points, Ben Hollet added 9 and Matt Nestor 8.  Spencer Cairo led in rebounds with 7 coupled with 3 points, Brad Nestor added 6 rebounds and 6 points. Adams has a bye this week to tweak a few things before traveling to Stoney Creek to take on the Cougars on Monday December 10th for a 4:00pm start. 
Friday12/7/2007BYE
Monday12/10/2007STONEY CREEKScore:40-36
Adams 40 Stoney Creek 36.  Stoney Creek- Adams Freshmen go to 2-0 in this young season with a 40-36 win over Stoney Creek. Adams led start to finish in this one, although Stoney played very aggressive and pulled within 1 point in the 4rth quarter. Both teams got off to a slow start and Adams led 14-7 at the half. Stoney started to play more aggressive in the 2nd half by pulling our big men to the top of the key and flashed across the middle for many easy buckets. Once again Adams played tough when needed down the stretch. Nick Zekaj sank a free throw with 22 seconds left and Ben Hollet ripped down a rebound to end the game. Matt Nestor led Adams with 10 points and 7 rebounds, Brad Nylen added 8 points and Nick Zekaj added 7. Ben Hollett had 9 rebounds.
Thursday12/13/2007LAKE ORIONScore:66-55
Adams 66 Lake Orion 55.  The Adams Freshmen Highlanders continued their winning ways with an impressive win over the Lake Orion Dragons. Adams raced off to an 8-0 lead to start the game, until the Dragons pulled off a 6-0 run of their own to set a tone that would last the entire game. Adams was on the brink of blowing the game wide-open on several occasions, but the scrappy bunch from Lake Orion would have none of that and kept the score within reach the entire game. After leading by 6 at the half, Adams built a 12 point lead in the 3rd quarter and never really looked back from there. Adams broke the Lake Orion press very well in this game and did a good job on the 'boards'. Spencer Cairo led the Adams attack with 12 points and 12 rebounds, Brad Nylen added 11 points and 9 rebounds. Other Adams leading scorers were Kosta Patsarikas with 10 points, Nick Zekaj with 9 and Matt Nestor with 7. 
Tuesday12/18/2007LAHSERScore:47-35
Adams 47 Lahser 35 (2 OT's)Adams- The Adams Freshmen Highlanders pulled off a very exciting double overtime win over Lahser. The game started anything but exciting as Adams managed just 9 points in the first half and found themselves down 18-9. Adams picked it up in the 2nd half and took their first lead with 5 minutes to go in the 3rd. The game ended in regulation tied at 32 after Lahser scored with seconds to go. In the 1rst overtime Spencer Cairo and Nick Zekaj sank free throws to give Adams a 3 point lead until Lahser sank a '3' with seconds remaining. Mario Roveda scored 4 quick points to start the second overtime, Matt Nestor Spencer Cairo and Kosta Patsarikas each sunk free throws down the stretch as Adams won pulling away 47-35. Spencer Cairo had 12 points and 5 rebounds, Brad Nylen and Matt Nestor each scored 8, Nick Zekaj had 7 points. Ben Hollett and Mario Roveda each had 6 rebounds.
Thursday12/20/2007CRANBROOK KINGSWOODScore:55-37
Cranbrook- The Adams Freshmen Highlanders ended 2007 undefeated with a 55-37 thrashing of Cranbrook Kingswood. Cranbrook stayed with Adams until midway of the 1rst quarter until Adams went on a 10-0 run and never looked back from there. Coach Hall used his entire roster and all the players saw significant minutes. Brad Nylen led the scoring with 11 points to go with his 9 rebounds, Matt Nestor, Kosta Patarikas and Matt Charlebois each had 7 points. Spencer Cairo had 10 rebounds and Ben Hollett had 8. Now the Boys get a well deserved rest and needed practice time for the tough schedule that awaits them in 2008. 
Thursday1/3/2008SOUTHFIELDScore:54-57
Southfield 57 Adams 54 Adams- The Adams freshmen lost a close one to Southfield to start off the 2008 campaign. This game was tight from start to finish and Adams made a couple of runs throughout the game but never trailed my more than 7 points. Adams pulled to within 1 point with 5 seconds to go thanks to a couple of Matt Nestor free throws. Southfield then sank a couple of free throws of their own to end the game. The Highlanders played hard all game long and for the Van Hoosen boys this marks the end of an era of undefeated basketball games that started in 7th grade. Nevertheless with a new year comes time for new records to be started and made. Matt Nestor led the Highlanders with 16 points, Spencer Cairo added 10. Brad Nylen has 12 rebounds and 7 points, Ben Hollett had 7 rebounds and 6 points
Tuesday1/8/2008FERNDALEScore:58-34
Adams 58 Ferndale 34 Ferndale- The Freshmen Basketball Highlanders got back to their winning ways with an impressive victory over Ferndale. A 5:00pm start and a long bus ride did not seem to phase the freshmen team much as they came out and pretty much dominated from start to finish in all phases of the game. Ferndale seemed to be a little shocked to open the game to find themselves down 13-8 at the end of the first period. When the Adams boys walked in the gym there were audible snickers and comments of taking it too the boys from Rochester. Adams came out and just played their game- running the court- hard moving defense with a lot of communication, good rebounding and better shooting than the previous game. After taking a 31-19 halftime lead, Adams came out in the 2nd half and went on a nice run to end the 3rd period up 44-27. As a team Adams had 18 steals in the game. Matt Nestor led the attack with 12 points, 4 assists and 6 steals, Mario Roveda had 12 points and Nick Zekaj added 9. Ben Hollett had 10 rebounds.
Friday1/11/2008ROCHESTERScore:43-34
Adams 43 Rochester 34Rochester- The Freshmen Highlanders had a cross-town showdown of their own and beat a very good Rochester team 43-34. This game was back and forth in the early going and the first quarter ended with Rochester up 11-9. Adams took the lead with 3 minutes to go in the half and never looked back from there. Pesky guard play and solid rebounding by the Highlanders led to the victory. Rochester pulled to within 6 down the stretch until Nick Zekaj sank free throws in the end to seal the victory. Matt Nestor led the scoring with 13, Mario Roveda had 8. Spencer Cairo had 10 rebounds and 6 points, Brad Nylen had 8 boards while Ben Hollett and Nick Zakaj added 6.
Monday1/14/2008WEST BLOOMFIELDScore:57-64
Adams- The Adams Freshmen Highlanders lost a tough fought battle to a very good West Bloomfield team. Midway thru the 1rst period Adams took a 9 point lead on the back of Mario Roveda who scored 9 of the 17 opening period points. The second period saw tough play from both teams as Matt Charlebois made a couple of assists on his now famous no-look passes. Alex Trumble played very good defense. The Highlanders were down at the half 25-27. West Bloomfield started the 3rd period by hitting a couple of '3's' and never really looked back from there. Matt Nestor led the Highlanders with 19 points, Mario Roveda had 11 points and 6 rebounds, Kosta Patsarikas added 10 points.
Thursday1/17/2008BIRMINGHAM GROVESScore:80-56
Adams- The Rochester Freshmen Highlanders returned back to their winning ways with a 80-56 thumping of Groves on Januray 17th. Not much Adams did went wrong in this game as they opened up a 18-8 1rst period lead and never looked back from there. All of the Highlanders played very well and most noteably Jacob Brown, Neal Lott, Jacob Boyle, Alex trumble, and Matt Charlebois played extremely well as a group down the stretch. Brad Nylen led the Highlander attatck with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Matt Nestor added 13 point, KostaPatsarikas chipped in 10. Spencer Cairo led the battle of the boards with 11 rebounds and 2 points.
Tuesday1/22/2008CLARKSTON (at Junior High)Score:51-38
Clarkston- The Freshmen Highlanders rang up their season record to 9-2 with a 51-38 win over Clarkston on Januray 22nd. Two quick baskets by Ben Hollett opened the scoring for Adams with a 4- 0 lead. Jacob Boyle hit a '3' later for a 11-7 Adams lead at the end of the 1rst period. Adams started the 2nd quarter with a full court press that really threw Clarkston off rythem. Both Matt Nestor and Kosta Patsarikas converted 3 point plays in the quarter along with superb passing by Matt Charlebois helped Adams to a 27-18 lead at the half. Clarkston pulled to within 7 points in the 3rd quarter before Adams pulled away and never looked back to end the game. Kosta Patsarikas led the Highlanders with 11 points, Matt Nestor 7, Nick Zekaj and Ben Hollett added 6 points. Spencer Cairo had 6 rebounds and 6 points while Brad Nylen had 5 rebounds.
Friday1/25/2008ATHENSScore:47-43
Adams- The Freshmen Highlanders continued their winning ways of the 2007-2008 season with a gritty 47-43 win over Troy Athens. The game saw the return of Desante Dinkins to the court and he played a good game at the point position and helped Adams jump out to a 15-7 1rst period lead. Great hustle by Neal Lott and excellent defense by Alex Trumble helped Adams keep a 27-22 halftime lead. In the second half Mario Roveda, Nick Zekaj and Kosta Patsarikas led the way for Adams as they combined to hold off a pesky Athens squad to secure the win. Mario Roveda led the Adams attack with 15 points, Kosta Patsarikas added 12. Spencer Cairo had 6 rebounds and Brad Nylen added 5.
Monday1/28/2008LATHRUPScore:61-63
Adams- The Adams freshmen lost a heartbreaker to Southfield Lathrup on January 28th. Lathrup jumped out to an early 8-0 lead using a full court press which created many Adams turnovers. Adams settled down from there when Nick Zekaj converted a 3 point play with 5 minutes to go in the 1rst. Mario Roveda hit the first basket of the 2nd period pulling Adams to within 10. From there Adams outscored Lathrup to trail only by two at the half. Alex Trumble hit a basket to start the 3rd period as Adams started to disrupt Lathrup with a full court press of their own. Adams was up by 1 before Lathrup hit a half court '3' at the buzzer to go up 46-44 at the end of the 3rd period. The 4rth period saw some very good battles underneath the basket and tough play from Spencer Cairo, Ben Hollett and Brad Nylen. Adams was down by 4 points late in the game, Kosta Patsarikas hit 2 free throws and Adams quickly fouled to put Lathrup at the line for 2 free throws. Ben Hollett grabbed the rebound on the second miss and with 5 seconds remaining Matt Nestor quickly dribbled down the court and passed to an open Brad Nylen who made the tying basket but not before the buzzer had already sounded. A hard fought battle for the Highlanders for sure. Matt Nestor led the Highlanders with 17 points and 5 rebounds, Mario Roveda added 12 points and Nick Zekaj had 8. Ben Hollett had 6 rebounds and Spencer Cairo added 5.
Thursday1/31/2008LAKE ORIONScore:39-32
Lake Orion- The freshmen Highlanders won a scrappy game against Lake Orion by the score of 39-32 on January 31rst. The first half was anything but sharp for the young Highlanders, as turnovers and missed shots found them down 6-4 at the end of the 1rst period. In the Second period, free throws saved the day and were the difference in keeping the score 19-14 Lake Orion. In the second half Adams looked like the team we have followed all year. Spencer Cairo started things with two quick buckets which seemed to spark the Highlanders. Nick Zekaj followed with 4 more points and then a spectacular Matt Nestor pass to a high flying Brad Nylan lay-up brought the Adams bench and fans to their feet. Nick Zekaj sealed the victory with a couple of late free throws. Brad Nylan and Nick Zekaj each had 10 points, Spencer Cairo added 6. Ben Hollett had 7 rebounds and Matt Nestor 5.
Tuesday2/5/2008NOTRE DAME PREPScore:59-44
Adams- The Freshmen Highlanders beat Notre Dame Prep 59-44 on February 5th. This game was interesting in that Notre Dame came in only losing by slim margins to Brother Rice and Detroit Catholic Central. Facebook was lit up with messages prior to the game on how ND was going to pound the Highlanders. Notre Dame indeed did come out and started strong, hitting shots and running the floor extremely well. Adams came out flat missing the vast majority of their shots and found themselves down 14-4 midway thru the 1rst period. As has been the recent pattern, Adams settled down and started to slowly inch their way back. Down by 7 to start the second Adams started to hit their shots and dominate on the boards. Midway thru the 2nd period Nick Zekaj hit a 3 to put Adams in the lead and they never looked back from there. Adams went up by as much as 21 points in the 3rd period. Matt Nestor led the Highlander attatck with 15 points, Brad Nylen added 9 points and 11 rebounds, Ben Hollett and Kosta Patsarikas added 6 points. Spencer Cairo had 9 rebounds and 2 points.
Friday2/8/2008PONTIAC NORTHERNScore:52-54
Pontiac- Adams Freshmen lost a wild shootout to Pontiac Northern by the score of 54-52 on February 4rth. The game started sluggish for both teams as Northern jumped to a 9-4 lead before Adams came back for a 12-11 deficit at the end of the 1rst period. Northern started the 2nd period with a 7-0 run until Adams came back to close the half at 31-23 Northern. As has been the recent pattern, Adams started the 2nd half strong and went up 46-40 at the end of the 3rd period. It came down to the end, with 7 seconds remaining in the game Northern hit a running jumper to go up 53-52. A controversial travel call on Adams inbound play led to a change of possession which ended the game in Northern's favor. Matt Nestor led the Highlanders with 16 points, Nick Zekai had 11, while Mario Roveda and Kosta Patsarikas each had 9 points.
Monday2/11/2008ATHENSScore:48-50
Athens- The comeback just fell short- Adams rallied late in the 4rth quarter on February 11th and came up just short as Athens came away with the win by the score of 50-48. Adams started sluggish and was down 14-7 at the end of the 1rst period. Great passing by Mario Roveda and Matt Charlebois kept Adams close as the second period ended with Adams down only by 6 points. Mario Roveda hit two big 3's midway thru the 4rth that provided a well needed spark to the Highlanders. Nick Zekaj and Kosta Patsarikas also helped the comeback with some key baskets down the stretch. Athens hit a basket with 7 seconds left that iced the game. Mario Roveda led the Highlanders with 10 points, Nick Zekaj added 9. Brad Nylen had 8 points and 8 rebounds, Spencer Cairo had 5 rebounds and 2 points.
Thursday2/14/2008SOUTHFIELDScore:42-40
Southfield- The Freshmen Highlanders returned back to their winning ways with a thrilling 42-40 victory over Southfield on February 14th. Adams came out looking hungry for a victory with spring in their step and fire in their eyes as they jumped to a 16-11 1rst period lead fueled by buckets from Mario Roveda and Matt Nestor. Adams was outscored 11-4 in the 2nd period as Southfield came back and seemingly could not miss a shot, it was 21-20 Southfield at the half. Ben Hollett and Spencer Cairo tried to spark the Highlanders in the 3rd with some buckets and hard play, but Southfied pressed and were up by 7 going into the last quarter. Nick Zekaj scored 8 of his 10 points in the 4rth quarter and the last bucket being the game winner with 6 seconds left in the game. A much needed win for the Highlanders as they head toward the last week of the season. Nick Zekaj led the Highlander attack with 10 points followed by Matt Nestor and Mario Roveda each with 7. Brad Nylen and Ben Hollett each had 5 rebounds.
Tuesday2/19/2008ROCHESTERScore:45-42
Adams- The Freshmen Highlanders returned from their President's Day break with a 45-42 win over cross-town rival Rochester on February 19. The game started off fairly tight in the 1rst period as Rochester started the game with a 3 point play. Kosta Patsarikas, Nick Zekaj and Ben Hollett all answered with points to enable Adams to be up 12-10 at the end of the 1rst period. Zekaj, Spencer Cairo, Mario Roveda and Matt Nestor opened the game up in the 2nd period all scoring and contributing to a 27-16 halftime lead for Adams. The 2nd period also saw a 'sweet' Matt Charlebois no-look pass to Patsarikas for a basket to end the half. Alex Trubmble free throw conversions in the 3rd contributed to a seemingly comfortable 38-25 Adams lead with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd. Rochester never gave up and went on a 11-0 run until Ben Hollett scored with 4 minutes to go in the game to put Adam up 40-36. Free throws from Hollett, a Nick Zekaj bucket and the game winning running right hander from Nestor in the lane closed the scoring and ended the game. Nick Zekaj led the scoring with 12 points, Ben Hollett added 9 points and 4 rebounds, Kosta Patsarikas and Matt Nestor added 7 each. Spencer Cairo had 6 rebounds and 3 points.
Friday2/22/2008BIRMINGHAM GROVESScore:61-64
Groves- Adams lost a wild and emotionally charged shoot-out by the score of 64-61 on February 22nd. What a way to end the season. Adams jumped out to a big 19-8 lead at the end of the 1rst quarter on the backs of Brad Nylen, Nick Zekaj, Mario Roveda and Kosta Patsarikas. Jacob Brown, Spencer Cairo and Zekaj all scored in the 2nd period to enable a halftime lead of 29-24 for Adams. A riled up fan base and many controversial officiating calls led to the ouster of head coach Hall for Adams. Depsite the unruley crowd and poor officiating, the Freshmen Highlanders kept their composure and demonstarted poise in concentrating on the game and not the emotionally charged surroundings. The 3rd quarter ended with Adams up just a point 44-43. The 4rt quarter was back and forth as both teams made runs and the other caught up. Matt Nestor made 2 big free throws to make it 61-59 Groves with 1 minute left in regulation. Mario Roveda hit a bucket to tie it up with 20 seconds left in the game. With time running down and 10 seconds left Groves hit a off the backboard '3' to win the game. Adams had called time out after the basket but the officials did not see. Nick Zekaj led the Adams attack with 14 points, Matt Nestor added 11 points. Brad Nylen added 9 points and 7 rebounds, while Ben Hollett had 6 rebounds. A disappointing way to end the season. However the Freshmen Highlanders will hold their head up high knowing they have a very good team heading toward their sophmore year. Facing adversity, these young men were the role models we can all aspire too. GO HIGHLANDERS!!