The Wizard or Oz hit three-point baskets, blocked shots, took charges and was often a one-man wrecking crew.
The one thing the Wizard or Oz could not do during a 60-35 dismantling of Whitmore Lake by the Pinckney boys basketball team was dunk. He tried a slam after one of his five steals, but fell to the floor after pounding the ball into the front of the rim.
It was one of the few failures during Pinckney’s second win of the young basketball season.
Owen Zylka, who is often called The Wizard and at times is known as Oz around the hallways of Pinckney threw down in other ways. He stole passes, clogged passing lanes and took charges. Those are all defensive accolades that made head coach Kyle O-Donahue smile.
Donahue preaches defense every living moment to his team. The Pirates might get tired of him pounding defense through their heads, but they sure loved playing it Friday night. The Pirates held Whitmore Lake to one field goal during a suffocating stretch that went from the final seconds of the first quarter to the opening moments of the third.
During that span Pinckney extended a five-point, 16-11 lead to a 13-point drubbing (28-15). A key was slowing down Whitmore Lake big man Jayden Canter who scored nine points.
“I think we are a different team from last year,” Zylka said. “And defense is the key. We don’t want anybody scoring on us and we take that to heart.”
Senior guard Jace Carlson usually leads the way. And he contributed in a big way with 19 points and by settling things down when play turned hectic.
Carlson is the school’s all-time leader in made three-point shots. He hit three more against Whitmore Lake, but his biggest contribution was thinking his way through the game, along of course with stellar defensive play.
“We proved we are different,” Carlson said. “Last year we gave up a lot of points. We did not show that tenacity.
So far Pinckney (2-0) is giving up an average of 39.5 points a game. Last year the porous Pirates yielded 78 points or more five times during a disappointing 6-17 season. Pinckney no longer wants to be doormats.
That’s one reason why the Wizard or Oz came out so aggressively. He hit a three-point basket, an and one three-point play and a driving layup after a steal as the Pirates jumped to an 8-0 lead.
“It was all energy,” Zylka said. “It wasn’t just me. I thought our whole team played off of it.”