Milford celebrates first victory over Lakeland since '06

Last week was memorable for Huron Valley Milford after the Mavericks defeated their biggest rival and then followed up with a double-overtime victory.

Milford began the week with a 34-32 victory at home over Huron Valley Lakeland on Tuesday, Jan. 25, marking the Mavericks’ first win over the Eagles since 2006.

“It was good for our kids to get that monkey off of their back,” said Milford Head Coach Chip Lutz. “It was definitely your typical rivalry game where points are hard to come by. Both teams were very physical. I definitely think the key for us was our emotional play on the defensive end and on the defensive glass.”

Parker Millington led Milford (7-5 overall, 2-4 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division) with 16 points. Chuck Sanders scored 12 points for Lakeland.

The Mavs then followed up with a 61-54 victory over Howell in double-overtime on Friday, Jan. 28.

Millington led Milford with 19 points, including the game tying 3-pointer with less than 20 seconds left in regulation time. After both teams scored 2 points in the first overtime, Milford outscored the Highlanders 15-8 in the second overtime to pull out the win.

Steven Sloboda hit 10-of-11 free-throws in the second half and the two overtimes, as he finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds on the night. 

“Once again, we had very solid guard play from Brandon Wallace and Joey Miller,” Lutz said. “They handled Howell’s match-up zone and full court pressure with tremendous poise. Jon Drury came off the bench to give us a spark.”

Howell (5-6, 3-3) was led by Torey Williams with 15 points.

Milford played at Brighton yesterday, Tuesday, Feb. 1, after press time and will host Hartland on Friday, Feb. 4.