NORTON SHORES – All eyes were on Western Michigan Christian star Owen Varnado on Friday night, when the Warriors hosted Ludington in a key Lakes 8 Conference matchup.

The senior star, who recently returned from an injury, did not disappoint, scoring 37 of his team’s 66 points.

But somehow that wasn’t enough against a high-powered Ludington squad that managed to work its way around Varnado’s points and post an impressive 83-66 win over WMC in the Warriors’ gym.

“We just adjusted things to some extent to keep Varnado in front of us” said Ludington head coach Thad Shank “That’s a lot easier said than done, though. He’s a big, strong kid.”

The Orioles improved to 7-5 and remained undefeated in conference play at 6-0. They will travel to play Manistee in a conference game next Friday, and Shank is confident his team will continue to improve and maximize its potential.

“We’ve played one heck of a schedule, we understand from playing some of the better teams in the state where we rank,” the coach said. “I think our schedule has really helped us understand what our weaknesses are and understand what we have to do to take care of business.”

West Michigan Christian fell to 2-6 overal and 2-3 in conference play. The Warriors will try to bounce back next week against non-conference opponent Grandville Calvin Christian.

WMC led 20-18 after one quarter, with Varnado scoring 16 points. Then, following some defensive adjustments, the Orioles got into a rhythm, and were up 39-27 going into halftime.

Peyton LaCombe and David Shillinger both had eight points in the second quarter for Ludington. Two of LaCombe’s points came on a monster dunk.

Ludington turned its press up on Varnado in the second quarter, forcing him to make key errors that led to turnovers and Oriole points.

The pressure defense continued in the third quarter, when Ludington extended its lead to 58-40 headed into the fourth, then cruised to the win. LaCombe had eight points in the third quarter, while he, Schillinger and Matt Westhouse each had four points in the fourth.

“That’s the way we play, we have to play to our strengths,” Shank said. “We thought our best opportunity was to make it fast, force some turnovers, and get some offense from our defense.”

The Orioles were led by LaCombe, who finished with a team-high 23 points. Schillinger added 18 points and Jones tossed in 12.

“Varnado came out really hot, pulling the trigger from three,” LaCombe said of the early struggles guarding the Warriors star. “We had to adjust, and hey, this was a big conference win for us, so I’m really happy.

“We want Ludington to be known as a team that’ll press you for 32 minutes, and so we really work at that.”

Jared Olsen and Sam Liggett scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, for WMC.