CLAWSON >> In its first year under head coach Michelle Lindsey, Clawson has itself an 18th league title in program history.

The Trojans beat visiting Madison Heights Lamphere 40-26 Friday night to win a split of the MAC Silver with Warren Mott. Both teams finished with a league record of 9-1.

“I don’t even believe it,” Clawson senior Maddie Pfaff said. “When I was a freshman, the varsity team was really good. They won the league, but I wasn’t a part of it. I got a glimpse of it. The next two years went not the best. Being here now is unreal.”

Both teams struggled to manufacture offense in the early portion of the opening period, but the Trojans made the job easier by taking advantage of the near double-digit turnovers committed by Lamphere in the second quarter, in which Clawson outscored the visitors 13-3.

By scoring six of the first eight points to open the second half, the Trojans went up 27-9, but the Rams pushed back and got it to within a dozen on 3-pointers by Emma and Avery Malkowski. Ultimately, though, Clawson matched Lamphere’s output of 13 points in the third and still led by 14 heading into the fourth quarter.

Lamphere remained unable to cut any further into the lead, and with the Trojans up by 17 near the midway point of the fourth, both teams went to their reserves for the final few minutes.

“I would say we got out a little slow, but with the press we got some steals,” Lindsey said. “I tell the girls that defense leads to offense, and that’s what they did, got after it defensively. And that led to fast-break points and got the rhythm going for us.”

Emma Malkowski led the Rams (8-12, 4-6) with eight points and fellow senior Caryss Terry added seven in the defeat.

Pfaff finished with a game-high 14 points, while junior Brennan Gough and freshman Lily Buchler chipped in with six for the Trojans, who also won 38-29 when the teams met in Madison Heights on Jan. 28.

Trojans (17-2) players got to climb the ladder and help cut down the net after the victory for a program that last recently won three league titles in a row (2020-22). Among those watching on was the coach who led them to those previous championships, Kelly Horne, who became the high school’s principal after previously serving as the assistant principal and athletic director in addition to her duties as head coach.

Clawson transitioned to Lindsey in July after she was replaced following two seasons at Marian. The Mustangs went a combined 21-26 in those years combined under Lindsey.

“Michelle’s brought so much energy, so much knowledge,” Horne said. “She’s exactly what we were looking for in a coach, and she’s done nothing but great things with this group of kids. The one thing I had my dreams set on is making sure I put (the program) in the right hands, and I know know that we did. She’s done a great job, the girls have responded, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

In the past two years, Clawson labored and went winless in the MAC Gold before dropping down into the Silver for this season. Those recent struggles, coupled with Lindsey’s arrival after being shown the door by her alma mater, might have made the players and coach a perfect pair for a redemption arc.

“(Coach) put in a lot of effort to get to know us outside of basketball,” Pfaff said. “I think that made a huge difference. Her personality, I think we blend in very well. I think she’s just a great fit for us. She felt comfortable and we feel comfortable with her.”

Lindsey certainly didn’t seem to foresee that the Trojans would rip off a 10-game winning streak to start the year, let alone add to a banner. “Coming into this job, I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” she said. “You see the record the last couple years, and they were in a higher division with different competition, but to tell me we’d have won the league at the beginning of the season, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But as we kept going, I was like, ‘We can do this, we have it in us.’ Now, it just comes down to them believing in themselves.”

Pfaff talked about how this group has been together longer than just high school, and that after so many losses the last two years, it has instilled resilience to go along with that chemistry.

Aside from a loss to Mott — Lindsey says it prompted the team to come together and is where a corner was turned — the only other defeat the Trojans have suffered is a 30-point loss to Wixom St. Catherine less than two weeks ago. Lindsey spoke about the mental stigma of facing Catholic League programs, which might be an obstacle if Clawson has to face district host Royal Oak Shrine in the near future.

Who better then than Lindsey, a former CHSL player and coach, to help Clawson’s players change that mindset and potentially add to its banners once again before the season is through?

“It’s just about them believing they can play with anyone,” Lindsey said. “(Those Catholic League) girls put the same uniform on. They practice on the same rims. Our girls just have to believe at the end of the day. That can take us far.”

Added Pfaff, “Coming from her and her telling us she believes in us, and coming form Marian, it kind of hits more, because she does have the experience. I think yeah, it makes a difference. As long as we’re in it mentally, we can go far. We have the grit, and I think the skill, too. The teams in districts will be a lot tougher, but we just have to believe we can do it.”

The Trojans will face Parkway Christian, New Haven and Cardinal Mooney next week before playoffs start the following week.