TROY >> The Lake Orion boys lacrosse team knew it was a lofty underdog heading into its Division 1 quarterfinal with Novi Detroit Catholic Central on Friday at Troy Athens High School.

But, CC head coach Dave Wilson knew that the all-time winningest coach in Michigan high school lacrosse history was going to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

The Dragons threw out every defense they could think of while testing the Shamrocks physically at every opportunity.

It worked for the first half, as Lake Orion trailed just 8-5 to the unbeaten Shamrocks. However, CC’s talent and poise ultimately prevailed in the second half to lead it to an 18-7 victory.

“Anytime you play Coach Hebert, you could get anything,” Wilson said. “I told the kids before the game that it would take us a minute to figure things out. We just had to be a little more patient. We were crowding the ball too much on offense.”

Lake Orion coach Ron Hebert opted for a strategy of chaos, confusion and physicality, wanting to make the Shamrocks uncomfortable being on the field.

“We were going to give them everything they could ask for. We had a game years ago against Brother Rice where I told the kids to make the Rice players wish they never met you. That was kind of the same approach we had tonight,” Hebert said. “Our guys were pumped at the start of the game and we couldn’t be prouder of how hard they played.”

The Dragons led on two occasions in the opening quarter, as they had composed possessions where they took advantage of one-on-one matchups. Senior Parker Gannon had three goals in the first half to keep Lake Orion within reach, trailing 8-5.

In the second half, the Shamrocks made some adjustments on both sides of the ball and showed the form that has made them one of the best teams in the country this spring.

Senior Lachlan Moffatt produced six goals in the match, including four in the second half. Overall, the Shamrocks assisted on 14 of their 18 goals.

“(Lake Orion) had a good game plan coming out of the gate and it definitely rattled us,” Moffatt said. “We definitely were not playing our best in that first half. We just had to play sharper. We were dropping balls and making uncharacteristic turnovers. Once we played sharper and finished plays, things started going our way.”

As the offense got rolling, the defense also picked up its play and held Lake Orion to limited scoring opportunities. Wilson was happy to see the team he recognized in the second half, but admitted it wasn’t a great feeling to see the first-half struggles.

“Excellence is not a switch, it is a habit. It has to be something you do every day,” Wilson said. “A guy named Aristotle taught me that. The guys had to get more engaged, which they did in the second half.”

Catholic Central went on a 5-0 run over a 6-minute stretch in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Moffatt added a pair of assists to go with his six goals, while Ben Papke, Luke Kramer and Ryan Dye each had three goals. Dye also added four assists, while Papke had three. Goalie Matthew Cranston made 11 saves.

Lake Orion got a pair of goals from Coby Narloch to go along with three from Gannon. Freshman goalie Sonny Gemmil had seven saves.

Catholic Central advances to next Tuesday’s D1 semifinal, where it will face Grand Ledge at 7 p.m. from Birmingham Seaholm High School. The Shamrocks are seeking their second consecutive MHSAA state title while also closing out their first perfect season.

“It’s another unfamiliar opponent, but that is exciting,” Wilson said of facing Grand Ledge. “Since we get (to the semifinals) a lot, it becomes a bit expected, but I am not sure they realize how significant and important it is to get to this point. It’s a great opportunity for both teams and we just want to go in and come away with a win.”