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TROY, Mich. – The Troy Colts (14-4) were able to fend off the Bloomfield Hills Blackhawks (13-6) 55-53 Friday night. The Colts nearly gave the game away in the third quarter, but a strong fourth quarter gave them the victory.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Nearly a giveaway

The first half was completely controlled by Troy. After only allowing six points in the second quarter, the Colts went into halftime with a 31-16 lead. Troy created its lead by outrunning Bloomfield Hills in transition. It forced the Blackhawks into low percentage shots and had numerous open layups.

Bloomfield Hills came out of halftime and outscored Troy 23-5 in the third quarter. The Blackhawks flipped momentum onto their side and led 39-36 going into the fourth before Troy ultimately took the lead back for good.

Troy head coach Gary Fralick said his team gassed themselves out in the first half.

“We really pushed on the gas hard and ran well in the first half,” Fralick said. “We might’ve been a little tired to be honest with you. Usually we can do that for four quarters. Tonight, I think a lot of it had to do with what Bloomfield was doing, which was putting a lot more pressure on us and being more physical.”

Turnover battle

During the first half, Troy was forcing turnovers seemingly every other possession. In the second half however, Troy began to turn the ball over much more, which led to its lead being momentarily relinquished.

Junior Troy forward Chase Kuiper was imperative to his team's win Friday night. Kuiper finished with 14 points and was a defensive stronghold in the paint all game.

Kuiper said they gave Bloomfield Hills too many easy points in the third quarter.

“We probably had seven or eight turnovers in the quarter,” Kuiper said. “It was turnovers for touchdowns and easy layups that really killed us.”

New rivalry?

Troy came into Friday night’s game ranked third in the Oakland (White) division, one spot ahead of Bloomfield Hills. After a six point Troy victory in the first matchup on January 26, another intense game was to be expected, and it was delivered. Each team had a packed student section, and their energy trickled down to the players.

Sophomore Troy guard Mason Parker had a team-high 16 points. Parker and Kuiper showed great chemistry throughout the game, especially in the pick-and-roll.

Parker said his team was prepared for a test.

“It was like that last game — three technicals,” Parker said. “We knew it was going to be like that coming into the game, and there were a bunch of tech’s in the JV game too. It’s a rivalry game now.”

Adamczyk gave Blackhawks hope

Senior Bloomfield Hills guard Noah Adamczyk had a game-high 23 points. He was clearly his team’s go-to scorer when they needed a bucket, and he mostly did his work at the rim. He was held to four points in the fourth quarter, but the Blackhawks certainly wouldn’t have been in the game if it wasn't for Adamczyk.

Kuiper said everyone in the area knows what Adamczyk brings to the table.

“He’s a good player, everyone in Oakland County knows that,” Kuiper said. “We gameplanned it, and he got his, but we definitely made it hard for him.”