Amid Season of Hurdles, Tri-unity Earns Breslin Return

By Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com

April 8, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS – It may be a familiar destination for Wyoming Tri-unity Christian's boys basketball team. But there's no arguing the path to get there has been strewn with potholes this season.

The Defenders will play in their ninth MHSAA Finals championship game since 1996 after racing past Rudyard 61-43 in Thursday's first Division 4 Semifinal at Van Andel Arena.

While playing in a Final is nothing new for Tri-unity, the win overcame another obstacle in what has been a challenging season for the Defenders (14-2), who move along to Saturday's 10 a.m. championship game at Breslin Center. Among the issues Tri-unity has overcome include playing only 10 regular-season games, axing the last two weeks of the schedule due to a COVID shutdown, playing only once in an abbreviated Regional and losing 12 seniors – plus coach Mark Keeler – to quarantine protocol early in the year.

Despite the reduced schedule and missing out on the chance to build early momentum, the Defenders have more than prevailed. The program has won four Finals titles and will make its ninth trip under Keeler, who this winter passed Paul Cook for sixth place on the state's all-time win list (627).

"It's been a very trying year," Keeler said. "I knew we had good potential, and guys have responded so well. We played a tough schedule, the kind of competition you want. We were able to stay humble, which is always something I have believed in. It's been a tough year, but it's been really exciting for the school.

"The guys have played awesome all the way through. We were confident we could make it to the Breslin, and we peaked at the right time. We've got a great senior group, and we really want to finish it out."

The Defenders never trailed Rudyard (18-3) after a 16-2 run snapped a 4-4 tie late in the first quarter. The Bulldogs did cut the lead to 20-16 with 7:13 left in the first half, but Tri-unity scored 16 of the next 19 points for a 36-19 halftime lead. The lead reached 54-34 with four minutes to go in the game.

2021 D4 Boys Basketball Semifinal - Tri-unity Christian

While Keeler said he believed all along the team was a Finals contender, co-captain Austin Treece, who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, said there was pressure to meet lofty goals.

"For sure," he said. "There is always pressure, but we just play bigger. We do a great job because I think we're a hungry team."

Co-captain Jaden Ophoff, who had six rebounds, two assists, two steals and four points, said the team has never felt distracted from its goal of playing in East Lansing. Beating Rudyard was just another step, he said.

"We didn't know what to expect from them, coming from the Upper Peninsula," he said. "We were able to adjust to them."

Tri-unity junior guard Brad Titus was virtually unstoppable. He scored 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting while adding four rebounds, six assists and six steals. Titus, who started as a freshman two years ago on a Division 4 semifinalist, said he's heard about playing in a championship game for years.

"This is really big, a blessing. I love it," he said. "We went two years ago, but we were cut short two years ago. It's great to be going."

Rudyard coach Jim Suggitt said Titus, who averages 22 points and four assists per game, was the difference.

"We tried to trade for their point guard, but Mark wouldn't buy it. I told him we'd even throw in the team bus, but he wouldn't go for it," Suggitt said. "He was the best ballplayer on the floor. He could take over whenever he wanted to."

Rudyard's E.J. Suggitt, who finished with 19 points, said the game plan was to keep Titus in check.

"We wanted to stop (him)," Suggitt said. "But even if you stop him, their role players will step up. They are a very tough team; they just played better basketball."

Keeler thinks Titus has played well enough in his career to be at least a two-time all-stater. He's thrilled Titus will have the chance to join his teammates in a championship game.

"The numbers (of past championship game trips) don't matter because this is a whole new group," Keeler said. "It's exciting for them, and it's something they will always remember. They've heard from other players we've had what it's like. It's a thrill." 

Click for full box score

PHOTOS: (Top) Tri-unity Christian's Aidan DeKlyen pulls up for a shot in front of the Rudyard bench Thursday at Van Andel Arena. (Middle) The Defenders' Brady Titus was the game's high scorer with 28 points. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)

Flashback 100: Rice's Championship-Winning Ways Started at Flint Northwestern

April 11, 2025

Walter Clayton Jr. led Florida to the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball championship, scoring a tournament-high 134 points over six consecutive victories. Despite his impressive performance, Clayton’s total still fell 50 points short of the all-time record for a single NCAA Tournament — held by Glen Rice, who scored 184 points during Michigan’s title run in 1989.

That 1989 NCAA championship wasn’t Rice’s first taste of victory. Before his college success, he led Flint Northwestern to back-to-back MHSAA Class A state titles in 1984 and 1985. The Wildcats compiled a dominant 55-1 record over those two seasons — a mark that stood as an MHSAA record until Powers North Central went 55-0 over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. In 1985, Rice averaged 28.6 points per game, finishing the season with 802 points — still the 22nd-highest total in state history.

Flint Northwestern’s 1984 boys’ basketball championship was the first in school history. That same year, the girls team also claimed the Class A title — marking its first championship as well — and repeated in 1985.

After winning titles in both high school and college, Rice went on to enjoy a 15-year NBA career, highlighted by an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. A three-time NBA all-star, he averaged 18.3 points per game over his career.

Rice remains the all-time leading scorer at University of Michigan, where his No. 41 jersey has been retired. Flint Northwestern High School closed its doors in 2018.

Previous "Flashback 100" Features

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Feb. 14: Detroit Central Star Voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame - Read
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Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
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Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
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Nov. 15: 
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Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: 
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Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read 

(Photos courtesy of MLIVE/Flint Journal.)