ATAP Dials Up Defense, Dissolves Rare Deficit to Earn Saturday Return
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 12, 2026
EAST LANSING – Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac found itself in a position it certainly wasn’t used to during Thursday’s first Division 3 Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
After posting lopsided wins throughout the MHSAA Tournament, the Lions faced their first big moment of adversity, trailing by nine points after an impressive first half of shooting by Menominee.
“We’ve been winning through the playoffs by 30,” ATAP acting head coach Zach Kelso said. “We knew this game was going to have some adversity. I didn’t know we were going to be down in the second half. At halftime, we made some defensive adjustments, and the boys came out on top.”
Indeed ATAP made the right modifications, as it dominated the second half and pulled away for a 78-66 victory to earn a second-straight appearance in the Division 3 championship game.
The Lions (19-3) hope to finish the season with one more win after falling to Riverview Gabriel Richard in last year’s championship game.
“For us, I want to say that loss last year really humbled a lot of players on our team,” ATAP senior Devonte Grandison said. “It pushed a lot of players on our team.”
Senior Jaiden Price led all scorers Thursday with 26 points, and sophomore Lewis Lovejoy scored 24 points.
Senior Darrent Butler scored 24 points and senior Tanner Theuerkauf added 14 for Menominee (23-5).
As for the defensive adjustments Kelso was referring to heading into the second half, Kelso said it was a pretty simple message to his players.
“We stopped helping,” Kelso said. “We are a defensive help team. I just told them it’s man-on-man time. Whoever got beat is coming out of the game. They didn’t want to come out of the game, and they didn’t want to lose.”
Menominee controlled the first half in a brilliant display of offensive basketball. The Maroons shot 14 of 27 from the field overall and 7 of 16 from 3-point range, taking a 40-31 lead into the locker room.
But the second half was all ATAP.
The Lions quickly erased their deficit, starting the third quarter on a 12-1 run to take a 42-41 lead just 2:53 into the period. ATAP eventually took a 52-48 lead into the fourth quarter and pulled away from there.
ATAP went on a 10-0 run early in the fourth, grabbing a 62-50 lead with 5:05 remaining on a 3-pointer by Price. The Lions grew that lead to 72-58 with 2:32 left and never looked back.
“We needed this,” Kelso said. “We needed this adversity to prepare us for the championship.”
Menominee was making its second trip to the Semifinals in four years after finishing as runner-up in 2022.
“There was probably a little bit of fool’s gold for us at the 3-point line in the first half,” Menominee head coach Sam Larson said. “We needed to attack downhill a little more. I thought at times we settled for some perimeter shots.
“Credit to ATAP. They came out, got really physical. … A couple of (plays) we weren’t able to draw the foul, and we weren’t able to play through it. We needed a couple of buckets to go down in that third quarter to stem the initial run, and we just didn’t get them. Next thing you know, we are playing from behind and they do a heck of a job pounding the air out of the ball and making really good possessions where they space you out.”
PHOTOS (Top) ATAP’s Sherrod Magee (2) and Devonte Grandison (1) defend the basket during the Lions’ Division 3 Semifinal win Thursday at Breslin Center. (Middle) Jaiden Price (5) attempts to get a shot up over the outstretched arms of Menominee’s Tanner Theuerkauf. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 11
February 20, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This boys basketball season still has some surprises in store.
The latest proof? Check out last week’s results from the Detroit area, especially the top two listed below to kick off this week’s Breslin Bound boys report powered by MI Student Aid.
We're two weeks from the start of District tournaments, so stay tuned as a number of teams attempt to clinch league titles this week and give us our last glimpses of what we might be able to expect once the playoffs begin.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Cass Tech 59, Detroit Martin Luther King 47 – The Technicians are 16-3, so this can’t be considered a complete shocker, but beating perennial power King gave Cass Tech its first Detroit PSL tournament championship reportedly in at least 20 years.
2. Southfield Arts & Technology 64, Clarkston 60 – The first-year Warriors got off to a rough start but are 7-3 over their last 10 games and earned a season highlight handing Clarkston its only loss.
3. Belleville 69, Romulus 66 – Belleville avenged its one-point loss to Romulus on Jan. 20 to earn a shared Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue title with the Eagles.
4. Southfield Christian 73, Cornerstone Health & Technology 55 – Southfield Christian has rounded in Class D championship shape, showing it again against a potential Class C contender in Cornerstone.
5. East Lansing 66, Holt 61 – The Trojans remain one of only three undefeated teams in Class A despite losing a key scorer to injury and beating the Rams twice by only a combined nine points on the way to clinching a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Parma Western (14-3) – The Panthers have improved from 8-13 two seasons ago and 12-9 last winter to lead the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference with two league games to play. What’s more, Parma Western also is a one-point loss and another defeat in overtime from 16-1.
Portage Central (14-2) – After improving by 10 wins from 2014-15 to last winter, Portage Central can close out an outright championship in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West after sharing it with two others last season. The Mustangs earned a share this time by beating Portage Northern on Friday.
CLASS B
Hudsonville Unity Christian (14-3) – A 2-3 start was tough, but the Crusaders are unbeaten since the calendar turned to 2017. They clinched the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title after finishing second and 16-9 overall a year ago.
Wyoming Godwin Heights (17-0) – Few teams in any sport have been as consistent as Godwin Heights this decade. The Wolverines are closing in on a sixth straight season of at least 20 wins and definitely look good to make a deep tournament run after reaching the Regional Semifinals last winter. They can clinch the O-K Silver title Tuesday against Wyoming Lee.
CLASS C
Morley Stanwood (14-2) – A 44-43 win over Kent City avenged an earlier loss and gave the Mohawks a share of the Central State Activities Association Silver title. Morley Stanwood finished second in the league to Kent City last season, but only 9-11 overall.
Riverview Gabriel Richard (15-1) – A two-point loss to Marine City Cardinal Mooney two weeks ago has been the only slip-up as Gabriel Richard won its division of the Detroit Catholic League and its first-round game in the C-D Tournament. The league title was the Pioneers’ fifth straight; next, they’ll try to improve on last season’s Regional Final appearance.
CLASS D
Owendale-Gagetown (14-2) – A 49-45 win over Burton Faith on Thursday gave Owendale-Gagetown a share of the Inner State Athletic Conference title. The Bulldogs started this season 1-2 but have rebounded nicely after making the move from the Michigan Summit League.
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (11-4) – The Eagles have climbed from second last season to first in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Red with three league games left. They bounced back from back-to-back losses to beat second-place Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 74-72 on Friday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Ottawa Lake Whiteford (15-2) at Sand Creek (15-0) – Sand Creek’s 17-point win last month was Whiteford’s only Tri-Country Conference loss; a win this time would clinch Sand Creek the league title.
Tuesday – Walled Lake Northern (13-4) at Walled Lake Western (13-4) – These neighbors split during the regular season as Western won the Kensington Lakes Activities Association North title; they meet this time in the Lakes playoffs.
Tuesday – Powers North Central (16-0) at Munising (15-2) – The Jets have pushed their MHSAA record and the longest active winning streak in the nation to 71 straight, but Munising could provide one of the toughest challenges so far.
Tuesday – Mount Pleasant (9-6) at Saginaw (14-3) – It got some headlines when the Oilers handed Saginaw its lone Saginaw Valley League North loss Jan. 20; the Trojans no doubt have circled this rematch.
Friday – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (14-3) at Oxford (14-2) – Depending on how the rest of this week unfolds, Stoney Creek could clinch the Oakland Activities Association Blue title, or Oxford could move into a first-place tie.
PHOTO: Wyoming Godwin Heights, here against Belding, is three wins from a perfect regular-season finish and remains one of two undefeated teams in Class B. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.