A-B Preview: Ready to Make History
March 23, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Dating back more than 90 years, the MHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament allows us to conjure up “first time since” statements that truly speak to the event’s lengthy and rich history.
Three of eight Class A and B semifinalists this weekend are playing for first championships – including Clarkston, often one of the best in Michigan but frequently just a few wins short of that first title. But also in this weekend’s field are Grand Rapids Christian, playing for its first title since 1938, and Benton Harbor playing for its first since 1965. Ludington last played in an MHSAA Final in 1953. River Rouge won more recently, in 1999, but is best known for its 12 championships over 19 seasons from 1954-72.
Semifinals for Class A and B are Friday at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center, with all four championship games Saturday.
Semifinals – Friday
Class A
West Bloomfield (17-8) vs. Clarkston (25-1), 1 p.m.
Grand Rapids Christian (26-0) vs. Romulus (21-4), 2:50 p.m.
Class B
New Haven (25-1) vs. Benton Harbor (22-3), 6 p.m.
River Rouge (24-1) vs. Ludington (24-2), 7:50 p.m.
Finals - Saturday
Class A - Noon
Class B - 6:30 p.m.
Class C - 4:30 p.m.
Class D - 10 a.m.
Tickets cost $8 per pair of Semifinals and $10 per two-game Finals session. All Semifinals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv on a pay-per-view basis. All four Finals will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit. Free radio broadcasts of all weekend games will be available on MHSAANetwork.com.
And now, a look at the semifinalists in Class A and B. Click on the name of the school to see that team’s full schedule and results from this season. (Statistics are through teams' Regional Finals.) The Boys Basketball Finals are presented by Sparrow Health System.
Class A
CLARKSTON
Record/rank: 25-1, Tied for No. 3
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Dan Fife, 35th season (675-169)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 68-48 over No. 5 Macomb Dakota in the Regional Semifinal, 60-47 over No. 7 Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 57-51 over honorable mention Romulus, 59-48 and 68-61 over West Bloomfield.
Players to watch: Foster Loyer, 6-0 jr. G (25.1 ppg, 6.4 apg); Dylan Alderson, 6-5 sr. F (23.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg).
Outlook: Clarkston is in the Semifinals for the first time since 2009 seeking the first championship game berth of its storied history. Fife entered this season ranked fourth in MHSAA history for coaching wins, and the Wolves have totaled more than 20 in four straight seasons while winning District titles in 23 of the last 24. His leader on the court, Loyer, already has committed to play at Michigan State after high school, and Alderson has signed with Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The lone loss was by four to Southfield Arts & Technology on Feb. 17, and Clarkston has won all but one game since by at least 20 points.
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 26-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold
Coach: Mark Warners, seventh season (116-45)
Championship history: Class B (Lower Peninsula) champion 1938, Class B (Lower Peninsula) runner-up 1939.
Best wins: 66-46 (Quarterfinal) and 53-51 (OT) over No. 8 Kalamazoo Central, 59-56 (Regional Final) and 57-49 over No. 9 Holland West Ottawa, 64-26 over No. 3 Muskegon in the Regional Semifinal, 71-49 over Class B No. 9 Wayland, 72-58 over Class B No. 1 Wyoming Godwin Heights.
Players to watch: Xavier Tillman, 6-8 sr. F (13.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, 4.1 bpg); Duane Washington, Jr., 6-3 jr. G (11.9 ppg, 4,4 apg, 49 3-pointers).
Outlook: The Eagles have played through one of the toughest paths to get to Breslin, against top-10 teams their last three games, to make their first Semifinal since 2013. As a team, Grand Rapids Christian has outrebounded opponents 37-28 on average and held them to only 42 points per game. Tillman was a Mr. Basketball Award finalist and teams with 6-7 senior James Beck II (12.9 ppg 7.0 rpg); they’re signed to play next at MSU and Oakland, respectively, while Washington is considered one of the state’s top juniors.
ROMULUS
Record/rank: 21-4, honorable mention
League finish: Tied for first in Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue
Coach: Jerret Smith, fourth season (78-23)
Championship history: Class A champions 2013 and 1986, runner-up 2005.
Best wins: 66-63 over No. 6 Detroit U-D Jesuit in the Quarterfinal, 71-58 (Regional Semifinal) and 57-56 over Belleville, 73-63 over No. 9 Kalamazoo Central.
Players to watch: Kaevon Merriweather, 6-2 jr. G (19 ppg), Jaren English, 6-4 sr. F (17 ppg).
Outlook: The Eagles have tested themselves against the best this season, avenging earlier defeats against league rival Belleville and reigning Class A champion U-D Jesuit and falling also to Clarkston and River Rouge – both also semifinalists this weekend. Romulus has been a regular during the final week with eight Quarterfinal appearances over the last 13 seasons and Semifinals this decade in 2013 and 2012 as well. Six players average at least eight points a game; senior forward Dylan Price adds 16 and junior center Darius Lundy 10.
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Record/rank: 17-8, unranked
League finish: Tied for third in the OAA Red
Coach: Jeremy Denha, seventh season (84-66)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 80-43 (Quarterfinal) and 64-61 over Troy, 63-58 (OT) over North Farmington, 57-55 over Southfield Arts & Technology.
Players to watch: Kevin McAdoo, 6-2 sr. G (24.1 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.0 spg, 53 3-pointers); Tre Harvey, 6-2 jr. G (15.4 ppg, 56 3-pointers).
Outlook: West Bloomfield has gotten hot at the best time to make its first Semifinal since 2003 after losing three of its final four games during the regular season. The Lakers’ league does include Clarkston (above) and reigning Class A runner-up North Farmington, which no doubt helped prepare West Bloomfield to make a run. McAdoo and Harvey can put points on the board – McAdoo has a high game of 40 – and sophomore Tre Mosley also finds the basket from long range with 44 3-pointers entering the week.
Class B
BENTON HARBOR
Record/rank: 22-3, No. 5
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Coach: Corey Sterling, fifth season (86-35)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 1965), seven runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 46-44 over Spring Lake in the Quarterfinal, 60-57 over No. 9 Wayland in the Regional Final, 49-44 (OT) over Stevensville Lakeshore, 55-45 over Battle Creek Central.
Players to watch: Carlos Johnson, 6-6 fr. C (14.2 ppg, 14.1 rpg, 3.3 bpg); Roy Anderson, 6-2 sr. G (13.5 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.6 spg).
Outlook: Benton Harbor was Class B runner-up in 2014 and is back at the Breslin for the second time in four seasons after bouncing back from two losses over its final three games. All three defeats this winter were to Class A teams, and by a combined nine points. Johnson and Anderson are just two of the standouts; junior forward Shawn Hopkins adds another 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and junior guard Elijah Baxter averages 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 steals.
LUDINGTON
Record/rank: 24-2, No. 8
League finish: Tied for first in Lakes 8 Activities Conference
Coach: Thad Shank, 15th season (235-115)
Championship history: Class B runner-up 1953.
Best wins: 63-49 (District Quarterfinal) and 70-38 over honorable mention Big Rapids, 59-56 over Traverse City West, 60-44 over Muskegon Heights Academy.
Players to watch: Calvin Hackert, 6-0 sr. G (13.3 ppg, 3.1 apg, 45 3-pointers); Sam LaDuke, 6-3 sr. G (10.5 ppg, 30 3-pointers).
Outlook: Ludington is making the trip for its first Semifinal since 1971. The Orioles were 9-13 only two seasons ago before Shank returned after three years away from the program – he coached the girls team during that time, and both teams last winter before coaching just the boys this season. All five of his starters plus two subs average at least five points per game, and five of those seven are seniors looking to continue this finish on a high note.
NEW HAVEN
Record/rank: 25-1, No. 3
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Blue
Coach: Tedaro France II, ninth season (157-57)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 73-66 over Detroit Osborn in the Quarterfinal, 108-104 (3OT) over Class C No. 4 Flint Beecher, 84-56 over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, 79-50 over Warren Michigan Collegiate.
Players to watch: Eric Williams, Jr., 6-5 sr. G (20.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, 3.8 spg); Romeo Weems, 6-6 soph. F (18.1 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 3.9 spg, 3.2 bpg).
Outlook: New Haven played in its third straight Quarterfinal on Tuesday and broke through to make the Semifinals for the first time. And the time couldn’t be more right for the Rockets; Williams is a star finishing off his career alongside Weems, arguably the top sophomore in the state. Junior 6-7 forward Ashton Sherrell adds another 11.7 points and seven rebounds per game, and total six players average at least 6.4 ppg. And of those six, four should be back next season as well.
RIVER ROUGE
Record/rank: 24-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Michigan Metro Athletic Conference
Coach: Mark White, first season (24-1)
Championship history: 14 MHSAA titles (most recent 1999), five runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 54-51 over Williamston in the Quarterfinal, 78-72 over Class A honorable mention Romulus, 57-52 over West Bloomfield, 71-47 over Warren Michigan Collegiate, 62-47 over Class D No. 2 Southfield Christian.
Players to watch: Darian Owens-White, 6-1 soph. G; DreQuan Bell, 6-3 sr. G (Statistics not submitted.).
Outlook: River Rouge is one of the most storied programs in MHSAA history, and has arguably its best shot at a championship since last winning in 1999. White took over the program after formerly coaching Detroit Renaissance and Southeastern and the last eight seasons as head coach at Adrian College. This will be the program’s first Semifinal since 1999; it advanced by avenging last season’s Quarterfinal loss to Williamston.
PHOTO: River Rouge's Darian Owens-White works to get up a shot during Tuesday's Quarterfinal win over Williamston. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 6
January 15, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We’re heading into the midpoint of this boys basketball season, and the surprises keep coming.
Detroit Henry Ford and Grand Ledge were full of them last week, and Berkley has been one of the state’s most intriguing all season. We touch on those a little bit below, along with a number of others that most recently caught our attention.
Breslin Bound is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. To offer corrections or fill in scores we’re missing, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Henry Ford 63, Detroit Cass Tech 60 – The Trojans should be back in the Class B title talk after handing a first loss to one of the major favorites in Class A.
2. Grand Ledge 59, East Lansing 53 – The Comets are 6-1 but weren’t getting much attention until this upset broke East Lansing’s 45-game regular-season winning streak.
3. Frankfort 69, Buckley 53 – The Panthers handed the reigning Class D runner-up this defeat after falling to Buckley by 39 and then only three last season.
4. Detroit Cass Tech 85, Muskegon 78 (OT) – The Technicians did not waste time bouncing back from the Henry Ford loss, downing Muskegon in overtime the next day at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills.
5. Macomb Dakota 64, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 62 – The Cougars took big losses early to Detroit U-D Jesuit and New Haven, but are undefeated in the Macomb Area Conference Red after handing Chippewa Valley its first defeat in the league and overall this winter.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Ann Arbor Skyline (7-0) – The Eagles have been building toward a start like this, even winning the Southeastern Conference Red title a year ago. They started the new year with a 20-point win over second-place Ann Arbor Pioneer on Saturday and have impressive wins by 14 over Belleville, one over Detroit Pershing and 20 over frequent nemesis Ann Arbor Huron.
Berkley (8-0) – The Bears have doubled their win total from last season after going 4-17, and they’re only a few more from guaranteeing a first winning season since 2010-11. They’ve pulled off a few close ones including a two-point victory over MAC Bronze leader Madison Heights Madison a month ago. Next up is Rochester with first place in the Oakland Activities Association Blue on the line.
CLASS B
Detroit Henry Ford (7-2) – The 2015-16 Class B champion still made the Regional last season despite finishing 13-11 overall, and another big run could be on the way. Ford opened this season with a two-point win over 2017 Class A semifinalist West Bloomfield, and has beaten a series of Class A teams including Cass Tech (see above). The losses came to Class A powers Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills and Hazel Park, the latter in overtime.
Ovid-Elsie (5-1) – The Marauders have hovered around .500 the last few seasons, but might have something more in store over the next two months after a fast start. Ovid-Elsie sits atop the Tri-Valley Conference West standings and hasn’t lost since its opener (to still-undefeated Fowler). Coming up Friday is a matchup with second-place Hemlock.
CLASS C
Norway (5-2) – The Knights moved over to the Skyline Central Conference after sharing the Mid-Peninsula Conference title last season and finishing 18-3 overall. They’ve won four straight and hold a half-game lead in the SCC’s Large School division. The two losses came in December in overtime to Powers North Central and by eight to nemesis Iron Mountain, which knocked Norway out of the tournament last season. Those two will face off again Feb. 9.
Sanford Meridian (7-1) – The Mustangs are playing for a second straight Jack Pine Conference championship and already have wins against usual annual contenders Beaverton and Clare. Meridian’s only loss was by 10 in early December to Class A Saginaw Heritage, and it’s got another similar test coming up against Midland Dow in two weeks.
CLASS D
Cedarville (7-2) – The Trojans are approaching the season’s midpoint in position to take back the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference title after tying for second a year ago. Cedarville got past reigning champion Pickford 67-59 last week and has lost only to undefeated Hillman and Class B Boyne City.
Frankfort (6-0) – The Northwest Conference sent Buckley all the way to the Class D title game last year, and early this winter it’s Frankfort that could be setting up for a run. The Panthers held onto first place all alone in the league last week with a win over the Bears, and now face the other two teams with only one conference loss – Kingsley on Tuesday and Maple City Glen Lake on Thursday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Rapid River (7-0) at Powers North Central (6-1) – The Rockets ended North Central’s record 84-game winning streak Dec. 7, but the Jets can make it six straight by taking the rematch.
Tuesday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (7-2) at Warren DeLaSalle (6-2) – In a strong Detroit Catholic League Central, these are two of the best; DeLaSalle leads and St. Mary’s is third after falling to second-place U-D Jesuit by a point last week.
Thursday – Bellevue (8-0) at Camden-Frontier (8-2) – Both are pushing for Southern Central Athletic Association titles; Bellevue is tied for first in the West and Camden-Frontier is second in the East, and this game counts in the standings for both.
Thursday – Maple City Glen Lake (5-1) at Frankfort (6-0) – The Panthers also must survive Kingsley on Tuesday to keep their perfect start going, and Glen Lake is aiming to gain a share of first place in the Northwest Conference too.
Friday – Hazel Park (8-0) at West Bloomfield (3-3) – Hazel Park and reigning Class A champion Clarkston have been the talk of a strong OAA Red, but West Bloomfield also is undefeated in league play after opening with three tough nonleague losses including two by only two points apiece.
PHOTO: Berkley, here against Clawson in December, is one of this season’s biggest surprises. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)