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.)
Southfield Christian Earns Return
March 21, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Damarco White was not part of Southfield Christian’s run to the Class D championship last season. But he got an earful from teammates Bakari Evelyn and Lindsey Hunter IV about what to expect Thursday at the Breslin Center.
Not that he didn't believe them. But it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-7 junior to truly understand what they meant.
The Eagles' physical and fast-paced Class D Semifinal against Lansing Christian featured 123 shots and 67 free-throw attempts, 15 tie scores and 17 lead changes. But over the final 2:15, Southfield Christian simply outlasted the Pilgrims in pulling away for a 75-68 win and another title game berth.
“They told me it wasn’t easy, and they were right,” White said. “I just tried to play my best. I try not to let my team lose every game I go out there.
“We’ve won 19 straight. We’re trying to make it 20.”
Southfield Christian (22-4), No. 3 at the end of the regular season, will face top-ranked Wyoming Tri-unity Christian at 10 a.m. Saturday to decide the title.
The Eagles no doubt will spend some of Friday resting up.
Only over the final two minutes – and after three Lansing Christian players fouled out – was Southfield Christian able to secure Thursday’s win. And those final two minutes followed six during which either the Pilgrims led or the score was tied.
“That’s what these guys have done all year. In tough games, tough situations, they hang in,” Eagles coach Josh Baker said.
“Our guys definitely picked up the intensity, picked up the ball pressure, sped up the pace. Part of it was (Lansing Chrstian) got into foul trouble and lost some guys. But I think we’re a little deeper. Hopefully we wore them down.”
Southfield Christian also took advantage of its ability to make free throws, connecting on 35 of 44 after entering the game on a streak of 23 straight makes. Sophomore guard Bakari Evelyn made 13 of 15 on the way to a team-high 22 points, and Hunter hit 8 of 9 in scoring 21 points total. White made 7 of 8 and finished with 19 points.
The game style and pace indeed took a toll on the Pilgrims, who played mostly their starting five through the first three quarters. Lansing Christian’s standouts showed lots of hustle and forced a number of the Eagles’ 24 turnovers. But only two starters were around for the final minutes.
“That’s how we’ve played all year long. We’ve got great kids on the bunch, but a lot of them are just getting their start in the game of basketball,” Lansing Christian coach Steve Ernst said. “Certainly, that was a different type of game than we’ve seen this year.”
Still, it took a final jolt to get the Eagles moving on. And Hunter delivered it during a timeout, when he told his teammates that “this is our stage” and they needed to play to that level.
White had six of his points and three of his seven blocks during the fourth quarter. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for the game. Evelyn had six steals and Hunter had five.
“We’ve been in that situation before, and we just had to stick with each other,” said Evelyn, a top sub on last season’s team.
“For some reason, we always play better defense in crunch time. I guess that’s our fault, but we noticed they got tired. I guess we turned up the heat.”
Senior Skylar Ross led Lansing Christian with 23 points. Senior Josh Whitney had 16 and eight rebounds, and senior Jay Noyola had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Junior Jordan Terry added 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Lansing Christian finished 22-4 and tied its longest postseason run. The Pilgrims also made the Semifinals in 1984.
“Certainly we appreciate being able to play on this big stage,” Ernst said, “and the tremendous group of seniors who helped transform this program in a short period of time. We’re proud of their effort, and we were excited to play a program like Southfield Christian.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Southfield Christian's Lindsey Hunter IV rises toward the basket during Thursday's Class D Semifinal at the Breslin Center. (Middle) Southfield Christian's Bakari Evelyn (22) works to get around Lansing Christian's Jay Noyola while Pilgrims coach Steve Ernst directs his players from the sideline. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)