Baldwin's Back in Title Mix with High-Scoring Pair, Guided by Past Star Home Again
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
January 14, 2026
BALDWIN – Baldwin’s basketball team is off to its best start in years, thanks to a 1-2 backcourt punch that most teams can’t handle.
Senior Chase Dockery and junior Pierre “Pip” Johnson are lighting up the scoreboard for the Panthers, who are off to a 9-1 start at the regular-season halfway point and heading into Friday’s West Michigan D League showdown at Bear Lake.
“We realized this summer how special we could be,” said Dockery, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward who is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game.
“Our secret is the way that we communicate and move the ball. We know that we can make a run this year.”
Baldwin, a small village in Lake County located on M-37, roughly between Grand Rapids and Traverse City, is known as a camping, fishing and hunting paradise for three seasons – with basketball taking center stage in the winter.
The community’s obsession with hoops is apparent when you check out the banners in Baldwin’s classic, old-school gym. One small section contains football, baseball and track banners, while the entire opposite wall is covered with boys basketball banners, highlighted by the Panthers’ Class D runner-up finish in 1959.
“Basketball is everything here; it’s all that we’ve got,” explained Johnson, the team’s leading scorer at 20 points per game.
Orchestrating the basketball resurgence is second-year coach Brandon Childress, one of the top athletes to ever come out of Baldwin and a first-team Class D all-state selection in both football and basketball during his senior year of 2014-2015. He also was named the state’s Division 4 Player of the Year in basketball as a senior.
Childress went on to play football, first at Central Michigan and later at Ferris State, then decided to return to his hometown to coach and also to work as Baldwin’s full-time college access and Promise Zone coordinator – helping kids prepare to go on to college and beyond.
“I come to school in the morning, and I’m a mentor and a coach to all of these kids all day long,” said Childress, 28, who also coaches baseball and football, the latter as an assistant to his younger brother, Braeden, the Panthers’ head varsity coach.
The old gym was rocking last Friday night, when Mesick rolled into town for a conference showdown.
Johnson, a lightning-quick, 6-0 point guard, was unstoppable driving to the basket, finishing with a game-high 28 points in the Panthers’ 61-50 win.
“My role is to be aggressive and to be able to go get a basket when we really need one,” said Johnson, who also averages six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game.
When Johnson does miss a shot, or is forced to give it up, Dockery is often there for a bucket.
The lanky lefty, who is equally comfortable shooting from behind the arc or battling inside, is a four-year varsity starter who leads the team in rebounding and also averages 2.7 steals and two assists per game. He was a key part of the Panthers’ conference and District championships as a freshman.
Baldwin finished 13-11 last year in its first under Childress, who took over from JJ Eads, who coached for five years and remains the school’s athletic director.
The Panthers returned all but one player from last year’s team, led by Johnson, a first-team all-conference choice, and Dockery, who was second-team all-league.
Childress said his team has already seen a variety of gimmick defenses designed to stop the Johnson and Dockery duo (with more to come), and he knows the key to his team making a postseason run will be the play of the supporting cast.
“With Pierre and Chance driving the basketball and drawing a lot of attention, our other guys will get open looks and we need them to knock those down,” said Childress, who made the Mid-American Conference all-academic team at CMU in 2016.
Junior Kyrce Cook (nine points) and sophomore Desafiar Lyons (eight points) both stepped up and took advantage of their opportunities against Mesick. Another key player is 6-4 senior Marcus Martin, who is returning from an injury and just getting back up to speed.
Baldwin’s only loss came against Blanchard Montabella (65-57) in the opening game of the Morley Stanwood Holiday Tournament on Jan. 2. The Panthers missed a staggering 13 free throws in the fourth quarter, but it was the team’s reaction to the loss which made an impression on their young coach.
“When we got back to Baldwin, they begged me to open the gym so that they could shoot free throws,” said Childress. “They shot free throws for two hours, then we went back the next day and played a much better game.”
Dockery and Johnson were the ringleaders of the night free-throw shooting session, and Childress said it’s their leadership and character which could push this team to the next level.
“Chance and Pip are both great individuals, nice kids and very good in the classroom,” said Childress. “They make my job a lot easier, because they hold everybody to a high standard.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Baldwin’s Chance Dockery elevates to put up a shot against White Cloud during a 63-41 win Dec. 2. (Middle) Pierre Johnson grabs a rebound against Oscoda during a 52-41 victory on Jan. 3. (Photos courtesy of the Baldwin boys basketball program.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Post-Break
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 5, 2026
Holiday break is showcase season for several basketball teams all over the state, and there’s plenty to catch up on as "Breslin Bound” returns for the start of calendar year 2026.
While championship hopefuls will continue to play in special events (mostly on Saturdays) over the next many weeks as well, there were 58 tournaments and one-or-several-day showcases over the last two weeks featuring Michigan boys hoops teams.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Rockford 81, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 78 (2 OT) The Rams won a classic at the D Zone Showcase and remain undefeated at 8-0 while the loss was the second over three games for Brother Rice (7-3).
2. Auburn Hills Avondale 50, Grand Blanc 49 In another D Zone Showcase nail-biter, Avondale (8-1) bounced back from losing to Freeland two days before to hand Grand Blanc (8-1) its only defeat this season.
3. Grand Haven 77, Freeland 74 (OT) Grand Haven (8-1) handed Freeland (7-1) its lone defeat, during the Cornerstone University Holiday Showcase.
4. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 69, Detroit Cass Tech 67 Chippewa Valley (7-1) has been consistently successful over several seasons, but defeating Cass Tech (5-3) at the D Zone Showcase certainly earned additional attention.
5. East Lansing 62, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 41 The reigning Division 1 champion Trojans (8-0) have had a few close calls this winter but impressed against one of their most highly-regarded foes.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Grand Blanc (8-1) The Bobcats have won at least a District title every season this decade, and appear on the right track for another run with their only loss by a point to Avondale (see above). Grand Blanc also has navigated a one-point overtime victory over Hamtramck and three-point win over Saginaw United, and perhaps most impressively downed Clarkston 54-47 at its home Charlie Carmody Classic to begin this month. Friday’s game at Grand Haven (8-1) will be another that could shake up rankings.
Ypsilanti Lincoln (8-1) The Railsplitters have continued to roll after finishing last season 16-10 but with six wins over their last seven games including a District title clincher. After finishing fourth in the Southeastern Conference Red last winter, Lincoln is the early leader in the SEC White. Its lone loss was during the first week of December to Wayne Memorial, and the Railsplitters have four wins by one or two points.
DIVISION 2
Benton Harbor (10-0) The Tigers are among five teams statewide that have reached double-digit wins, with six of those first 10 coming during showcase games including by two over Detroit Douglass and three in overtime over Berrien Springs. Benton Harbor has several more matchups of note coming up; circle Jan. 13 at Niles Brandywine, Jan. 17 against Detroit Catholic Central at Westland John Glenn’s Rocket Classic and Feb. 7 against Warren Lincoln at Grand Rapids Community College’s 2K26 Showcase.
Grand Rapids South Christian (7-1) The Sailors are coming off a 20-5 season that included sharing the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold title and winning their District despite opening 1-3. They’re off to a much faster start this winter, already avenging last-winter losses to Grand Rapids Christian and Grand Rapids Catholic Central – the latter which ended South Christian’s 2024-25 season. The Sailors shared last year’s league title with Grand Rapids Northview and will see the Wildcats for the first time Friday.
DIVISION 3
Beal City (7-0) The Aggies opened the new year with wins over Mason County Central and Vestaburg to win the Reed City Holiday Tournament, and total five of their seven victories have come over teams currently with winning records. Beal City handed Highland Conference rival McBain its only loss and sits tied atop the league standings with LeRoy Pine River, with their first matchup slated for Jan. 20. Beal City finished second in the league to McBain last season and ended their tournament run with a Regional Final loss to the Ramblers.
Menominee (7-1) The Maroons began this season with a defeat against Division 2 contender Freeland at Petoskey’s Sean Pollion Invitational, but haven’t lost again – a substantial bounce-back from last year’s 2-4 start on the way to a 13-12 finish. The difference in part has been wins over Negaunee, Crystal Falls Forest Park and Green Bay West (Wis.) – after losses to those opponents during last winter’s start – and it’s important to note as well that all seven wins this season have come by at least 23 points.
DIVISION 4
Dollar Bay (6-1) Although the Blue Bolts are coming off a loss to Division 1 Marquette last week, a 49-45 overtime win over Forest Park has highlighted this early run and avenged an 18-point loss to the Trojans a year ago. Dollar Bay went on last season to share the Copper Mountain Conference title and win its District, and the Blue Bolts will see the other two co-champions Wakefield-Marenisco and Ewen-Trout Creek this month, as well as Bessemer – which ended Dollar Bay’s 2024-25 season in a Regional Semifinal.
Pickford (7-0) The Panthers just missed out on a trip to Breslin last season, falling to Forest Park by two points in their Quarterfinal while finishing 23-3 overall. They’ve already avenged last year’s regular-season loss to Harbor Springs as they opened this winter with six wins by at least 18 points before handing Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian its only loss, 59-54 last week. Undefeated Cheboygan on Jan. 17 could present another intriguing challenge.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Wednesday – Fowler (7-0) at Pewamo-Westphalia (5-1) – The only loss between these Central Michigan Athletic Conference rivals this winter was P-W’s by two points to Division 1 Grandville.
Friday – Detroit Loyola (8-0) at Dearborn Divine Child (8-2) – The Catholic High School League AA kicks off its second half with a rematch of a season-opening 62-56 win by league leader Loyola.
Friday – Frankenmuth (7-0) at Freeland (7-1) – These two are both undefeated in early Tri-Valley Conference Red play, with the only loss between them Freeland’s to Grand Haven noted above.
Saturday – Wayne Memorial (4-0) vs. Muskegon (4-0) at East Kentwood – These are two of 10 remaining undefeated Division 1 teams, and they face off at 4:45 p.m. in the Gottagetit Classic.
Saturday – Rockford (8-0) vs. East Lansing (8-0) at East Kentwood – These are two more of the Division 1 unbeatens, and they play in the 8:15 p.m. slot at East Kentwood.
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PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central senior Rahmaan Kelley Jr. drives to the basket during the third quarter for two of his team-leading 20 points in the Panthers’ 44-35 victory over Saginaw Swan Valley on Dec. 17. (Middle) Harbor Beach guard Benson Harper works his way through the paint toward a second-quarter basket in his team’s Jan. 2 game against Freeland. (Photos by Kolleth Photo.)