Boys Finals: Your Dose of C and D
March 21, 2012
One thing is certain to happen this weekend at the often-unpredictable MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals:
We will have a first-time Class D champion. And there's a decent chance the Class C champion could feel like a first-timer as well.
All four Class D Semifinalists will be playing today for a first championship game berth. Only Traverse City St. Francis among Class C Semifinalists has never made a championship game -- but Flint Beecher is seeking its first MHSAA title since 1987, and Shelby its first since 1972.
Not that Schoolcraft is out of sight, out of mind. The Eagles are back at the Breslin Center to defend their Class C title, and with an all-stater to lead the way.
Below is a schedule for today's Semifinals and all four Saturday Finals. Tickets cost $8 per session, and parking at Michigan State is $5. All Semifinals will be streamed live at MHSAA.tv along with the press conferences after each, and the C and D Finals both will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit. Click for scores as they come in, and return to Second Half for coverage of all 12 games this weekend at Breslin.
Today's Semifinals
Class C
Flint Beecher (26-0) vs. Schoolcraft (22-4) - 1 p.m.
Traverse City St. Francis (24-2) vs Shelby (24-2) - 2:50 p.m.
Class D
Muskegon Catholic Central (17-9) vs. Southfield Christian (22-2) - 6 p.m.
Climax-Scotts (25-1) vs. Carney-Nadeau (23-2) - 7:50 p.m.
Saturday's Finals
Class A - 4 p.m.
Class B - 8 p.m.
Class C - Noon
Class D - 10 a.m.
Now, a look at this season's Class C and D Semifinalists (Click for glances at Class A and B Semifinalists.):
Class C
FLINT BEECHER
Record/rank: 26-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference Blue
Coach: Mike Williams, eighth season (137-61)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recently Class B in 1987), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 63-49 over No. 4 Madison Heights Madison (Regional Semifinal), 38-36 (OT) over No. 3 Detroit Consortium (Regional Final), 59-55 over honorable mention River Rouge (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Monte Morris (6-3 jr. G – 18.3 ppg, 6.4 apg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 spg), Antuan Burks (5-9 sr. G – 12.6 ppg, 34 3-pointers).
Outlook: This is the third straight season Beecher has made it to the Semifinals – last season the Buccaneers lost in overtime to eventual runner-up McBain. But this might be the season they break through led by Morris, the Class C Player of the Year by The Associated Press for the second straight season.
SCHOOLCRAFT
Record/rank: 22-4, honorable mention
League finish: Second in Kalamazoo Valley Association
Coach: Randy Small, eighth season (161-34)
Championship history: One MHSAA title (2011), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 55-52 over No. 2 Pewamo-Westphalia (Quarterfinal), 65-52 over honorable mention Bloomingdale (Regional Final), 68-58 over Olivet.
Player to watch: Luke Ryskamp (6-3 jr. F – 23.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg).
Outlook: A team with seven seniors including all-stater Ryskamp will try to defend its 2011 championship. Senior Bryan Jones, a 6-2 forward, also started in last season’s Class C Final. Schoolcraft avenged two of its losses during the District tournament, and can extend a solid run by Small that has included six league titles in eight seasons and three Regional titles over the last four.
SHELBY
Record/rank: 24-2, No. 8
League finish: First in West Michigan Conference
Coach: Rick Zoulek, 27th season (385-221)
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recently 1972), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 60-41 over honorable mention New Haven (Quarterfinal), 69-59 over North Muskegon.
Players to watch: David Beckman, Jr. (6-3 sr. F – 13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Lucas Landis (6-4 sr. F – 12.9 ppg, 9.7 rpg).
Outlook: Shelby is big in the frontcourt with Beckman and Landis getting additional help from 6-5 senior center Jeremiah James (11.3 ppg). Guards Cody Stotler and Kody Plummer round out an all-senior starting line-up that has Shelby back in the conversation among Class C’s best. Total, the team boasts eight seniors. Its only losses were to North Muskegon and Class B Semifinalist Muskegon Heights.
TRAVERSE CITY ST. FRANCIS
Record/rank: 24-2, No. 5
League finish: First in Lake Michigan Conference
Coach: Keith Haske, second season (39-9)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 67-42 over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 68-52 over No. 7 Clare (Regional Final), 71-60 over honorable mention Negaunee (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Sean Sheldon (6-9 sr. F – 21 ppg, 11 rpg), Devin Sheehy (5-11 sr. G – 12 ppg, 7.0 apg, 5.0 spg).
Outlook: Haske has St. Francis at Breslin Center after bringing Charlevoix to the Finals multiple times. Sheldon, an all-stater, is one of two 6-9 players on the team and one of three 6-4 or taller in the main rotation. The Gladiators have mauled their postseason competition so far by an average margin of 24.8 points per game.
Class D
CARNEY-NADEAU
Record/rank: 23-2, honorable mention
League finish: First in Skyline and Central Upper Peninsula conferences
Coach: Jacob Polfus, fourth season (60-30)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 57-51 over No. 7 Munising (Regional Final), 72-56 over No. 2 Pellston (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Lucas Moreau (5-10 sr. G – 18.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.9 apg), Wade Schetter (5-10 jr. G – 18.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 5.0 spg).
Outlook: Carney-Nadeau is led by high-scoring guards Moreau and Schetter, who have scored nearly 60 percent of the team’s points this season. Sophomore guard Keenan Lampinen adds 10.4 more points per game for a team boasting only one starter that stands even 6-1. That hasn’t seemed to matter much during a 20-game winning streak, which included wins over the two opponents who beat the Wolves early.
CLIMAX-SCOTTS
Record/rank: 25-1, No. 5
League finish: First in Southern Central Athletic Association
Coach: Steve Critchlow, first season (25-1)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 54-49 over honorable mention North Adams-Jerome, 50-39 over Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Malachi Satterlee (6-7 jr. F – 18.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.3 bpg), Aaron Cook (6-7 jr. F – 10 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg).
Outlook: Satterlee was named all-state earlier this week and keys a towering frontcourt that also gets 9.5 points per game from 6-2 forward Jacob Hinga. Climax-Scotts hasn’t faced a team ranked in the top 10 of the state polls at the end of the regular season, but dominated its competition – its lone loss was by four to Kalamazoo Phoenix, and since the Panthers have won 11 of 12 games by double figures.
MUSKEGON CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 17-9, unranked
League finish: Fourth in River Valley Conference
Coach: David Ingles, second season (32-19)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 48-43 over No. 10 Fulton-Middleton (Regional Final), 61-50 over No. 4 Bellaire (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Jason Ribecky (6-4 sr. C – 19.1 ppg), Cari Campbell (6-3 jr. F – 11.4 ppg).
Outlook: Ribecky earned an all-state honorable mention earlier this week and has put the team on his shoulders during the tournament run – the Crusaders have beaten every playoff opponent by double figures except reigning runner-up Fulton. This is the longest run by Muskegon Catholic since it won its Class C Regional in 1999.
SOUTHFIELD CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 22-2, tied for No. 7
League finish: First in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference
Coach: Josh Baker, first season (22-2)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 78-77 over Belleville, 70-57 and 67-64 over Allen Park Inter-City Baptist, 98-84 over honorable mention Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Gavin Toma (6-2 sr. G – 19.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Chris Dewberry (6-2 sr. G – 16.2 ppg, 4.4 apg), Lindsey Hunter III (6-1 sr. G – 15.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.0 apg), Lindsey Hunter IV (5-11 soph. G – 11.9 ppg).
Outlook: Southfield Christian’s record is especially impressive considering the number of much larger schools it faced this season – the losses came to Class A power Southfield (by two points) and Class B Semifinalist Detroit Country Day. All four postseason wins have come by double figures (Southfield Christian also won one by forfeit.) The Hunters III and IV are the sons of the former Detroit Pistons guard by the same name.
PHOTO: Flint Beecher's Monte Morris had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in his team's 70-66 Semifinal loss to McBain in last season's Class C Semifinal. He's back to lead Beecher again today.
Muskegon's Martin 'Back and Better Than Ever,' Ready to Make Up for Lost Time
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
December 4, 2025
If toughness is a key criteria, then Muskegon senior James Martin might have a leg up on the rest of the Mr. Basketball Award field.
Martin, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward who has committed to the University of Detroit Mercy, returns as the spark for a young, but deep, Muskegon team after missing the final 13 games last season with a broken left arm.
“I think he is back and better than ever,” said 14th-year Muskegon coach Keith Guy, who coached back-to-back Mr. Basketball winners in Deshaun Thrower (2014) and Deyonta Davis (2015).
“A lot of people kind of forgot about James because he’s been out. He is so tough and so versatile. He does whatever we need him to do.”
Martin hasn’t played for the Big Reds since Jan. 17, when he crashed to the floor during the first minute of their rivalry game at Muskegon Mona Shores and landed awkwardly on his left arm, resulting in two broken bones.
While the entire packed gym grimaced at the somewhat grotesque injury, Martin actually tried to keep going – briefly.
“I got up and was trying to put the bone back and fix my arm, running up the court,” the soft-spoken Martin recalled. “But then I started getting dizzy and went down.”
Martin had surgery the next morning in hopes of possibly being able to return last season, but the injury was too severe. The injury took its toll on Martin physically (he now has two plates and 14 screws in his arm), but even more so mentally and emotionally.
“At first, it was hard for me to even be around basketball because I wanted to be playing so bad,” Martin explained. “But the thing is, I’ve never really sat on the bench during games, so I felt like I learned a lot when I was out, just watching from a different perspective.”
Muskegon recovered from the loss of its star player and put together 10 straight wins at the end of last season before losing to Rockford in a Division 1 District Final on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Big Reds won 20 games last season for the 11th time in Guy’s 13 seasons as head coach, which has been highlighted by two championship game appearances – a 91-67 win over Bloomfield Hills in Class A in 2014 to complete a perfect 28-0 season and a 78-63 loss to Detroit Cass Tech in Division 1 in 2023.
This year’s team has hopes of getting back to the Breslin, led by the multi-talented Martin and a young, but extremely talented, supporting cast.
“James can honestly play anywhere from the 1 to the 5 at the high school level,” said Guy, noting that Martin was shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line last year before his injury. “He is a four-year varsity player who has the toughness and the work ethic that the rest of his teammates respect.”
Martin actually received three Division I college offers (Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Western Michigan) during the summer following his freshman year, when he averaged just five points and two rebounds per game in a support role.
His production increased to nine points, five rebounds and two assists per game his sophomore year, and he was off to a fast start last year as a junior, averaging 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists through 10 games.
Now, he is determined to make the most of his return to the court for his senior year.
“My role this year is to attack the basket hard and get downhill as much as I can,” Martin said. “If people collapse on me, I can either draw a foul or kick it back out to my teammates.”
Among those waiting on the wings will be underclassmen marksmen Tyson Worthington, a 6-3 junior, and AJ Lambers, a 6-1 freshman, along with senior leaders Arquez Petty and Ehman Guster.
Guy said one of the strengths of this team entering the season is its long-range shooting.
“Having those guys out on the arc who can knock it down really spaces the floor and allows James and our other athletes to get to the basket,” said Guy, who is assisted on the varsity level by Josh Wall, Thrower and Takarri Churchwell. “I would say our depth and our shooting are big strengths going into this season.”
The Big Reds also have good size along the front line with senior Ky’ren Noble (6-5), juniors Ethan Matthews (6-6) and Jayvon Burmeister (6-4) and sophomore William Whyms (6-5).
Muskegon fans will have to wait until Dec. 12 to see their team play, as the Big Reds open at home against Upper Peninsula power Marquette before playing three holiday tournament games against Grand Ledge, Detroit University Prep and Ferndale. The Big Reds have won four consecutive Ottawa-Kent Conference Green championships and 11 league titles over the past 12 years.
Guy anticipates an exciting winter at Muskegon’s historic Redmond-Potter Gymnasium with Martin and also a legitimate Miss Basketball Award candidate in Mariah Sain, who coincidentally also missed more than half of last season with an injury.
“I love this group, and we are ready to get going,” said Guy, who stopped scheduling games for the first week of the regular season after Muskegon’s football team made the championship game in seven of eight years from 2012 to 2019.
“When James got injured last year, I looked down and every single kid on the bench was crying. Believe me, this is a big deal to these guys, and they are thankful every day to come into the gym and play the game of basketball.”
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) James Martin (1) puts up a shot from the top of the key during Muskegon’s matchup with Lansing Everett last season. (Middle) The 6-foot-4 Martin is returning this winter after missing more than half of last season with an injury. (Photos by Tim Reilly.)