Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Boys Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 12, 2022
Several of Michigan’s anticipated boys basketball contenders wasted no time last week opening with matchups against more of the best our state is expected to offer this winter.
And we’re wasting no time talking about it.
Below is our first installment of “Breslin Bound” for the 2022-23 boys season, and we’ll again highlight intriguing results and teams on the rise all the way through their season-ending trips to Breslin Center in March.
“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. Lake Leelanau St. Mary 63, Menominee 45 In a matchup of teams that finished last season at Breslin, 2022 Division 4 semifinalist St. Mary (3-0) got off to an impressive start against the reigning Division 3 runner-up Maroons (1-1).
2. Detroit U-D Jesuit 57, Ferndale 55 One of the most anticipated first-week games statewide saw Jesuit (2-0) trail nearly the entirety before a big fourth quarter pulled them just ahead of the Eagles (0-2).
3. Rockford 68, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 64 The Rams (2-0) edged the reigning Division 2 runner-up Cougars (0-1) at Calvin University.
4. North Farmington 49, Detroit Martin Luther King 36 Another highly-anticipated opener saw teams that combined for 37 wins last season face off with North Farmington (2-0) earning the early boost.
5. St. Ignace 79, Boyne City 74 (OT) The Saints (1-0) avenged last season’s 68-50 loss to Boyne City (1-1) with Jonny Ingalls scoring 36 points including 16 during overtime.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Dearborn Fordson (2-0) The Tractors more than reversed their 2020-21 record of 6-11 in improving to 15-6 last season, and they’re off to the right start again. They defeated Dearborn Edsel Ford by 23 and Allen Park by 24, and have a few more tests coming up as they prepare to take on Belleville, Dearborn and more in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East.
Petoskey (2-0) The Northmen are coming off a 17-8 finish that included a Regional Final appearance against eventual Division 1 runner-up Grand Blanc, and they’re off to a strong start winning their home invitational over the weekend. Petoskey defeated Brighton 74-66 on Friday and then Grand Ledge 70-68 in overtime to clinch the title.
DIVISION 2
Kingsford (2-0) The Flivvers improvement from 8-6 two seasons ago to 15-7 last winter was substantial, especially considering those seven losses came to just three teams. Three of the defeats were to Escanaba, but Kingsford took an early step in Great Northern Conference play this time with a 67-50 win over the Eskymos.
Ogemaw Heights (2-0) After starting 0-2 and then 2-4 last season, Ogemaw Heights rallied to finish 11-9. The Falcons have reversed that start so far this winter, starting with a 63-57 win over Sanford Meridian, which won 16 games last season.
DIVISION 3
International Academy of Flint (3-0) The Phoenix finished 8-11 last season, and after a week they’re nearly halfway toward equaling that success. What’s more, those first three victories over Genesee, New Haven Merritt Academy and Burton Atherton all came by at least 17 points.
Mason County Central (2-0) The Spartans are seeking their first winning season since 2017-18, and they improved four wins last season from the year before to 7-15. They remain on the right track, with a 25-point win over Manistee last week followed by a 51-44 victory over North Muskegon – which handed Mason County Central two of its defeats last winter.
DIVISION 4
Fowler (2-0) The Eagles were a solid 13-8 last season, but quickly made themselves a team to watch for potentially more this winter. They opened with a 39-36 win over Carson City-Crystal – 17-4 last winter – and followed with a 47-39 win over Dansville after splitting with the Aggies in 2021-22.
Pittsford (2-0) Last season’s 11-11 finish began with an 0-2 start, but Pittsford has reversed that to open this winter. Those losses came to Britton Deerfield and Athens, but last week the Wildcats edged Britton Deerfield 54-53 in overtime and then defeated Athens by 45.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Thursday – Hamtramck (2-1) at North Farmington (2-0) – These two both are expected to be among the Division 1 elite this winter, with the only first-week loss between them Hamtramck’s to King by two in double overtime.
Friday – Flint Carman-Ainsworth (1-1) at Warren De La Salle Collegiate (2-0) – The reigning Division 1 champion Pilots have loaded December with nonleague tests, and this might be one of the tougher ones.
Friday – Rockford (2-0) at Muskegon (0-0) – These two reigning league champions combined for 39 wins last season before both ran into eventual Division 1 semifinalist Grand Rapids Northview.
Friday – Chesaning (3-0) at Ovid-Elsie (2-0) – The Marauders edged Chesaning by a game last season to win the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference, but then lost to Chesaning by a point in their District Semifinal.
Saturday – Saginaw (2-0) at Kalamazoo Central (1-0) – The Trojans finish a busy week at the Maroon Giants’ Don Jackson Invitational after also hosting Grand Blanc and facing Lansing Everett at Delta College.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO Otsego opened with wins last week over Portage Central and Niles. (Photo by Gary Shook.)
Lincoln Comes Through at Crunch Time Again to Complete Division 2 Repeat
By
Jeff Bleiler
Special for MHSAA.com
March 15, 2025
EAST LANSING — With the game – and a second-straight Division 2 championship – hanging in the balance Saturday, senior guard Markus Blackwell stepped to the free-throw line at the Breslin Center.
Swish. Swish.
Ballgame.
Blackwell’s two free throws with 26.9 seconds to play helped push Warren Lincoln to a 58-51 victory over Romulus Summit Academy North and the first repeat championship in Division 2 since Lansing Sexton double-dipped in 2011-12.
“I was thinking we could win it there,” Blackwell said. “When I go to the free-throw line, I gotta make my free throws. All these games prepare us for that type of stuff. I knew I was going to make the free throws.”
Blackwell’s free throws gave the Abes a two-possession lead in a game that was tight throughout. After Summit missed a 3-pointer, the Dragons were forced to foul senior Christopher Morgan, who also made his free throws and put the game out of reach.
“Man, what a game. What a Final,” Lincoln coach Wydell Henry said. “Hats off to Summit for a great game. They had us down, and it was back and forth. But these guys showed what they were about all year. Just persevering, resilience. Just playing hard. They never quit, they never gave up, we never got down. We’re battle-tested.
“I told my guys to stay with it and we’ll be successful, and these guys made plays down the stretch to get us the victory.”
Lincoln (23-4) spread the offense around nicely, with Markus Blackwell scoring 13 points, Morgan, Da’Marion Bozeman and Geon Hutchins 12 apiece, and Moses Blackwell nine. All five scorers are seniors, with Hutchins the only newcomer among that group this winter.
“When I came up here, that was the whole goal was to go back to back, and they welcomed me in, and this whole season we fought hard and we won,” he said.
Andrew Ashwood led the Dragons with 11 points, while Amir Perryman had 10.
Summit jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the first quarter and ended it with a 15-13 advantage. Lincoln responded by taking a five-point lead in the second quarter, but the teams entered halftime knotted at 25-25.
A three-point play by Ashwood in the third quarter put the Dragons ahead 38-34. Perryman hit a 3-pointer, and Chase Houser made a layup to push Summit to a 43-36 lead.
Late in the quarter, Da’Marion Bozeman recorded a steal and went coast to coast, making a layup at the buzzer to pull Lincoln within 45-41 entering the fourth. He wasn’t done there, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Bozeman and Markus Blackwell to start the final quarter launched Lincoln out front 47-45, and the Abes never trailed again despite Summit’s efforts.
Trailing by four with 1:21 left, Houser made a bank shot and drew a foul, but missed the free throw, leaving it 53-51. That’s when Markus Blackwell was fouled and sealed the game.
“Only one team wins their last game,” a somber Summit coach Derek Smith said. “This team went out like a team, and I can’t ask them for nothing more.”
Smith – the program’s third coach in three seasons – closed out his first year at the helm with a 24-4 record.
“They overcame all the adversity in the world,” Smith said. “They’re a resilient group, and we’ll be back. We’ll be back.”
Henry also believes his team isn’t making its last Finals appearance.
“We started from ground zero. Getting kids to believe in what you’re trying to do and the program you’re trying to build,” he said. “It’s a blessing, and I don’t take these things for granted. To come up here two times in two years and go out 2-0, I’m excited.
“We’ll be back. We’re going to do it again.”
PHOTOS (Top) Warren Lincoln’s Geon Hutchins dunks during his team’s Division 2 Final win Saturday night at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Abes’ Markus Blackwell (3) drives with Summit’s Jordan Fuller defending. (Below) The Gators’ Amir Perryman (1) makes a move toward the basket. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)