Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Boys Semifinals Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 22, 2023
For several reasons, crossing over all four divisions, this weekend’s MHSAA Boys Basketball Semifinal & Finals could be among the most memorable we’ve played in some time.
The longtime powers will be back at Breslin Center. Six teams with at least three Finals championships will be looking to add to those totals. At the same time, eight teams will be playing for their first title – and a ninth may be playing for the last of its storied history.
There will be favorites. In Division 1 alone, all four semifinalists finished the regular season among the top nine in Michigan Power Rating. But numbers have a tough time anticipating an unpredictable story, and we have plenty – in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 only half the remaining contenders finished among the top 20 in MPR in their respective rankings.
DIVISION 1 - Friday
Detroit Cass Tech vs Grand Blanc - Noon
Orchard Lake St Mary's vs Muskegon - 2 p.m.
DIVISION 2 - Friday
Saginaw vs Ferndale - 5:30 p.m.
Grand Rapids South Christian vs Romulus Summit Academy North - 7:30 p.m.
DIVISION 3 - Thursday
Flint Beecher vs Ecorse - Noon
Traverse City St Francis vs Niles Brandywine - 2 p.m.
DIVISION 4 - Thursday
Munising vs Marine City Cardinal Mooney - 5:30 p.m.
Frankfort vs Wyoming Tri-unity Christian - 7:30 p.m.
Finals - Saturday
Division 1 - 12:15 p.m.
Division 2 - 6:45 p.m.
Division 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Division 4 - 10 a.m.
Tickets for this weekend’s games are $12 for both Semifinals and Finals and available via the Breslin Center ticket office; for information and links visit the Boys Basketball page.
All Semifinals will be broadcast and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv, and all four Finals will air live Saturday on Bally Sports Detroit – Divisions 4, 3 and 2 on the primary channel and Division 1 on BSD Extra – as well as on the BSD website and app. Audio broadcasts of all Semifinals and Finals will be available free of charge from the MHSAA Network.
The Boys Basketball Semifinals & Finals are sponsored by Sparrow Health System.
Here’s a look at the 16 semifinalists (with rankings by MPR and statistics through Regional Finals unless noted):
Division 1
DETROIT CASS TECH
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 4
League finish: First in Detroit Public School League Blue and overall
Coach: Steven Hall, seventh season (149-30)
Championship history: Class A runner-up 1974.
Best wins: 55-49 over No. 10 Ann Arbor Huron in Quarterfinal, 71-59 (District Semifinal), 74-70 (OT) and 57-55 over Detroit Martin Luther King, 59-42 over No. 15 Grand Rapids Northview, 69-63 over Division 3 No. 3 Flint Beecher, 46-39 over Division 3 No. 8. Traverse City St. Francis.
Players to watch: Darius Acuff, 6-2 soph. G (21.6 ppg, 5.8 apg); Kenneth Robertson, 6-0 sr. F (15.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg); Travon Cooper, 6-5 sr. C/F (11.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.9 bpg).
Outlook: After falling just two points shy in a Quarterfinal last season, Cass Tech is returning to the Semifinals for the first time since 1993 and only a one-point overtime loss to Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice from a perfect run this season. Hall led Detroit Rogers to three straight Class D titles from 2003-05 and returned to his alma mater Cass Tech in 2015-16 after serving as a college assistant at Duquesne and Youngstown State. Acuff earned an all-state honorable mention as a freshman and is one of the top sophomores in the state, and he’s got lots of help – after Robertson and Cooper as well, four more players average at least six points per game.
GRAND BLANC
Record/rank: 25-2, No. 3
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League
Coach: Tory Jackson, first season (25-2)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2021, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 70-62 (OT) over No. 5 Muskegon, 60-49 over No. 9 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 42-31 over No. 11 Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 74-46 over Division 2 No. 5 Cadillac, 57-43 over Division 3 No. 3 Flint Beecher.
Players to watch: Tae Boyd, 6-3 sr. F (15.4 ppg); RJ Taylor, 6-0 sr. G (14.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 6.2 apg); Bryce O’Mara, 6-7 jr. F (8.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg).
Outlook: Grand Blanc has played in the last two Division 1 championship games, finishing runner-up to De La Salle last season. Three starters plus the top two subs from last year’s Final are back – and that’s with another returning starter, Nathan Richardson, out since February with an injury. Taylor made the all-state first team last season and will continue at Northern Iowa, and Boyd earned an all-state honorable mention in 2022 and intends to play basketball and football at Ferris State. Jackson was part of two Class C championships as a player at Saginaw Buena Vista and played at Notre Dame and in the NBA G-League before getting his start in coaching at Buena Vista in 2012-13.
MUSKEGON
Record/rank: 25-2, No. 5
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Green
Coach: Keith Guy, 11th season (229-36)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 68-48 over East Kentwood in Regional Semifinal, 67-60 over No. 8 Kalamazoo Central, 50-45 over Division 2 No. 6 Warren Lincoln, 62-51 over Division 2 No. 1 Ferndale, 81-79 (OT) over Division 2 No. 19 Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
Players to watch: Jordan Briggs, 6-1 sr. G (18.7 ppg, 84 3-pointers, 5.1 rpg, 6.0 apg); Anthony Sydnor III, 6-2 sr. G (14.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.6 spg); David Day III, 5-9 sr. G (8.1 ppg, 4.3 apg).
Outlook: Muskegon has won 20 or more games nine of the last 10 seasons despite annually loading the schedule with elite opponents. Briggs, Sydnor and Day are the only three seniors and set the pace as the team’s top three scorers and 3-point shooters. Briggs made the all-state first team last season and signed with Wayne State, and Sydnor earned an all-state honorable mention and signed with Ferris State. They are surrounded by several teammates contributing big in their roles, including 6-6 junior Terrance Davis (6.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg) and 6-5 junior Stanley Cunningham (7.6 rpg) in the frontcourt and junior guard M’Khi Guy (5.0 apg) off the bench.
ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/rank: 16-10, No. 9
League finish: Tied for fourth in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Todd Covert, eighth season (127-52)
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2000), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 55-44 (Quarterfinal) and 63-45 over No. 11 Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 56-44 over No. 2 North Farmington in Regional Final, 72-69 (Regional Semifinal) and 67-64 over No. 6 Detroit U-D Jesuit, 57-50 over No. 1 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in District Final, 56-41 over East Kentwood, 68-64 (3OT) over Division 2 No. 6 Warren Lincoln, 67-51 over Division 2 No. 19 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 54-39 over Division 2 No. 1 Ferndale.
Players to watch: Trey McKenney, 6-5 soph. G/F (25.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg); Sharod Barnes, 6-2 soph. G (10 ppg); Daniel Smythe, 6-3 jr. G (10 ppg).
Outlook: St. Mary’s rumbled through one of the state’s toughest schedules during the regular season, and it’s certainly paid off during a postseason run that’s been perhaps the most impressive regardless of division. The Eaglets had reached the Quarterfinals the last two years and will make their first Semifinal appearance since 2006. McKenney made the all-state second team last season and is already considered among the state’s best as well as just a sophomore. Juniors Andrew Smith and Mason Wisniewski round out the starting lineup, both averaging just over six points per game and the 6-6 Wisniewski also grabbing 7.4 rebounds per contest.
Division 2
FERNDALE
Record/rank: 19-8, No. 1
League finish: Second in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Juan Rickman, fifth season (87-32)
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1966).
Best wins: 69-50 over No. 16 Warren Michigan Collegiate in Regional Final, 64-47 and 60-52 over Division 1 No. 20 Oak Park, 82-65 over Division 1 No. 12 Port Huron Northern, 72-60 over Division 1 No. 7 River Rouge, 67-61 over Division 1 No. 13 Grosse Pointe South, 63-52 over Division 3 No. 3 Flint Beecher.
Players to watch: Christopher Williams, 6-5 sr. G/F (13.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg); Cameron Reed, 6-0 sr. G (10.1 ppg, 7.5 apg); Noah Blocker, 6-1 sr. G (12.8 ppg).
Outlook: Ferndale is another contender that navigated a difficult regular-season schedule but is up to 14 wins over its last 15 games as it makes a third-straight trip to the Semifinals. All five starters are seniors, and Williams, Reed and Blocker all started in last year’s Semifinal as well, plus seniors Caleb Renfroe and Jacoby Jackson were the most-played subs in that game. Senior Jayden Hardiman adds another 9.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and provides a 6-7 presence in the middle. Junior Trenton Ruth (8.1 ppg) is among the top options off the bench this season.
GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 24-3, No. 12
League finish: Tied for first in O-K Gold
Coach: Taylor Johnson, first season (24-3)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2005), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 82-54 over No. 19 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 61-38 (Quarterfinal) and 58-50 over Hudsonville Unity Christian, 64-48 over East Kentwood, 58-36 over Division 3 No. 14 Detroit Edison.
Players to watch: Jake Vermaas, 6-1 jr. G (12.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.5 apg); Jacob DeHaan, 6-2 sr. G (13 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Sam Medendorp, 6-6 sr. F/C (8.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg).
Outlook: South Christian has upped its winning streak to 15 straight since losing its first meeting with GRCC on Jan. 24, and all 15 of those wins have come by double digits. Johnson came to South Christian this season after six as an assistant coach at Grand Valley State and has the Sailors in their first Semifinal since 2005. They did lose leading scorer Carson Vis (17.7 ppg) with a season-ending injury in the Regional Final, but DeHaan responded with a team-leading 27 points in the Quarterfinal win. DeHaan earned an all-state honorable mention last season.
ROMULUS SUMMIT ACADEMY
Record/rank: 25-2, No. 22
League finish: First in Charter School Conference West
Coach: Mark White, fifth season (91-22)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 68-62 over Chelsea in Quarterfinal, 57-27 over Flat Rock in District Final, 74-43 over Brownstown Woodhaven, 73-60 over Division 3 No. 14 Detroit Edison.
Players to watch: James Wright, 6-4 sr.; Dontez Scott Jr., 6-0 jr. G; Amir Perryman, 5-10 soph. G. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: White, who led Detroit Renaissance to Class B championships in 2004 and 2006, has Summit in its first Semifinal after guiding the Dragons to their first Quarterfinal in 2021. Their only losses this season were to teams that finished a combined 46-5 – Warren Michigan Collegiate and Detroit Loyola. Wright made the all-state second team last season, and Scott earned an honorable mention.
SAGINAW
Record/rank: 21-6, No. 32
League finish: Sixth in SVL
Coach: Julian Taylor, 12th season (203-75)
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2012).
Best wins: 61-57 over No. 5 Cadillac in Quarterfinal, 78-58 over Flint Hamady in Regional Final, 47-33 over Shepherd in Regional Semifinal, 74-38 over Carrollton in District Final.
Players to watch: Javarie Holliday, 6-2 sr. G (15.8 ppg); DaRon Sherman, 6-2 sr. G (10 ppg, 8.0 apg, 3.9 spg); Taelor Lowery, 6-0 sr. G (11 ppg).
Outlook: This will be Saginaw’s first trip to the Semifinals since 2013, and potentially carries even more historical significance with the school set to merge with Arthur Hill for the start of the 2024-25 school year. Playing in the predominantly Division 1 SVL, Saginaw’s losses all were to D1 opponents. Four of five starters are seniors, and 6-3 senior forward D’Quan Lowe Patman adds 6.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and three steals per game. Holliday earned an all-state honorable mention last season.
Division 3
ECORSE
Record/rank: 20-4, No. 34
League finish: Tied for second in Michigan Metro Athletic Conference Black
Coach: Gerrod Abram, fourth season (59-25)
Championship history: Class B runner-up 1978, Class B Lower Peninsula runner-up 1942.
Best wins: 57-46 over No. 5 Laingsburg in Quarterfinal, 69-58 over Plymouth Christian Academy in Regional Final, 63-46 over No. 19 Riverview Gabriel Richard in Regional Semifinal, 85-69 over Brownstown Woodhaven.
Players to watch: Malik Olafioye, 6-3 sr. PG; Kenneth Morrast Jr., 6-1 sr. PG; Dennell Kemp Jr., 6-0 jr. G. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: After reaching the Semifinals last season for the first time since 1980, Ecorse is making a second-straight trip. Olafioye, Morrast and Kemp all started in last season’s Semifinal, and Olafioye made the all-state first team while Morrast earned an honorable mention. The losses this season came to Division 1 Oak Park, Detroit Renaissance and Detroit Catholic Central – all in December – and Division 2 Detroit University Prep on Feb. 17 after having defeated the Panthers three weeks earlier.
FLINT BEECHER
Record/rank: 22-4, No. 3
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference Red
Coach: Marquis Gray, second season (44-7)
Championship history: Nine MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 55-49 over No. 1 Detroit Loyola in Quarterfinal, 65-41 over No. 7 Saginaw Nouvel in Regional Final, 57-33 over No. 9 Cass City in Regional Semifinal, 70-55 over Goodrich, 48-43 and 80-71 over Flint Hamady.
Players to watch: Kevin Tiggs Jr., 6-2 sr. F (14 ppg, 5.4 rpg); Keyonta Menifield, 5-10 jr. G (8.5 ppg); Robert Lee Jr., 6-2 sr. F/G (24.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.2 apg).
Outlook: Beecher is making its third-straight Semifinals appearance and bringing back two starters and the top two subs from the lineup that played at Breslin a year ago. Lee made the all-state first team last season and can erupt at any time making more than 50 percent of his shots from the floor total and 3-point range as well. Tiggs is making more than 60 percent of his shots from the floor and also has put up big numbers. Beecher once again loaded up its regular-season schedule; the Bucs’ losses were to Division 1 Grand Blanc and Cass Tech – both playing this weekend – and Division 2 Ferndale (also still playing) and Benton Harbor.
NILES BRANDYWINE
Record/rank: 25-2, No. 28
League finish: Second in Lakeland Conference
Coach: Nathan Knapp, 18th season (212-170)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 71-62 over Pewamo-Westphalia in Quarterfinal, 58-42 over Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep in Regional Semifinal, 42-36 over No. 6 Watervliet in District Final, 61-35 over Cassopolis.
Players to watch: Jamier Palmer, 6-0 jr. G (10.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg); Jaremiah Palmer, 6-0 jr. G (12.9 ppg); Byron Linley, 6-1 jr. G (9.7 ppg).
Outlook: Brandywine is making its first trip to the Semifinals after also winning its first Regional title, and Knapp has led an incredible transformation of the program. After not posting a winning record until his seventh season, Brandywine has reached 18 wins five of the last eight seasons with six league and three District titles during that time as well. The only losses this season were to Division 2 Benton Harbor, and 19 wins have come by double-digit margins. There’s only one senior in the eight-player regular rotation, and freshman guard Nylen Goins also averages 9.7 ppg and had a team-high 43 3-pointers entering the week.
TRAVERSE CITY ST. FRANCIS
Record/rank: 23-4, No. 8
League finish: Tied for first in Lake Michigan Conference
Coach: Sean Finnegan, sixth season (106-26)
Championship history: Class C runner-up 2012.
Best wins: 46-37 (Regional Final) and 61-49 over No. 18 McBain, 58-22 and 60-42 over No. 16 Elk Rapids, 58-34 over Division 2 No. 11 Boyne City, 63-54 over Canton.
Players to watch: Wyatt Nausadis, 6-4 sr. G (20.1 ppg, 40 3-pointers, 3.0 apg); Joey Donahue, 6-3 sr. F (7.8 ppg, 3.1 apg); John Hagelstein, 6-0 soph. G (10.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg). (Statistics through end of regular season.)
Outlook: St. Francis has been building toward this first Semifinal since 2012, improving from 12 wins two seasons ago to 19 last winter and now this run. They bounced back from a six-point loss to Boyne City on Jan. 24 for a 24-point win Feb. 21 to share the league title, and playoff wins over Maple City Glen Lake (19 wins) and St. Ignace (22) also were among the most noteworthy. Nausadis made the all-state second team last season, and 6-5 senior Drew Breimayer (7.7 ppg) is among more contributors who can pick up scoring load.
Division 4
FRANKFORT
Record/rank: 18-8, No. 57
League finish: Fourth in Northwest Conference
Coach: Dan Loney, fifth season (86-41)
Championship history: Division 4 runner-up 2019.
Best wins: 59-57 over Hillman in Quarterfinal, 50-44 over No. 7 Lake Leelanau St. Mary in Regional Final, 52-47 over No. 12 Gaylord St. Mary in Regional Semifinal, 60-51 over Maple City Glen Lake.
Players to watch: Emmerson Farmer, 5-10 sr. G (10.7 ppg, 37 3-pointers); Nick Stevenson, 6-2 sr. F (9.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg); Carter Kerby, 5-10 soph. G (11 ppg, 3.0 apg).
Outlook: Frankfort found its stride at the right time with nine wins over its last 10 games and the Glen Lake and Lake Leelanau St. Mary victories avenging earlier losses. It didn’t come easily, as all five of the Panthers’ playoff opponents finished the regular season with winning records. Frankfort had made the Quarterfinals as recently as 2021, but fell back to 11-12 last season before bouncing back big this winter. A balanced lineup gets contributions from several players; senior Xander Sauer is another, averaging 10.2 points per game.
MARINE CITY CARDINAL MOONEY
Record/rank: 16-11, No. 49
League finish: Tied for fifth in Detroit Catholic League Intersectional #1
Coach: Mike McAndrews, 25th season (303-207)
Championship history: Class D runner-up 2010.
Best wins: 59-56 over No. 9 Taylor Trillium Academy in Quarterfinal, 57-44 over No. 6 Genesee Christian in Regional Final, 75-65 over Plymouth Christian Academy, 52-46 over Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep.
Players to watch: Brian Everhart, 6-0 jr. G (12.3 ppg); Dominic Cattivera, 6-5 sr. C (10.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg); Trent Rice, 6-0 sr. G (12.9 ppg).
Outlook: This run might seem a little unexpected as well, especially given the teams Cardinal Mooney has defeated the last two rounds. But the Cardinals have won nine of their last 12 after working through a league that included only one other Division 4 team along with two from Division 2 and two from Division 3. All but one loss came to an opponent from D1, D2 or D3, including a pair to Loyola and another to Division 1 De La Salle. Rice earned an all-state honorable mention last season and is one of our senior starters. Quentin Hillaker is another, averaging 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
MUNISING
Record/rank: 25-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Skyline Central Conference – Large
Coach: Terry Kienitz, seventh season (128-22)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 52-43 over No. 1 Painesdale Jeffers in Quarterfinal, 60-28 over No. 11 Mackinaw City in Regional Final, 61-50 (Regional Semifinal) and 67-64 over No. 17 Rudyard, 70-65 over No. 18 Norway, 62-59 and 54-49 over No. 3 Powers North Central.
Players to watch: Kane Nebel, 6-2 sr. G (15.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6.8 apg, 4.5 spg); Trevor Nolan, 5-8 soph. G (15 ppg, 54 3-pointers); Jack Dusseault, 6-3 soph. C (10.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg). (Statistics through end of regular season.)
Outlook: Munising emerged from a powerful group of Upper Peninsula teams in Division 4, and that on its own says a ton about its chances this weekend. This also will be the program’s first Semifinal since 1954. The Mustangs have won 14 straight games since losing a four-pointer to Brimley on Jan. 17, and this run came after last year’s ended with the team 19-3 and the 2020-21 team finished 15-2. Carson Kienitz is a third sophomore starter and provides more size at 6-3 and scoring at 11.4 ppg along with 5.4 rpg.
WYOMING TRI-UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-6, No. 15
League finish: Tied for second in Alliance League
Coach: Mark Keeler, 36th season (669-210)
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), five runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 54-41 over No. 5 Kalamazoo Phoenix in Quarterfinal, 62-44 over Lansing Christian in Regional Final, 79-36 over No. 13 Baldwin in Regional Semifinal, 57-52 over Pewamo-Westphalia, 51-46 over Schoolcraft.
Players to watch: Jordan VanKlompenberg, 6-1 jr. G (10.8 ppg, 59 3-pointers, 3.5 apg); Roy Fogg, 6-3 sr. G/F (13 ppg); Owen Rosendall, 6-0 jr. G (7.1 ppg, 36 3-pointers).
Outlook: Tri-unity is the reigning champion and also was the Division 4 runner-up in 2021. VanKlompenberg and Rosendall started last season, and Rosendall also was a top sub as a freshman. The Defenders have won 10 of their last 11 games this winter and all five playoff matchups by at least 13 points, and all six losses came to opponents from Divisions 1-3. Sophomore Keaton Blanker adds 7.8 ppg, and junior Akais Giplaye (6.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg) also has moved into the starting lineup after seeing 12 minutes off the bench in last year’s championship game.
PHOTOS (Top) Flint Beecher’s Damarcus Burke Jr. (13) drives with Grand Blanc’s Trevon Johnson defending during their regular-season finale matchup. (Middle) Munising's Kane Nebel (0) works to get past Jeffers' Ashton Kunishige (13) and Levi Frahm (3) during a Tuesday Quarterfinal. (Top photo by Terry Lyons; middle photo by Cara Kamps.)
Century of School Sports: Boys Basketball's Best 1st To Earn MHSAA Finals Titles
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
March 11, 2025
Administratively, the world changed when the present Michigan High School Athletic Association was formed in the fall of 1924. That October, Battle Creek High School’s Alden W. ‘Tommy’ Thompson was hired on a full-time basis as state director.
“This position, which is a new one in Michigan, has for its purpose the centralizing of authority over all secondary school athletics in the state, including public high schools, and all private and parochial institutions,” noted the Battle Creek Enquirer at the time of his hiring. “It will take the place of the old Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association, which was composed of the principals of the high schools of the state.”
Coach and director of athletics at Battle Creek since 1919, Thompson moved to Lansing following the close of Battle Creek’s football season and began his new position on November 17. While the job included full management of tournaments, there was little time to alter processes and procedures for the winter season. So, the 1925 basketball tournament – now celebrating its 100th year under guidance from the MHSAA – really did not look much different from the year previous.
Tournaments to name Michigan boys basketball champions date back to 1916. A recent enlargement of Waterman Gymnasium at the University of Michigan prompted the school to host a tournament in 1917. With four available courts, it was felt that the tournament could handle more than 60 teams and still be run in three days.
In 1920, the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association took control of prep athletics and the tournament. Among its first actions was to split the finals between Ann Arbor and East Lansing each year. That year, Class A final-round games were played at U of M in Ann Arbor, while Class B games were hosted at Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.) – now Michigan State University – in East Lansing. Sites were reversed in 1921. The addition of Class C, segmenting the tournament further, came in 1922, and those games were played in the same city as Class B. (The pattern was followed until 1926, when Thompson and staff added a championship round for Class D to the mix.)
The Mechanics of a Tournament
In January, Director Thompson announced that District tournaments (sometimes referred to as sectional) would be held at six locations across the state, designed to reduce the field of contenders to 24 teams for the final three rounds of the tournament. They would be held at Central Normal in Mount Pleasant (two teams advancing each from Class A, B, and C), Western State Normal in Kalamazoo (two teams each from Class A, B, and C), Michigan State Normal in Ypsilanti (two teams each from Class A, B, and C), the Detroit public schools (two from Class A), Petoskey (one from Class B and two from Class C), and Northern State Normal at Marquette in the Upper Peninsula (one regardless of Class to play in Class B) in mid-March.
The final rounds of the 1925 games were scheduled for March 26–28. Continuing the set-up of rotating sites, winners and runners-up in the Class A Districts received invitations to the playoff at M.A.C. while the Class B and C pairs were invited to the tourney at U of M.
Class A was defined as schools with enrollments of 500 or more students, Class B – 175 to 499, and Class C – 100 to 174. Schools with enrollments of fewer than 100 students comprised Class D and had the option to play in the Class C tournaments. Those hard and fast enrollment numbers meant an imbalance of teams in each class. Simply put, there were fewer schools in Class A and Class B than there were in Class C, and hence, fewer games needed to establish a final field of teams.
This method for setting the field for the final rounds certainly fashioned some stellar matchups. Sampled news from the time – sometimes conflicting in the account – gives a feel for the coverage by sports reporters from the daily and weekly newspapers.
Narrowing the Field
The seventh annual District Basketball Tournament hosted at Central Michigan Normal School – now Central Michigan University – featured a whopping 76 teams! Due to the number of schools of small enrollment competing, officials split opponents across six classifications: A (4), B (11), C (16), D (20), E (16), and F (9), with only A, B, and C eligible for the upcoming M.A.C. and U of M events. Games kicked off on Wednesday evening, March 18, with five Class B games. According to media coverage, this was the largest of any high school District tournament ever held in Michigan, with games played across four floors. A total of 66 contests were played during the two days and three evenings of the tournament.
“The city was almost taxed to capacity by the big crowd of players and rooters,” stated the Isabella County Enterprise in coverage of the games. “The athletic department wishes to thank the citizens who co-operated by renting their rooms at a very reasonable price to our guests.”
“Between 700 and 800 boys were entertained in Mt. Pleasant homes. From all parts of the district came scores of automobiles bringing rooters from the home towns,” recalled the 1925 Central Normal yearbook in its two-page remembrance of the event. “Effervescent high school youth was in its glory. … The large gymnasium was packed with spectators hours before the principal games started, and crowds filled three other floors where elimination contests were in progress. Cheer after cheer echoed through the Normal gymnasium from eight o’clock in the morning until after eleven o’clock at night. The court became a kaleidoscope of colors as new teams arrayed in brilliant hues followed each other in quick succession.”
Class B was declared as the most exciting series of the Central Michigan tourney. Among the entries was Reed City, state champions among the Class C teams in 1924. With enrollment just slightly above the limit, they bumped into Class B but still finished the regular season unbeaten. In the opening round that Wednesday evening, the team “celebrated its advent into faster company by defeating Lapeer, 36-8,” according to special coverage of the tourney in the Saginaw News Courier.
On Thursday evening, the Red and Black found themselves in a front-to-back thriller with Alma. Trailing 10-9, Reed City nailed a field goal just as the timekeeper’s final whistle blew marking the game’s end. The crowd rushed the floor in victory. But simultaneous to the shot, a referee had called a foul. After the two officials consulted with the timekeeper, it was determined the foul occurred before the attempt, so the basket was waved off. The court was cleared, the teams called back, and Reed City was awarded two shots from the line. The celebration was dramatically short-lived. “Due to the extreme nervous tension attending such a situation, neither of the free throws was successful,” detailed a sympathetic writer in the Osceola County Herald.
The “Southwestern Michigan Sectional Tournament” held at Western Normal – today’s Western Michigan University – featured 60 schools: nine in Class A, 16 in Class B, and 35 in Class C. Grand Haven, the defending Class B champion, and St. Joesph, runner-up to the 1924 title, were again expected to emerge as representatives in 1925. To the surprise of many, Sturgis topped St. Joseph in the semifinals, 19-11, then downed Grand Haven, 21-16, in the final round of the ‘B’ games. Front page news in the Grand Haven Tribune noted disappointment. “The Havenites took the floor in foot-weary condition and couldn’t get started until the final half when they outscored Sturgis. … The entire Grand Haven team was tired from their three hard preceding games and the effects of (a) hard season of basketball were easily seen.” Still, as runner-up, the team would have a chance for redemption in Ann Arbor.
Jackson, the defending Class A champion, again emerged from a field of eight Class A schools in the District tournament at Michigan State Normal College in Ypsilanti.
At Northern Normal, Lake Linden – located about 30 miles from the northern-most point of Michigan – beat Negaunee, 33-26, for the right to play in the downstate tourney.
At Detroit, the city league championship tournament established Southeastern with clear claim to the metropolitan crown, but Detroit Northwestern and Detroit Southwestern tied for second place in the final league standings. Time would not allow a playoff between the two teams to determine a logical second representative.
Owen. A. Emmons, supervisor of athletics of Detroit high schools, initially pitched the idea of sending the three Detroit schools to the M.A.C. tournament. Thompson rejected the idea stating each District could send no more than two teams. Emmons countered with sending the schools that tied for second to East Lansing and giving Southeastern an automatic berth to the era’s prestigious annual National Cage tournament hosted by the University of Chicago, entering its eighth year that April. Thompson volleyed back that “only a state championship team which had won its title on the playing floor was eligible to represent Michigan at Chicago.”
Forced by Thompson to decide, Emmons chose Southwestern as the second representative based on a better overall showing in the regular season, and a point differential displayed in the league championship series.
With that determined, the field was set for the championships.
The bigger task for the MHSAA and their director still lay ahead.
“There has been some fault found by the schools in the manner of conducting the district tournaments in basketball,” noted the Detroit Free Press. “It is claimed that 60 or 75 teams cannot (properly) decide a district champion in the space of two or three days. Teams that are up in the running for the honors must play two and sometimes three games a day, and the district tourney gradually develops into an endurance contest with the title depending more upon brawn than upon skill and cleverness of play.”
Thompson recognized this and stated he was working on a new plan with the state’s athletic council, with a goal of determining a new approach following the 1925 tournament.
The 1925 Championships
According to the Lansing State Journal, “permanent trophies will be awarded the winner and the runner-up, while individual medals will be given members of the two teams.” Drawings for first-round matchups took place during the afternoon of Thursday, March 26, once coaches arrived. A consolation tournament was scheduled for Class B and Class C teams defeated in the opening round. There would be no such tournament for Class A.
Jackson and Kalamazoo again went head-to-head in the first-round quarterfinals at M.A.C. Kalamazoo had entered the postseason with a dismal 4-9 regular-season record. Among its losses was an 18-11 defeat by Jackson in January during which Kalamazoo led 9-5 at the half, shutting down Jackson star Jessie Drain, who was 0-9 shooting before the break. But Jackson tied the game in the third quarter, 10-10, then cracked the visitors’ defense in the fourth for a convincing win.
Minus their captain, Bruce Masselink, Kalamazoo put up a major fight in the rematch. “Jackson had anything but a walkaway when if defeated Kalamazoo Central 29 to 21 in an overtime game,” stated the Jackson News. “Time and again Kalamazoo had opportunities to put the game on ice in the last quarter, but missed easy shots and kept Jackson in the race for the state championship …”
Jackson held a 13-7 lead at the half, but watched it rapidly evaporate. The deficit cut to 17-13 at the end of three quarters, Kalamazoo tied the game, 19-19, with a minute to play. A shot by Kalamazoo with 30 seconds remaining would have likely won the contest, but it missed the mark, forcing the five-minute extra frame. The Orange and Black “in the overtime period showed some of the fastest basketball displayed during the entire first round … working the ball down the floor for five easy baskets …”
The State Journal estimated that “about 700 saw the four” Class A Quarterfinal games at M.A.C.
In Class B at Waterman Gymnasium, Grand Haven and Sturgis were rematched in the Quarterfinals. C.O. Reed covered the game from the “historic floor” in a special report to the Tribune.
“Battling fiercely and with an even chance to win until the final whistle blew, Grand Haven High School lost to Sturgis 19-16. “Both played in whirl-wind fashion (and) were exchanging score for score with rapidity and the guarding was terrific.” Tied 16-16, a free throw by captain Laurence ‘PeeWee’ Clemmons and a hook shot field goal by Don Grove allowed Sturgis to advance.
Jackson St. Mary’s had grabbed a Regional title in Class C with a “bitterly contested” triumph over Farmington, which had been a semifinalist in 1924. In that game, the Blue Devils were led by “flashy little forward” Lawrence ‘Lorry’ Heuman. Trailing 9-7 late in the game, St. Mary’s broke up a Farmington stall, allowing Heuman to nail “a sensational side shot from near the center of the court” for an 11-9 victory. Heuman finished with 10 points.
The teams met again in the Quarterfinals, this time with late heroics by St. Mary’s Donald Tobin, who, sent to the foul line with less than 20 seconds to play, sank a free throw to break a deadlock, giving the Blue Devils a dramatic 15-14 win.
In yet another rematch, this time in the Class C Semifinals hosted Friday at Ann Arbor, Three Oaks and Bridgman – county rivals and final-round opponents at the Southwestern Regional – squared off. A quarterfinalist at the 1924 Finals, Bridgman had topped Three Oaks, 14-10, at Western. “Coach F.C. Reed’s (Bridgman) youngsters did not exhibit a brand of basketball that would set the world afire but was good enough to win five rounds of games during the last two days,” stated the Kalamazoo Gazette. Three Oaks flipped the script at U-M, defeating Bridgman 22-20 to advance to the title game with Jackson St. Mary's.
For the first time, a play-by-play account of Friday’s Class A Semifinal round games at East Lansing was broadcast by a radio station – Michigan Agricultural College’s recently-created AM station, WKAR. There, Detroit Southeastern trounced Grand Rapids Union 31-20, while Jackson dumped Detroit Southwestern 25-18. This set-up a rematch for the Class A title, won the year prior by Jackson, 17-11.
The Finals
That rematch, also broadcast on WKAR, sadly was a letdown as Southeastern crushed Jackson, 44-22. Jackson outplayed the Detroit squad in the opening quarter, leading 11-7, before its game collapsed. From that point on, Southeastern’s defense forced Jackson to shots near mid-court, and grabbed a 20-11 lead at the half, then a 28-15 edge after three quarters. “So effective was the Southeastern five man defense,” stated the State Journal, “that it appeared to the spectators as though a fence had been stretched across the floor.” Detroit’s Harold Hendricks and Norman Daniels led all scorers with 17 and 15 points, respectively, while captain Nolen Putnam added eight. Hendricks and Putnam were praised for their defense. Drain and Walter Hodgboom each connected on four field goals for Jackson.
The win brought the Class A title back to the metropolitan district for the first time in five years, when Northwestern defeated Northern, 17-13, in an all-Detroit showdown in 1920. With the win, Southeastern earned the trip to Chicago for a spot in the National Cage tournament.
In Class B at Waterman, Sturgis and Lake Linden, both 20-plus point margin winners in the Semifinals, skirmished. In a tight ballgame into halftime, with the U.P. representatives leading 15-14 at the break, coach Andy Carrigan’s Sturgis squad proved “too fast for the Lake Linden quintet and slowly but consistently piled up” a 36-25 triumph. Clemmons led Sturgis with 10 points followed by the Grove brothers, Roger and Don, with nine points apiece. Senior center Wayne Nestor led Lake Linden with 12 points.
The Sturgis squad returned home to huge acclaim, with University of Michigan basketball coach Edwin J. Mather speaking to the team at their postseason banquet. Mather picked a Class B and Class C all-tournament team following the games.
Interestingly, after graduation Roger Grove earned All-America honors in football and basketball at Michigan State, then played five seasons in the NFL for Green Bay. Nestor went on to letter in baseball and basketball at Western Normal, then taught and coached at, ironically, Detroit Southeastern. In 2020, the estate of Lester and his wife June left a $2.5 million endowment to Lake Linden-Hubbell Public Schools, with investment returns funding annual scholarships for graduating seniors.
“Without a doubt, the most thrilling encounter of the afternoon was the final game of Class C,” noted U-M’s newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Once again, St. Mary’s forward, Heuman, was the star of the game. “A see-saw battle throughout, with less than two minutes to play,” according to the Jackson News, “Three Oaks was up 20-19, when “standing alone in mid-floor (Heuman) shot the ball through the net, without even touching the rim” to give St. Mary’s the lead. A pair of free throws by Saroldi gave Three Oaks back the advantage 22-21, with 50 seconds to play.
“Keen passwork brought the ball to the basket,” wrote a “staff correspondent” from the Citizen Patriot, one of two papers in Jackson recapping the game for readers. “(Fred) Smith, pivot man, cut across court at the opposite side,” stated the News. Heuman shot a pass to Smith “standing unnoticed about six feet to the left of the loop,” said the Citizen-Patriot report. “Smith jumped, caught the sphere,” according to the News, “and heaved it through the hoop to complete one of the greatest plays of the entire tournament.”
“Excellent stalling … was enacted by the Blue Devils for the final eight seconds of the game,” continued the Citizen-Patriot.
“The gun sounded and St. Mary stood crowned the Class ‘C’ champions of Michigan. … For the first time in the history of interscholastic athletics in Michigan, a parochial team won a championship sanctioned by the state high school league,” concluded the News.
Heuman led all scoring with 11 points, while Robbie Decker paced Three Oaks with eight, followed by Joe Savoldi and Richard Potts, each with seven. Smith added six points for St. Mary's.
Earlier that school year, St. Mary’s laid claim to a Michigan parochial football title. Struggling financially, parish members and alumni used the success of the athletic teams to rally support.
In total, Heuman scored 30 of the team’s 58 points during the trip to Ann Arbor. The 5-foot-5 all-around athlete was a back on the football team, then attended Michigan State Normal for two years before signing a minor league baseball contract. An arm injury sent him back to Jackson to coach and play baseball in the city’s recreational Twilight Leagues. Switching to the infield, he was remembered as one of Jackson’s all-time finest.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS (Top) At top, the 1925 Sturgis boys basketball team. Bottom left: Detroit Southeastern. Bottom right: Jackson St. Mary's. (Middle) A newspaper clipping announces 1925 championship games will be broadcast. (Below) This set of portraits celebrates the 1925 Southeastern team and its accomplishments. (Photos courtesy of Detroit Southeastern High School and MHSAA archives.)