Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys Report Week 11
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 12, 2024
Anticipation and prognostication are among themes this week all over Michigan, whether your favorite team is one of the best around or hasn’t had much success but is looking to finish this winter on a higher note.
Sunday morning, the MHSAA will announce this season’s District brackets. The formula for this season’s brackets has been released, making it possible to forecast throughout this week how teams will be placed based on Michigan Power Ratings.
But keep in mind, teams can still move up and down those ratings through their games Saturday night. And there are several notable matchups coming up, including finales to multiple league tournaments and more likely eventual championship deciders in conferences across the state.
“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. West Bloomfield 60, North Farmington 58 Avenging a 61-46 loss to the Raiders (15-2) on Jan. 4, West Bloomfield joined reigning champ North Farmington as teams with only one loss in Oakland Activities Association Red play – and West Bloomfield (13-5) finishes its league schedule against the bottom three teams in the standings.
2. Muskegon 48, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 28 Just 10 days after Reeths-Puffer’s 63-45 win over the Big Reds gained statewide attention, Muskegon (13-2) took the rematch in a big way to create a tie with the Rockets (15-2) atop the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green.
3. Menominee 60, Iron Mountain 58 (OT) The Maroons (13-5) made their upcoming Division 3 District even more interesting by handing the Mountaineers (17-1) their only loss. Those two are Nos. 2 and 4 in statewide Division 3 MPR and will be expected to meet again in the District Final at West Iron County.
4. Saginaw Heritage 73, Saginaw 66 The Hawks (13-2) opened a close Saginaw Valley League race even more, downing the former solo leader to join the Trojans (12-6) and Davison as teams with only one conference loss.
5. Painesdale Jeffers 73, Lake Linden Hubbell 49 The Jets (18-1) remain undefeated in Copper Mountain Conference play after handing Lake Linden-Hubbell (15-3) its first league loss and as the overall CMC race draws to a conclusion.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Dearborn (18-0) The Pioneers steadily have climbed toward this run, and they head into this week a win from tying last year’s total (after finishing 19-7) and atop the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East standings after sharing the championship last season with Livonia Franklin. Dearborn is alone on top this time thanks in part to a 78-68 win over Belleville (14-4) on Jan. 19, and those two meet again Friday. An early win over Detroit Catholic Central (12-7) showed what was possible, and only the Shamrocks and Wayne Memorial (13-4) have gotten within single digits of catching the Pioneers.
East Lansing (16-2) The Trojans’ only losses have come to a pair of championship contenders – Division 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (17-1) and Division 2 Warren Lincoln (16-3) – and despite that 56-37 defeat to the Eaglets two weekends ago, East Lansing has moved into the top spot in statewide Division 1 MPR. A 57-53 win over Lansing Waverly (13-5) on Friday certainly helped, and the Trojans have maintained a half-game lead on Okemos (16-2) in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue with their rematch set for Feb. 23. East Lansing won the first meeting 66-54 and also has defeated East Kentwood, River Rouge, Detroit Martin Luther King, Saline and West Bloomfield among others.
DIVISION 2
Ferndale (11-7) The Eagles graduated all five starters and most of their top subs off last season’s Division 2 championship team, so a few defeats certainly could be expected this winter especially considering they continue to play one of the state’s toughest schedules. That slate has helped Ferndale reach No. 10 in statewide Division 2 MPR, and they’re on the move with a 7-2 record over their last nine games including an 84-62 win Saturday over Port Huron Northern (15-4) and with the two defeats during that time by four to West Bloomfield and five in overtime to North Farmington (see above). The other losses came to those two in their first meetings as well, plus Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (14-5), Muskegon (13-2) and Detroit U-D Jesuit (14-5).
Lansing Sexton (11-4) The J-Dubbs are another team surging, with a 75-54 win over Flint Beecher before holiday break starting a nine-game streak that has Sexton one win from tying last year’s total when it finished 12-10. A 2-4 start included four losses to Division 1 teams – Okemos and Lansing Waverly (see above), plus Holt and Kalamazoo Central. Sexton also is three games ahead of second-place Charlotte and Olivet in the CAAC White and one win from clinching a share of the league title after edging both by three points over the last 10 days.
DIVISION 3
Pewamo-Westphalia (15-2) The Pirates’ only losses this winter have come to undefeated rival Laingsburg (18-0), and while that likely will keep them from a piece of the Central Michigan Athletic Conference title, it also speaks well to P-W’s overall work. The Pirates opened with a 20-point win over Saginaw Nouvel (14-4) and have swept Fowler (12-7) and downed Division 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at the Cornerstone University Holiday Showcase. Another Division 3 contender, Sanford Meridian (15-2), comes to Westphalia on Friday, and a third meeting with Laingsburg is possible – it would be played at Breslin Center in the Division 3 championship game.
Schoolcraft (15-3) The Eagles have clinched a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title, their fourth-straight league championship, and can make it their first outright since 2020-21 with a win Friday against Parchment. Schoolcraft is only two seasons removed from winning the Division 3 championship and has built on last season’s 16-8 finish with a pair of big wins over Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep – which ended the Eagles’ season a year ago – and 12 straight victories after a .500 start that included losses to Division 2 Flint Powers Catholic (15-3), Hudsonville Unity Christian (14-4) and Olivet (13-5). Wins over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (13-4), Watervliet (14-4) and Centreville (13-2) have highlighted this run.
DIVISION 4
Crystal Falls Forest Park (15-2) After also winning 15 games last season (in finishing 15-9), the Trojans need just one more victory to guarantee their best season since 2015-16. They’ve also won nine straight, with the lone losses by five to Division 2 Kingsford (16-2) and one to reigning Division 4 champion Munising (14-4) back-to-back in early January. A 27-point win over second-place Powers North Central on Feb. 2 has Forest Park closing in on the Skyline Central Conference Small schools title, and a Feb. 21 trip to Lake Linden-Hubbell (15-3) will give the Trojans another nice test before the postseason.
Rudyard (12-4) The Bulldogs control their league title aspirations with a chance to earn at least shares of both. They avenged a 22-point loss to Pickford from Jan. 4 with a 62-52 win Friday to join the Pirates tied for first in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference with two league games to play. Rudyard also will face Straits Area Conference leader Sault Ste. Marie this Friday with a win potentially setting up a three-way tie atop that league with one game to go for that trio. Rudyard did lose its first matchup with the Blue Devils, 50-44 on Jan. 11, but has avenged a previous loss to SAC second-place St. Ignace. Rudyard is the reigning champ in the EUPC and finished third in the SAC a year ago.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Grand Rapids Christian (15-2) at Grand Rapids Northview (13-3) – After Christian’s 54-43 win over Northview on Friday, combined with the Eagles’ loss to Byron Center three days before, these two are tied atop the O-K White with five league games to play.
Thursday – Ithaca (11-6) at Saginaw Nouvel (14-4) – Ithaca pulled into a first-place tie with Nouvel in the Tri-Valley Conference White last week with a 43-41 victory, and the winner of the rematch will clinch a share of the championship.
Friday – Saginaw (12-6) vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill (12-4) at Dow Event Center – Barring a possible Regional rematch, this will be the final meeting in the 114-year rivalry between these longtime state powers, as the schools will merge this summer.
Saturday – Detroit Catholic High School League at Detroit Mercy – Warren De La Salle Collegiate (12-6) faces Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (17-1) and Detroit Catholic Central (12-7) takes on Brother Rice (14-5) in Tuesday’s semifinals to reach this Cardinal division championship tipping off at 7 p.m.
Sunday – Detroit Public School League Tournament at Wayne State – Detroit Cass Tech (17-1) faces Detroit Western (10-7) and Renaissance (14-4) takes on King (14-5) in Tuesday’s semifinals to reach this 5 p.m. championship game.
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PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Catholic Central and Davison face off earlier this season. DCC will play in the Catholic High School League Bishop Tournament this week. (Middle) Detroit Renaissance takes on Flint Carman-Ainsworth, also earlier this winter. Renaissance is among contenders for the Detroit Public School League Tournament title. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)
ATAP Continues Extraordinary Climb By Advancing to 1st Title Game
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 13, 2025
EAST LANSING – Meteors might only seem like they are limited to the sky, but don’t tell that to the Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac boys basketball team.
On Thursday, the Lions continued what can be put mildly as a meteoric rise toward the top of the state.
ATAP, which opened in 2001, advanced to its first state championship game with a convincing 76-40 win over Ishpeming Westwood in a Division 3 Semifinal on Thursday.
The Lions went 3-12 two years ago and 8-7 last year, but are 21-1 entering Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. Final.
Playing in a Semifinal for the first time, the Lions showcased to the state why they have climbed so quickly, overmatching Westwood with their speed, skill and athleticism.
For ATAP head coach Orlando Lovejoy, everything was about focusing on his team and its strengths.
“We don’t watch film on nobody,” Lovejoy said. “Why would we even watch film on somebody when we don’t even know how they are going to play us? There’s no need to watch film. The most important thing is to play the way we are going to play and control what we can control, and that’s how we play defense. That’s the main thing we can stop anybody with, our defense.”
ATAP (21-1) certainly displayed its defense, forcing 21 turnovers by Westwood.
Offensively, freshman Lewis Lovejoy led the way with 19 points, while sophomore De’Vontae Grandison had 17 and nine rebounds.
The Lions held a 24-17 rebounding advantage and shot a blistering 70.5 percent from the field (31 of 44), making 29 of 34 shots from 2-point range.
“It feels great because we have put in so much work,” said senior Teyshaun Hicks. “From the summertime to the start of the season, 6 in the morning to late at night. It’s paying off, and you see it now.”
Junior Ethan Marta scored 15 points and senior Tristan Miller added 13 to lead the way for the Patriots (22-6), who made their first Semifinal appearance since 2003.
“We ultimately fell short tonight, but it doesn’t change anything we did all year,” Westwood head coach Luke Gray said. “We set the standard. Graduated seven seniors from last year. These kids embraced it the right way. We had a great summer and I will always cherish the way this team leads by example not only within this program, but in the community with how they treat others.”
The Lions were dominant from the start, scoring the first eight points and forcing the Patriots into two timeouts before the game was even four minutes old.
ATAP had an 18-8 lead after the first quarter before Ishpeming Westwood seemed to settle into the game.
The Patriots cut the lead to 20-14 with 5:05 to play until halftime on a jumper by Miller. But the Lions surged from there, using their pressure defense to create turnovers that led to easy baskets. ATAP finished the second quarter on a 16-1 run to grab a 36-15 lead by halftime.
The Lions ensured there wasn’t a big run by the Patriots during the third quarter, taking a 56-33 lead into the fourth.
PHOTOS (Top) ATAP's De'Vontae Grandison brings the ball upcourt during his team's Semifinal win. (Middle) The Lions' Khalif Stovall (2) works to maintain possession with multiple Westwood players closing in.