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.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and X @mistudentaid.
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.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 22, 2024
Tuesday’s matchup of Cadillac (11-0) hosting Whitehall (12-0) would crack our five “Can’t-Miss Contests” for the upcoming week most weeks every season – and it's lined up to be a great one.
But perhaps indicating the decisive stretch we've reached this season, it falls just outside our preview list below – which is loaded with potential league title deciders, be they the first meetings between expected favorites or rematches from early-season faceoffs that now mean much more.
“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. Iron Mountain 48, Kingsford 47 Coming out of this matchup of arguably the top two teams in the Upper Peninsula, Iron Mountain (11-0) stands alone as the last undefeated team on its side of the Bridge after handing the neighboring Flivvers (11-2) just their second defeat.
2. Port Huron Northern 59, Warren Lincoln 57 The Huskies (10-2) drew even with Lincoln atop the Macomb Area Conference White by avenging an 80-46 loss to the Abes (9-2) from Dec. 15.
3. Zeeland West 61, Detroit Cass Tech 42 West (8-3) delivered the only defeat this season to the reigning Division 1 champion Technicians (9-1) during the Gottagetit Hoops Classic at East Kentwood.
4. Warren Lincoln 49, Grand Rapids Christian 47 Lincoln bounced back from its loss to PHN quickly, defeating Romeo on Thursday and then handing Grand Rapids Christian (8-1) its only loss, also at East Kentwood.
5. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 76, Detroit U-D Jesuit 68 The Eaglets (10-1) avenged their lone loss this winter, 60-55 to Jesuit on Dec. 18, to take a two-game lead in the Detroit Catholic League Central.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Martin Luther King (11-3) After opening this season with losses to a pair of strong opponents in Lansing Waverly and North Farmington, King has reasserted itself among the elite with 11 wins over its last 12 games (and the only defeat during that time to undefeated East Lansing). The Crusaders join Cass Tech at the top of the Detroit Public School League Blue heading into Tuesday’s matchup, and are coming off handing Grand Rapids Northview a 54-53 loss in East Kentwood on Saturday – adding to wins over Kalamazoo Central, Saginaw and Detroit Southeastern and Renaissance among others.
Rockford (9-3) The Rams also got off to a slow start, relatively speaking, opening 2-3 but with those losses to Muskegon by a point, Byron Center and Grand Rapids South Christian. Rockford has won its last seven games, defeating Zeeland West (see above) to win the Zeeland Holiday Tournament and last week moving into first place alone in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red by handing the only losses this season to Hudsonville (55-52 OT) and East Kentwood (61-56). Rockford tied for third in the league behind those two last season.
DIVISION 2
Benton Harbor (13-0) After stumbling a bit to end last season on a 3-6 streak, Benton Harbor has cruised to another magnificent start with Saturday’s 58-48 victory over Wyoming Lee in East Kentwood tying its closest win this winter. A 72-59 victory over Niles Brandywine on Jan. 11 has the Tigers atop the Lakeland Conference again as they look to repeat, with a 92-46 win over Detroit Douglass from Dec. 28 also among their most impressive. Big-time matchups await against South Haven, Kalamazoo Central, Watervliet, Brandywine again Feb. 16 and Niles in the regular-season finale after the Vikings ended Benton Harbor’s 2022-23 run.
Tecumseh (10-1) A nine-game winning streak last February and March was stopped by an overtime Regional Final loss to Chelsea, but Tecumseh picked right back up this winter with this start and its only defeat 55-51 to Riverview over the break. Tecumseh has avenged losses from last season to Adrian Madison and Temperance Bedford, can avenge another in Tuesday’s matchup with Pinckney, and sees Chelsea for the first time Jan. 30 after Chelsea dealt Tecumseh three defeats total during last season’s 20-7 campaign.
DIVISION 3
Alcona (9-4) The Tigers are showing a nice ability to rebound – first from a 1-3 start with their current 8-1 run, and more recently after falling 38-37 to Ogemaw Heights on Jan. 8 but coming back a week later to defeat Oscoda 47-36 to stand alone in first place in the North Star League Big Dipper. That was the closest of Alcona’s nine wins, and the second game in the Oscoda series is on the Tigers’ homecourt Feb. 6. Alcona was 10-12 but second in the league a year ago.
Iron Mountain (11-0) As noted above, Iron Mountain is the lone undefeated team left in the Upper Peninsula, and Kingsford was the first team to come within single digits of the Mountaineers since their 51-43 victory over Gladstone in the season opener. This is familiar territory for Iron Mountain, of course, and three more of these victories came over opponents that have won at least nine games. Iron Mountain does go to Kingsford Feb. 13, and circle as well a home game Feb. 5 against Menominee, which ended the Mountaineers’ seasons the last two winters.
DIVISION 4
Lake Linden-Hubbell (8-2) The Lakes have enjoyed a nice climb from seven to 13 to 17 wins over the last three seasons, respectively, and they could be ready to take another step. The losses came to Houghton and Painesdale Jeffers, which both have 11 wins this season, and Lake Linden-Hubbell welcomes Jeffers for a rematch Feb. 6. A 74-42 season-opening win over Chassell also was a highlight, and the Lakes travel to Chassell on Feb. 9 and for possibly another telling matchup a week later at Stephenson.
Saginaw Nouvel (9-3) The Panthers, coming off a Division 3 Regional Final run, tested themselves right away this winter and went 0-3 the first week against Essexville Garber, Pewamo-Westphalia and still-undefeated Cass City (falling 54-53). They haven’t lost again. Nouvel sits atop the Tri-Valley Conference White with just Ithaca to play to complete a first-half run through the league, defeated nine-win opponents Imlay City and Standish-Sterling, and will test itself again Feb. 20 at Chesaning, which is off to an 11-0 start.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Detroit Cass Tech (9-1) at Detroit Martin Luther King (11-3) – Both are undefeated in the PSL Blue, and Cass Tech won all three matchups last season: 57-55, 74-70 (OT) in the PSL championship game and 71-59 in a District Semifinal.
Tuesday – Pewamo-Westphalia (9-1) at Laingsburg (10-0) – The Wolfpack are first and the Pirates second in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference thanks to Laingsburg’s 59-55 overtime win Dec. 6.
Thursday – East Lansing (11-0) at Okemos (10-1) – These rivals split last season’s two matchups just three days apart, and they enter this one as the only two teams undefeated in Capital Area Activities Conference Blue play.
Friday – Riverview Gabriel Richard (11-1) at Jackson Lumen Christi (10-0) – This eventually could decide the Detroit Catholic League AA title as these two are undefeated in league play and the next contender has two conference losses.
Friday – Beal City (11-2) at McBain (9-1) – The Aggies also are trying to even the season score in this series, as McBain leads the Highland Conference thanks to its 60-43 win over Beal on Dec. 13.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 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.
PHOTOS (Top) Jayce Branson (3) gets to the rim during East Lansing's 52-29 win over DeWitt last week. (Middle) Flint Southwestern and Kearsley face off Jan. 5. (Top photo by Max McCallister; middle photo by Terry Lyons.)