Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 9
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 2, 2026
February has arrived, and with it a few dates to put on your boys basketball calendar.
Only three weeks remain this regular season, with District play beginning Feb. 23.
A week before that, on Feb. 15, final District brackets for boys basketball will be published to this website.
For additional details, check out the MPR FAQ page – and see below for context on some of last week’s results and games coming up that could affect where teams land when those brackets are drawn.
“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. Kalamazoo Central 95, Muskegon 80 The Maroon Giants (11-2) always schedule tough, and handing Muskegon (11-1) its only loss – avenging a 23-point defeat from the year before – surely has been Central’s best win this winter.
2. East Kentwood 54, Grandville 52 We said last week that the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red was set to begin sorting itself out, and we ended the week with East Kentwood in first place alone after handing Grandville (10-3) one of its three losses over four days.
3. Dearborn Divine Child 55, Jackson Lumen Christi 53 Divine Child (16-2) clinched the outright Catholic High School League AA title, adding this clincher to a three-point win over Lumen Christi (12-4) from December.
4. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 51, Wyoming Lee 49 With this close call, Tri-unity (12-1) took a slight lead over Lee (11-3) at the top of the Alliance League standings, with the rematch set for Feb. 13.
5. Michigan Center 68, Leslie 53 These two entered the week tied for first in the Cascades Conference East, and Michigan Center (14-1) is now two games ahead after Leslie (12-4) also fell to Manchester by four points.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Martin Luther King (10-4) The Crusaders are the only team undefeated in Detroit Public School League Blue play, thanks in part to a 45-38 overtime win over Detroit Denby last week and also a 30-point win over second-place Douglass in their only league game of December. King also is 9-1 since an 0-3 start that saw December losses to Lansing Waverly, East Lansing and Detroit Catholic Central by a combined 13 points, with the DCC defeat coming in overtime. King downed Kalamazoo Central to begin the new year and also solidified its league standing with a 60-53 victory over Cass Tech.
Flushing (13-3) The Raiders have improved from six to eight to 14 wins over the last three seasons, respectively, to one more victory this winter from tying last year’s total and with several more games to play. Flushing claimed a matchup of league leaders last week, representing the Flint Metro League Stripes well with a 50-46 win over FML Stars leader Goodrich. Flushing actually has clinched a share of the Stripes championship as it takes a three-game lead into this week and with only three league games left on the schedule. A 63-52 win over Flint Powers Catholic on Jan. 20 also was especially notable.
DIVISION 2
Gladwin (14-1) The Flying Gs opened this winter with a four-point defeat to Sanford Meridian, and haven’t lost again. They lead the Jack Pine Conference Division 1 by three games with four league matchups left and after finishing second to Standish-Sterling a year ago. Standish-Sterling also ended Gladwin’s 2024-25 season in the District, but Gladwin claimed their first meeting this year 50-42 – and the rivals meet again Friday. The Flying Gs face JPC Division 2 co-leader Beaverton on Tuesday, and a win could set Gladwin up to see Meridian again in the league crossover in two weeks.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (11-4) The Cougars opened this season 1-3 taking losses from Rockford, Grand Rapids Northview and Grand Rapids South Christian, which are a combined 37-7. But after also starting this calendar year with a two-point defeat against Holland Christian, Catholic Central has won eight straight with an impressive 80-44 victory over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North on Saturday the latest of the notable run. A 48-43 win over Grand Rapids Christian has the Cougars first in the O-K White, and those two meet again Feb. 17.
DIVISION 3
Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (9-2) The reigning Division 3 runner-up has navigated a tough schedule with losses to only Charter School Conference Gold rivals Romulus Summit Academy North and Hamtramck and notable wins over reigning Division 2 champion Warren Lincoln plus Ecorse, Harper Woods Chandler Park, North Farmington and Detroit Edison – the last three in that list all in overtime. The Lions are third in the Gold heading into the league tournament and could have an opportunity to avenge one or both losses.
Elk Rapids (12-3) The Elks are undefeated in the Northern Shores Conference as they pursue a third-straight league title including a second-straight in the NSC. Their current advantage in the standings came in part thanks to a 54-49 win over second-place Cheboygan on Jan. 6, with the rematch set for Tuesday. The losses were to Ludington, Kingsford and Petoskey – all Division 1 or 2 schools – and the 65-55 defeat against Ludington came in overtime and remains the only time the team has fallen since Dec. 11.
DIVISION 4
Detroit Douglass (12-5) The loss to King noted above has Douglass second in the PSL Blue, which is extraordinary considering the rest of the league is filled by Division 1 and 2 opponents. Douglass has downed Renaissance and Denby among others, and also picked up a solid nonleague win over Saginaw United, 63-59. The other losses are impressive as well, to Benton Harbor by only two points, Warren Cousino by one, Detroit University Prep and most recently Ann Arbor Pioneer. All but University Prep have double-digit wins.
Hillsdale Academy (13-2) The Colts opened this season falling to one of the best in Division 4, Concord, but last week handed Mendon its only loss, 78-65 in overtime. Hillsdale Academy’s only other defeat came to Jonesville, which is tied for first in the Cascades Conference West. The next showdown is tonight, as the Colts face Waldron for first place in the Southern Central Athletic Association East and with Hillsdale Academy’s 41-game league winning streak on the line.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – McBain (13-1) at Beal City (13-0) – The Aggies are in first place in the Highland Conference and McBain is in second because Beal City won their first matchup 49-41 on Dec. 19.
Tuesday – Ypsilanti Lincoln (15-1) at Chelsea (10-3) – Lincoln’s 55-53 win over Chelsea on Dec. 19 has the Railsplitters atop the Southeastern Conference White, and claiming this rematch would all but lock up a share of the league title.
Tuesday – Rockford (13-2) at East Kentwood (13-1) – East Kentwood’s 69-68 win over Rockford on Jan. 13 separates those two at the top of the O-K Red standings.
Thursday – New Haven (13-2) at Warren Woods Tower (15-1) – The Titans can clinch the Macomb Area Conference Gold championship with a win over second-place New Haven after also claiming their first matchup 41-39 on Jan. 20.
Friday – East Lansing (16-0) at Lansing Waverly (12-3) – The Trojans haven’t lost a Capital Area Activities Conference Blue game since Feb. 24, 2023, with a 74-62 win over second-place Waverly on Dec. 18 the difference in this season’s standings.
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PHOTOS (Top) Grand Blanc’s Emmanuel Cooley gets to the rim during his team’s 54-47 win over Clarkston last month. (Middle) Escanaba’s Lennox Peacock pulls up for a shot during a January defeat against Marquette. (Grand Blanc/Clarkston photo by Terry Lyons. Escanaba/Marquette photo by Randy Ritari.
Ewen-Trout Creek Grad Rekindles Memories of 'The Barn' in 8-Part Docu-Series
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
February 7, 2023
It was known as “The Barn.” And it was home to the 1972 Class D boys basketball champion, the 1973 Class D girls basketball champion and the 1982 Class D boys basketball runners-up.
The Upper Peninsula’s all-time winningest female basketball coach coached at The Barn, as did the Upper Peninsula’s all-time winningest male basketball coach. And when Ewen-Trout Creek advanced to the 2022 Division 4 Final, its roster was littered with names from E-TC’s past:
► Leading scorer Jaden Borseth’s dad played on the 1995 team that advanced to the Class D Regional Final.
► Kelsey Jilek’s dad played on the 1992 team.
► Brendan Polkky’s dad is currently an assistant coach for E-TC and played on the 1991 team that also advanced to the Class D Regional Final.
► Caden Besonen’s dad Dave starred on the 1982 state runner-up team. Caden’s uncle Brad is the E-TC head coach. And Brad’s dad, Bryan, played on the 1972 championship team.
The Barn hosted its final E-TC game in 1998 and is now owned by Gary Fors, who also played on the 1972 title team. It’s now a community gym of sorts, and many members of the 2022 team worked out there growing up.
E-TC grad Kristin Ojaniemi – an award-winning documentary film maker and photographer, and the TV producer and host of “Discovering” for 906 Outdoors – is taking a look at the history of “The Barn” as well as its ties to the 2022 team in an eight-part series called “Born in the Barn.” The first two parts are complete, and the entire series will be available to view at KristinOjaniemi.com.
I had a chance to ask Ojaniemi about the project and why it’s so special to so many people.
Kristin, how did you come up with the idea to document the history of The Barn?
The idea to document the history of The Barn and E-TC basketball developed over time. Five years ago I had a conversation with Dan Truckey of the Beaumier Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University, and when I told him where I went to high school, we got on the topic of basketball and how E-TC was a powerhouse and that "there must be something in the water" here. Fast forward to 2021, and I saw on Facebook some photos of the inside of The Barn and all the newspapers Gary Fors had lined the walls with, sort of like a museum. February of 2022 I realized it was 50 years since the 1972 boys state championship and 40 years since the 1982 state runner-up seasons. I like anniversaries in history and thought it would be the perfect time to do some sort of documentary. Originally my focus was Gary and The Barn and more of the 70s and 80s boys and girls seasons, but once the 2022 boys started advancing in the tournament, that obviously changed.
What did the 2022 team’s run to the Finals mean to the players from the ’72 and ’82 teams?
The 2022 run meant a lot to the players of '72 and '82 because many of those boys are sons, grandsons, great-nephews of those guys. Bryan Besonen of the '72 team is coach Brad Besonen's father. Many of them traveled to every tournament game, and watching the 2022 season brought back memories of their glory days. They're definitely very proud of the 2022 team and the tradition that E-TC has continued through the years. Watching them watch those games was just as fun as watching the court. The 2022 team's run to the Finals meant a lot to the whole community. So many others traveled all the way to Lansing to cheer them on, and there is just a ton of pride in this team. I went to the banner unveiling a few weeks ago, and it was a huge crowd at the game to watch those few seconds of history being made.
What is your history with The Barn?
I graduated from Ewen-Trout Creek in 2000. We were in the "new" school then, but I spent four years – seventh-10th grade – in the "old" school, which had so much more character than the new one! I did play basketball seventh-10th – junior high and junior varsity. I was a benchwarmer most of those years. I loved the game but didn't spend any time offseason playing or practicing like others. I was also a cheerleader those years too, and if you look closely at one of the newspaper photos from the last game in the Barn, I'm in the background. Ha ha! This was back when girls basketball was in the fall and boys in the winter, so you could do both. As others in the documentary mention, The Barn was also where you hung out at lunch, and gym class was in there, and homecoming activities. Filming in there brought back a lot of memories.
What did Nancy Osier (U.P.’s winningest female basketball coach) and Tom Caudill (U.P.’s winningest male basketball coach) think made The Barn such a difficult place for opposing teams to play?
Thinking back to Nancy and Tom's interviews, I think the difficulty for other teams really boiled down to the atmosphere and the E-TC fans and that intimidation factor. E-TC had the ultimate homecourt advantage in The Barn, and their players spent hours upon hours practicing on that floor. And the school's history and tradition of rarely losing a home game is also intimidating.
There’s obviously a lot of family ties from the 2022 team to earlier teams – and it was the 50th anniversary of the ’72 win – did they feel more pressure along the way because of that?
I think the 2022 boys had this feeling that they wanted to one-up their grandfathers/fathers. I think it was Kelsey Jilek that told his grandfather, George Hardes (1972), that they had one more game in their schedule so they could potentially have a better record if they won all their games. But none of them came out and mentioned that the anniversary put pressure on them, but I’m sure it was there. They set out to win it all from the beginning and put the work in, and it paid off. There are a lot of parallels in these winning seasons.
When will the next part of the series be released?
Part 3, I should have done by the end of February. Part 3 focuses on the 1973 girls state champs; 1973 was the first year there was a state final for girls basketball after Title IX, and E-TC won the Class D title. And then I plan to release each part every two months with the final, Part 8, done by the end of 2023. This is just a fun hobby/personal project, I guess you'd say, so I only have so much time to dedicate to it after all my "real" work.
(PHOTOS of "The Barn" courtesy of Kristin Ojaniemi.)