Breslin Bound: Boys C-D Semis Preview
March 20, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
If new MHSAA champions are crowned in Class C and D this weekend at Michigan State's University's Breslin Center, there's a possibility they'll celebrate another accomplishment to go along with taking home the top trophy – beating last season's champion along the way.
Among eight teams taking the court Thursday are reigning Class C champion Flint Beecher and reigning Class D champion Southfield Christian.
Below is the schedule for all four Thursday Semifinals and four Saturday Finals, plus broadcast information and a look at all eight C and D Semifinalists.
Semifinals - Thursday
Class C
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (23-2) vs Flint Beecher (25-1), 1 p.m.
Laingsburg (23-2) vs Negaunee (24-1), 2:50 p.m.
Class D
Powers North Central (23-3) vs Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (24-2), 6 p.m.
Southfield Christian (21-4) vs Lansing Christian (22-3), 7:50 p.m.
Finals - Saturday
Class A - Noon
Class B - 6:30 pm
Class C - 4:30 pm
Class D - 10 am
Tickets cost $8 per pair of Semifinals and $10 per two-game Finals session. All Semifinals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv and available on a pay-per-view basis for $3.95 per day or $6.95 for the weekend. Saturday's first three Finals will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit, with the Class B game on Fox Sports Plus and then re-broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit at 10:30 p.m.. Free radio broadcasts of all weekend games will be available on MHSAANetwork.com.
And now, a look at the Semifinalists in Class C and D.
Class C
FLINT BEECHER
Record/rank: 25-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference Red
Coach: Mike Williams, ninth season (163-65)
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recently 2012), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 83-46 over No. 7 Harbor Beach (Regional Semifinal), 69-47 over No. 6 Mount Clemens (Regional Final), 46-44 over No. 9 Detroit Consortium (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Monte Morris, 6-3 sr. G (21.5 ppg, 9.5 apg, 5.3 rpg, 5.4 spg); Markell Lucas, 6-4 sr. F (8.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
Outlook: Williams has returned Beecher to powerhouse status, with a combined 77-4 record over the last three seasons. Obviously, Iowa State recruit Morris has had a lot to do with that; the four-year varsity player was named Mr. Basketball earlier this week. Lucas earned all-state honorable mention Tuesday and also started in last season’s Final, and junior guard Emmanuel Phifer (11.1 ppg) was a top option off the bench in 2012 and now is the team’s second-leading scorer. Its only loss was to Class A No. 1 Detroit Pershing, by seven.
LAINGSBURG
Record/rank: 23-2, honorable mention
League finish: Tied for first in Central Michigan Athletic Conference
Coach: Greg Mitchell, 24th season (350-191)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 40-37 and 44-33 (District Semifinal) over honorable mention Pewamo-Westphalia, 61-59 over honorable mention Muskegon Heights (Regional Final), 42-32 over honorable mention Beaverton (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Jake Zielinski, 6-2 sr. G/F (16 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.4 apg); Shaun McKinney, 6-3 sr. G/F (11.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.2 apg).
Outlook: This run has been a worthy reward for one of the Lansing area’s most consistent programs – the Wolfpack have posted 20 winning seasons under Mitchell, and only one losing season over the last 14. Laingsburg relies on veteran leadership and balance; four seniors start and six are part of the main rotation, and four more players in addition to the two above average between four and eight points per game.
MONROE ST. MARY CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 23-2, honorable mention
League finish: Second in Huron League
Coach: Randy Windham, fourth season (74-25)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 59-48 over honorable mention Hillsdale (Regional Semifinal), 71-62 over honorable mention Schoolcraft (Quarterfinal), 47-32 over Class D honorable mention Adrian Lenawee Christian.
Players to watch: Kevin Woodson, 6-2 sr. G (19 ppg, 53 3-pointers, 2.2 apg); Chinedu Nwosu, 6-3 sr. F (9.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg).
Outlook: Aside from a pair of losses to Class A honorable mention Milan, St. Mary cruised through the Huron League against mostly much larger opponents and won all of its tournament games by at least nine points. Woodson, an all-state honorable mention, is the leading scorer and top shooter of the bunch, but four others average between five and 10 points per game and two others have made at least 25 3-pointers. The 6-3 Nwosu starts alongside two 6-6 posts, senior Jeffery Albright and junior Bradley Sherman.
NEGAUNEE
Record/rank: 24-1, No. 3
League finish: First in Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference
Coach: Michael O’Donnell, eighth season (156-45)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recently 2000), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 56-55 over honorable mention Maple City Glen Lake (Quarterfinal), 66-41 over Class D honorable mention Eben Junction Superior Central, 55-35 over Marquette.
Players to watch: Tyler Jandron, 6-1 jr. G (17.3 ppg, 4.3 spg, 4.0 apg); Tanner Uren, 6-3 sr. F (12.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.4 spg).
Outlook: Negaunee cruised through the regular season and into the Quarterfinals with only a pair of wins over Gwinn closer than 10 points. The Miners’ lone loss was to Class A Marquette, but they avenged that as well. The rotation is only six players, but they bring a variety of skills; senior Brock Weaver is a 6-7 body in the middle, and junior guard Eric Lori is the second-leading scorer at 12.7 points per game and had 37 3-pointers entering the week.
Class D
LANSING CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 22-3, honorable mention
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Coach: Steve Ernst, first season (22-3).
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 67-54 over honorable mention Adrian Lenawee Christian, 67-32 over Peck (Regional Final), 57-48 over Hanover-Horton.
Players to watch: Skylar Ross, 6-2 sr. F (18.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 60 3-pointers); Jordan Terry, 5-9 jr. G (15.6 ppg, 31 3-pointers, 4.3 apg, 3.1 spg).
Outlook: The Pilgrims made the best of not playing in a league by loading their schedule with much larger opponents; they beat Class A, B and C teams and their losses were twice to Class B Stockbridge and once to a strong St. Johns Homeschoolers program. Ross made the all-state team and Terry earned an honorable mention Tuesday, and they’re joined by two others scoring in double figures: 6-4 senior center Jeff Whitney (14.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and 6-0 senior forward Jay Noyola (10.7 ppg, 3.8 spg).
POWERS NORTH CENTRAL
Record/rank: 23-3, No. 10
League finish: First in Skyline Conference and Central UP Conference
Coach: Adam Mercier, seventh season (80-76)
Championship history: 1984 Class D champion.
Best wins: 65-60 and 64-61 (Regional Semifinal) over honorable mention Eben Junction Superior Central, 52-49 and 65-54 (District Semifinal) over honorable mention Carney-Nadeau, 71-57 over No. 2 Cedarville (Quarterfinal).
Players to watch: Travis Vincent, 6-2 jr. F (15.7 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 4.2 bpg); Trevor Ekberg, 6-5 jr. C (11.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.8 bpg).
Outlook: North Central won its first Regional title in 29 years on the way here, after also winning its first District title in 17 season in 2011 under former all-league player Mercier. And the Jets have made this run with no seniors on the roster. Vincent and Ekberg provide the team with two strong rebounders as the team, on average, is grabbing five more boards than its opponents. Junior forward Rob Granquist adds 12.6 points and three assists per game.
SOUTHFIELD CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-4, No. 3
League finish: First in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue
Coach: Josh Baker, second season (46-6)
Championship history: MHSAA champion 2012.
Best wins: 51-49 over No. 4 Climax-Scotts (Quarterfinal), 47-46 and 68-61 (Regional Final), over No. 7 Allen Park Inter-City Baptist, 60-58 over Detroit Community
Players to watch: Bakari Evelyn, 6-1 soph. G (20.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.7 apg); Lindsey Hunter IV, 5-10 jr. G (14.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg).
Outlook: Hunter is the only returning starter from last season’s championship team, and he earned an all-state special mention Tuesday. But Evelyn has emerged from the top sub into an all-state selection and keys a team that also beat larger Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Southfield, among others. Freshman 6-3 guard Eugene Brown provides another big boost – he’s averaging 9.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
WYOMING TRI-UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 24-2, No. 1
League finish: First in River Valley Conference
Coach: Mark Keeler, 26th season (498-141)
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recently 2011), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 49-48 over Class A honorable mention Zeeland East, 53-52 over Hudsonville, 55-51 over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central.
Players to watch: Joey Blauwkamp, 6-1 sr. G/F (14.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 4.2 apg); Daniel Cole, 5-10 sr. G (15 ppg, 2.0 spg).
Outlook: Tri-unity Christian’s template for success is well-established: load the regular-season schedule with larger schools, shine against them, and then do the same on the way to the Breslin Center. The team’s losses were to Class C Grandville Calvin Christian and Class B No. 6 Wyoming Godwin Heights. Blauwkamp was named Class D Player of the Year by The Associated Press on Tuesday, and Cole earned an all-state honorable mention.
PHOTO: Laingsburg's Sam Edwards (5) works to get around a Grandville Calvin Christian player during the Wolfpack's Regional Semifinal victory. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 9
February 5, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
To say some of last week’s boys basketball results shook things up around the state might be an understatement.
Contenders in all four classes took defeats as others looked to fill their spots among the elite. Those that made our just-miss list this week included impressive upsets – like East Kentwood over Grand Haven and Ravenna over Whitehall – and the titanic Bridgeport win over Saginaw Swan Valley. But take a look at the games we did note, and more, as we move within four weeks of the start of this season’s MHSAA Tournament.
Breslin Bound is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. To offer corrections or fill in scores we’re missing, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Clarkston 70, Hazel Park 39 – The reigning Class A champion Wolves are still the team to beat after handing Hazel Park its first loss of the season.
2. Holland West Ottawa 45, Flint Carman-Ainsworth 27 – The most intriguing matchup of the Redhawks Showcase at Grand Rapids Union saw Ottawa-Kent Conference Red leader West Ottawa down the first place team in the Saginaw Valley League.
3. Hazel Park 77, Benton Harbor 70 – Hazel Park rebounded quickly from the Clarkston loss with two wins, including dealing this first defeat to Class B contender Benton Harbor also at Grand Rapids Union.
4. Detroit Henry Ford 76, Detroit Cass Tech 73 (OT) – A Cass Tech win would’ve led to a shared Detroit Public School League West Division 1 championship; instead, Ford finished first alone.
5. Flint Hamady 77, Flint Beecher 71 – The Hawks avenged a one-point loss to their rival from Dec. 19 and now sit with Beecher as the only Genesee Area Conference Red teams with only one league defeat.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (11-2) – The Rangers opened the season with back-to-back losses on consecutive days by a combined three points. Since, they’ve been nearly unstoppable, with Friday’s 54-45 win over East Grand Rapids (9-4) the most recent of solid outings. Forest Hills Central finished perfect over the first half of the O-K White schedule and also earned impressive late December wins over Wyoming Godwin Heights (13-1) and Spring Lake (11-3).
Petoskey (12-1) – The Northmen took a two-game lead in the Big North Conference with a buzzer-beating 51-49 win over Traverse City West on Friday. The only loss was to host Grand Haven at the Buccaneers’ Invitational in late December. With size and experience, Petoskey will be dangerous emerging from the north during tournament time.
CLASS B
Parchment (9-3) – The Panthers can clinch a share of the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red championship with a win over fifth-place Comstock on Friday after surviving back-to-back scares against league foes. They’ll take it after finishing 4-17 overall and sixth in the league only a season ago.
Parma Western (10-3) – The Panthers are back on top of the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference after sharing the championship with Marshall a year ago. Last week’s loss to Mason was the team’s first since Dec. 15 – but Western then closed the week Friday by avenging that first defeat with a 51-43 win over league foe Coldwater.
CLASS C
Bath (7-5) – The Bees’ overall record isn’t that impressive, but they’ve won six straight with victories over Pewamo-Westphalia and Fowler over the last two weeks to stir up the Central Michigan Athletic Conference standings. The last loss before the streak came against league leader Laingsburg, which has to be more cautious heading into the rematch Wednesday.
Madison Heights Madison (10-3) – The Eagles clinched the Macomb Area Conference Bronze title last week and added to a seven-game winning streak. Madison should be plenty prepared for Class C teams when the tournament begins coming out of a regular-season schedule featuring mostly bigger teams. The three losses were by a combined six points to Royal Oak Shrine, Class A Berkley and Class B Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard.
CLASS D
Dollar Bay (11-0) – For good reason, undefeated Ewen-Trout Creek has gotten the majority of Upper Peninsula hoops attention this winter. But Dollar Bay shouldn’t be sneaking up on anyone and has a chance to snag some of the spotlight playing the Panthers on Wednesday. Dollar Bay leads the Copper Country division of the Copper Mountain Conference.
Mio (9-3) – The Thunderbolts trail undefeated Hillman and Oscoda in a strong North Star League Big Dipper division that has five teams with at least eight wins. They added to the league’s reputation with a 59-51 defeat last week of Ski Valley Conference leader Johannesburg-Lewiston, which is in Class C. Mio hosts Hillman on Tuesday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Wayne Memorial (11-3) at Canton (14-0) – Among the most impressive wins of Canton’s perfect start was a 27-pointer over Wayne, which sits second behind the Chiefs in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Black.
Tuesday – Ewen-Trout Creek (14-0) at Dollar Bay (11-0) – As noted above, this matches two of the most intriguing teams in all of the Upper Peninsula, with the Panthers also a Copper Mountain Conference leader in the Porcupine Mountain division.
Wednesday – Rapid River (9-1) at Powers North Central (9-3) – Not only is North Central chasing only leader Rapid River in the Skyline Central Conference small-schools division, but Rapid River on Dec. 7 ended the Jets’ 84-game winning streak.
Friday – Buckley (9-3) at Maple City Glen Lake (12-1) – Glen Lake holds a narrow lead in the Northwest Conference with one more league game played and won, but Buckley won the first meeting Jan. 9 by 14 points.
Saturday – Muskegon (10-3) at Ypsilanti Community (10-1) – The leader in the O-K Black and the co-leader in the Southeastern Conference White, respectively, should be among Class A teams to watch at tournament time.
PHOTO: Muskegon, here against Muskegon Mona Shores in a 63-49 win on Jan. 26, takes on Ypsilanti Community in one of this week’s most intriguing matchups. (Photo by Tim Reilly.)