Breslin Bound: Boys Report Post-Break
January 5, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Schools have re-opened for 2015. But there’s plenty to review from the end of 2014 as boys basketball teams get ready for their familiar league schedules.
See below for four teams from each class that stuck out over the two-week break. And check out something new from Second Half – we’ll print by class each Monday a list of the undefeated teams left in Michigan and add in those with one and two losses as the season rolls on and the undefeateds are down to just a few. (Click for this week’s list.)
Class A
Ann Arbor Huron (6-1) – The River Rats opened this season with an 80-73 loss to Detroit Henry Ford, but haven’t fallen since; they won games as part of three events over the final two weeks of December, including big over Westland John Glenn (72-53) and Battle Creek Central (88-58).
East Kentwood (5-0) – The Falcons were on the verge last season, finishing 13-8 with five losses by six or fewer points; they’ve arrived this winter, if a 58-57 win over reigning Class A champion Muskegon at the Muskegon Sports Hall of Fame Tournament is an indication.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (6-0) – The Rangers are one of three Class A teams that has started 6-0, and they beat Grand Rapids Northview 59-55 to win the Gold division of the Cornerstone University Tournament; Forest Hills Central lost by four to Northview in the final last season.
Walled Lake Western (6-0) – The Warriors are another 6-0 fast starter and built their early run in part by winning the Livonia Franklin Holiday Invitational with a 66-60 win over one-loss Redford Thurston in the championship game.
Class B
Gladstone (3-0) – A 1-4 start kicked off an 8-12 finish for the Braves last season, but they’ve reversed directions this winter with Saturday’s 64-62 win over St. Ignace the most impressive of early victories.
Goodrich (5-0) – The Martians boys went a game farther than the school’s stellar girls program last season by reaching the MHSAA Quarterfinals and have made it 12 wins in their last 13 games including a solid 67-65 defeat of Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills on Dec. 30.
Imlay City (5-0) – The Spartans did a final tune-up before beginning defense of their shared Blue Water Area Conference championship by winning their invitational with a 36-34 victory over Marlette in the title game.
New Haven (4-0) – The Rockets' quick start has included wins close (60-57 over Harper Woods Chandler Park) and not so close (76-46 over one-loss Warren Michigan Collegiate to claim their Rocket Classic on Dec. 30).
Class C
Hillsdale (5-0) – The Hornets became one of three teams in Class C to open 5-0 by claiming the Pat Paterson/Williams Tournament at Jonesville with victories of 27 and then 62 points; no team has come closer than 12.
Millington (5-0) – The Cardinals’ first of two losses last season didn’t come until the regular-season finale, and they’ve looked similarly impressive early including putting up 101 points in a win over Reese before beating one-loss Vassar 61-45.
Warren Michigan Collegiate (6-1) – The New Haven loss aside, Michigan Collegiate is only two wins from equaling last season’s total and opened the New Haven Rocket Classic with an overtime victory over Mount Clemens.
Union City (5-0) – The Chargers also have made a quick turnaround from last season’s 8-14 run to open with five wins of 22 or more points this winter.
Class D
Akron-Fairgrove (4-0) – The reigning Michigan Summit League co-champion will begin league play Tuesday with a flawless record and three victories by 12 or more points.
Bark River-Harris (4-0) – The Broncos already have proven they can win close with a five-pointer over Rock Mid-Peninsula, a two-pointer over Big Bay de Noc and a five-point victory over Stephenson.
Mio (4-0) – The Thunderbolts look to be contenders in the new North Star League Big Dipper division with three league wins and all four so far by 15 or more points.
Waterford Our Lady (6-0) – The Lakers are the lone Class D team at 6-0 and have yet to allow an opponent closer than 13 points – Novi Franklin Road Christian and one-loss Harbor Beach were the only two to put up that challenge.
PHOTO: Laingsburg (in red) clamped the Pewamo-Westphalia offense in defeating the reigning Class C runner-up 42-34 on Dec. 18. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
Next Generation Chargers Make C Final
March 23, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Carson Meulenberg and Trenton Koole had never played a game of this magnitude before taking the Breslin Center floor Thursday.
But their dads had, and perhaps indirectly that provided them a little experience. At least it seemed like it.
Covenant Christian didn’t seem bothered by any of the usual anxieties teams face when they play during the final weekend for the first time. The Chargers – in an MHSAA Semifinal for the first time since winning Class D in 1994 – got ahead early and never slowed in downing Manton 62-35 to earn a spot in Saturday’s Class C championship game.
Koole’s dad Scott played on that 1994 team that beat Eben Junction Superior Central 79-70 in the championship game. Scott Koole also played with Dave Meulenberg on the 1993 team that beat Muskegon Western Michigan Christian 53-42 to win the Class D title that season as well.
“To just stay calm, keep your composure, play your best,” Carson Meulenberg recalled of the advice his father gave him before Thursday. “Don’t worry about a lot of things. A lot of it is worrying about nothing, so just go play your game.”
And Covenant Christian’s game this season frequently has focused on defense, which was lockdown against the Rangers and will be especially key in Saturday's 4:30 p.m. Final against Flint Beecher.
Koole blocked Manton’s first shot of the game, and Covenant Christian had three blocks during the first five minutes. The Rangers still hung in to trail only 11-7 at the end of the first quarter, but the Chargers (21-5) scored the first 19 points of the second and never led again by fewer than 20.
They held usually sharp-shooting Manton (21-5) to 22 percent success from the floor, including 16 percent from 3-point range.
“Finally,” Calvin Christian coach Tyler Schimmel said. “To be honest, since the first District game, we haven’t played that well. I told the guys before (this) game, you’re due for one, especially defensively.
“This year, we actually have (had games like this). That’s why I kept telling my guys they’re a good team. They’re capable of doing those types of things.”
Koole led Covenant Christian with a game-high 14 points and eight rebounds, and Meulenberg and junior forward Zach Kaptein both had 10 points. Senior guard Benji Kuiper had six points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals, and junior Tyler Cammenga had nine points and seven rebounds.
Manton’s top three scorers this season were juniors and sophomores; junior Jayden Perry led again with 13 points, and junior Hunter Ruell had eight points.
“On film, we knew they were going to be athletic just by watching them,” Manton coach Ryan Hiller said. “Once they started getting offensive boards, and the transition game, and I don’t know how many shots they blocked that first half … through the first five minutes, we saw a trend there, and we had to adapt the things we normally do, and we struggled there.”
Manton was playing in its first Semifinal since 1996. The Rangers had been eliminated in the District Finals the last three seasons, losing those games by a combined seven points.
Covenant Christian is riding a streak of 14 wins in 15 games, and now has some bragging rights at home in addition to Saturday’s opportunity.
“He talks about it all the time to me, brags and says he made it this far,” Koole said of his dad's Finals memories. “Now I can go back to him and tell him I did the same thing.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Covenant Christian’s Benji Kuiper (12) works to get around Manton’s Jayden Perry during Thursday’s Semifinal. (Middle) The Rangers’ Wyatt Baker gets up a shot with the Chargers’ Carson Meulenberg (24) defending.