Breslin Bound: Boys Report Post-Break
January 8, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The holiday break across our state is over, and the drive toward March will click into a second gear as most teams this week jump into the heart of league play.
Today’s Breslin Bound – powered my MI Student Aid – takes a look at a number of contenders that made impressive strides over the last three weeks while classes were out of session, plus gets us back into the regular swing with a look at five games of special note coming up.
These reports are based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com – to offer corrections, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of holiday break’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit East English 80, Clarkston 71 – East English’s David DeJulius scored 42 points at North Farmington’s Holiday Extravaganza as his team handed reigning Class A champion Clarkston its only loss this season.
2. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 72, Wyoming Godwin Heights 68 (OT) – After two losses to open this season, Forest Hills Central has strung together three nice wins with this one over the previously-unbeaten Wolverines at Cornerstone’s tournament the most impressive.
3. Ann Arbor Skyline 74, Belleville 60 – Skyline emerged from a tough holiday schedule still undefeated and having handed possible Class A contender Belleville its third loss.
4. Bridgeport 68, Frankenmuth 54 – The first round between these Class B powers went Bridgeport’s way after last season’s split led to the rivals sharing the Tri-Valley Conference East title while finishing a combined 40-6 overall.
5. River Rouge 52, West Bloomfield 50 (OT) – The Panthers’ perfect start has included two overtime wins including this one over a Lakers team that has two two-point losses and made the Class A Semifinals a year ago.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Grand Haven (7-1) – The Buccaneers also opened 7-1 last season on the way to finishing 18-5, but this start is more impressive. The only loss was by three in double overtime to Spring Lake, which won 19 games last season. And the wins have included Grand Haven’s first over Muskegon since 2012.
Hazel Park (7-0) – There may not be another team that has started more impressively. Coming off 15-8 last season, the Vikings have double-digit wins against Class A powers Detroit East English and U-D Jesuit, an overtime win over Class B standout Detroit Henry Ford and a six-point win over possible Class C contenders Detroit Edison Public School Academy and Pershing (plus another double-digit win over Loyola).
CLASS B
Hillsdale (6-1) – Since opening with a loss to Hanover-Horton, Hillsdale has been rolling. The Hornets followed up a Pat Patterson Tournament championship at Hillsdale College with a 61-44 revenge victory over Onsted – which abruptly ended Hillsdale’s 2016-17 at 21-1 with an upset during last year’s District.
Otsego (5-1) – A slow start last season contributed to an 11-11 finish, but the outlook is better this winter. Otsego’s only loss was to Dowagiac by six during the first week, and the Bulldogs closed December by handing Marshall its only defeat, 80-60.
CLASS C
Detroit Edison Public School Academy (3-3) – DEPSA plays only a few schools its size as part of the Detroit Public School League, and similar experience paid off with a run to the MHSAA Semifinals last season. The wins this winter are over Belleville, Saginaw Arthur Hill and Southfield Christian, and the losses just as impressively have come against U-D Jesuit, Detroit Martin Luther King and Hazel Park.
Kalamazoo Hackett (7-0) – The Irish are another team surely fueled by an early exit last season; they were 19-1 when they fell to Kalamazoo Christian in their first District game. Hackett has a four-point win over reigning Class D runner-up Buckley and gets Christian for the first time this season Friday.
CLASS D
Hillman (6-0) – An MHSAA quarterfinalist last season, Hillman is up to its usual level of regular-season dominance. The Tigers have won all of their games by at least 14 points, with an 18-pointer over Cedarville (5-2) looking like the best so far.
Kingston (6-0) – The Cardinals are halfway to equaling last season’s 12-9 finish and survived their only single-digit scare to win by six over Sandusky on Dec. 20. Kingston followed that with 13 and 28-point wins to claim the Brown City Invitational title.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Maple City Glen Lake (4-0) at Buckley (2-2) – Reigning Northwest Conference champion Buckley is in third starting the week but gets the two first-place teams back-to-back, Glen Lake followed by also-undefeated Frankfort on Thursday.
Friday – Detroit East English (5-2) at Detroit Edison PSA (3-3) – The PSL East Division 1 is loaded with potential statewide contenders, and these are two with high hopes.
Friday – Canton (7-0) at Wayne Memorial (5-1) – These two lead the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Black, with Wayne’s opening loss to Clarkston the only defeat between them.
Friday – Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (6-0) at Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (5-1) – This will be a major test for the Grand Rapids area’s small-school powers.
Friday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (6-1) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (5-2) – This should prove key again as the Eaglets chase the reigning Detroit Catholic League Central champ Cubs.
PHOTO: Bridgeport applies defensive pressure during its win over rival Frankenmuth on Friday. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Boys Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 20, 2025
Any given week of the boys basketball regular season, MHSAA teams play about 650 games.
Picking a few to highlight as potentially the most significant in the long run can be a bit of a guessing game – but this week’s educated guesses include an interesting variety, reaching the Thumb, Upper Peninsula, northern West Michigan and the shores of Lake Huron before we go heavy Metro Detroit for this week’s most intriguing matchups.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid 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. Warren Lincoln 76, Muskegon 66 The reigning Division 2 champion Abes (8-4) have taken some tough losses from strong competition, but send this prevailing over the Division 1 Big Reds (10-2) to the top of their best-wins list.
2. Bay City John Glenn 70, Freeland 65 The Bobcats (11-2) moved into first place in the Tri-Valley Conference Red over the last week with this upset of the Falcons (10-2) followed by a similarly big win over Frankenmuth.
3. Ishpeming Westwood 64, Negaunee 48 The Patriots (11-3) sit atop the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East after avenging a double-overtime 77-76 loss to the Miners (8-3) from Dec. 20.
4. Grant 61, Big Rapids 47 Grant (10-0) remained undefeated and moved into first place alone in the Central State Activities Association Red, with the rematch at Big Rapids (9-3) on Feb. 21.
5. Bad Axe 60, Millington 54 The Hatchets (9-3) handed Millington (9-1) their first loss and in doing so moved into a tie with the Cardinals for first in the Big Thumb Conference White.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
East Lansing (12-1) The Trojans added another important win last week, getting past rival Okemos 78-67 in double overtime to stay atop the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue. East Lansing also can count wins over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Warren Lincoln among their best, with the lone loss to another Division 1 contender in Muskegon. A Saturday matchup against Romulus Summit Academy North at Detroit Cass Tech is the next big test as the Trojans prep to build on last year’s Quarterfinal run, and the league title will rest on how East Lansing does in rematches with Lansing Waverly and Okemos next month.
Traverse City West (10-1) The Titans – District winners a year ago – are unbeaten this winter since falling to Grand Haven 68-62 on the road to open the season. Wins over Marquette, Midland Dow and Traverse City Central have been among the most notable, and they’ll get an important test against Wayne Memorial on Feb. 8 at Traverse City St. Francis. West also leads the Big North Conference after finishing second a year ago, thanks to a 60-46 win over reigning champion Cadillac; the rematch is Jan. 31.
DIVISION 2
Adrian (10-1) The Maples took the major step last season from solid to league contender, finishing 20-4 overall and second to Chelsea in the Southeastern Conference White. Two of those losses came to Chelsea, and Adrian already has a win over the Bulldogs this winter, 66-62 last week with the rematch Feb 4. The Maples also have handed the only league losses to second-place Tecumseh in Jackson, and downed Detroit Central 67-48 on Dec. 10, one of that team’s two defeats. Adrian’s came against 10-game winner Detroit University Prep.
Center Line (10-3) The Panthers, also 20-4 a year ago, enjoyed a highlight-filled week. First, during a 74-48 win over Eastpointe, standout Te’rez Holmes reached 1,000 career points. Two days later, Center Line edged St. Clair Shores South Lake 46-44 to move into first place alone in the Macomb Area Conference Silver. The Panthers have gotten other strong tests along the way, falling to Warren Fitzgerald, West Bloomfield and Detroit Central, and a rematch with South Lake on Feb. 6 will be one of the most important the rest of the regular season.
DIVISION 3
Grass Lake (12-0) The Warriors sit atop the Cascades Conference East, quite a jump after finishing third and winning just 11 games total last season. They have downed both of last year’s league co-champions, Michigan Center and Napoleon, and impressively Grass Lake has pulled out five wins by five points or fewer. The Warriors also own victories over both co-leaders from the Cascades Conference West, Hanover-Horton and Brooklyn Columbia Central.
Ironwood (7-2) Despite coming off a tough loss Friday at Houghton, Ironwood did down Dollar Bay 53-49 the night before to maintain the top spot in the Copper Mountain Conference after tying for fifth last season. The Red Devils also own an early 54-47 win over Ewen-Trout Creek, another CMC contender, and they play again Feb. 6. Ironwood started the season off right, downing Wakefield-Marenisco 50-48 after losing to W-M by four to end last season as District runner-up.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (9-2) The Cougars are coming off a tough 73-70 loss to Petersburg Summerfield, which sent Lenawee Christian into second place in the Tri-County Conference. But they get another shot at Summerfield on Feb. 4, and Lenawee also came back from an early league loss last season to win the title by three games. The Cougars do have a win this season over Britton Deerfield – which ended their 2023-24 in the District a year ago – and Lenawee’s only other loss this winter came to reigning Division 4 champion Wyoming Tri-unity Christian.
Onekama (9-2) The Portagers have gone from 12-12 and sixth in the Northwest Conference a year ago to approaching that win total already and one of three teams with only one loss in league play – although their face the other two over the next eight days and after falling to co-leader Maple City Glen Lake by 17 in their first meeting Dec. 13. Regardless, Onekama has handed defeats to Traverse City Christian and Pentwater – both 11-2 – and their three remaining games combined against Glen Lake and Frankfort are their only ones the rest of the regular season against teams currently with winning records.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Jackson Lumen Christi (12-0) at Riverview Gabriel Richard (10-2) – These are the only teams without a loss in the Catholic High School League AA, and this will be their only meeting of the league season.
Tuesday – Belleville (10-1) at Wayne Memorial (9-2) – This is the first of two meetings this season between the co-leaders of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East.
Wednesday – Ann Arbor Huron (9-2) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (11-1) – The Cubs lead the CHSL Central and in league play have seen some of the rest of the best in Division 1, but also will get a look at a semifinalist from last season with this nonleague matchup.
Friday – Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (10-1) at Southfield Christian (11-1) – These are the early leaders in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue, and their rematch won’t come until the league schedule finale Feb. 13.
Saturday – Warren Fitzgerald (11-1) vs. Flint Powers Catholic (11-0) at Detroit Cass Tech – This 1:30 p.m. matchup is the second game but arguably the most intriguing of a solid set at the Downtown Showdown.
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) Auburn Hills Avondale’s Qualaeb Ross (0) gets up a shot while surrounded by Detroit Martin Luther King defenders during King’s 51-41 win Dec. 30. (Middle) Flint Carman-Ainsworth’s Donovan Hamlin (1) gets to the basket during his team’s 78-61 win over Goodrich on Dec. 16. (Avondale/King photo by Team Arreguin Photos. Carman-Ainsworth/Goodrich photo by Terry Lyons.)