Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 1
December 11, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
One of the best parts of boys basketball season is how quickly the state’s elite teams begin testing themselves against each other to get an idea where they stand coming into the winter.
We saw plenty of those titanic matchups last week – although the first game to top our “Week in Review” for 2017-18 allowed us to look back more than look forward.
As during last season, the weekly Breslin Bound report – powered by MI Student Aid – will look at five results from the previous week that particularly popped, plus a few teams to keep on your radar during the months ahead and five games during the week to come that you might want to check out.
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 last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Rapid River 65, Powers North Central 43 – The Rockets put an end to North Central’s MHSAA-record 84-game winning streak, which began on opening night of the 2014-15 season.
2. Canton 65, Belleville 61 – This opener shook Class A quite a bit with Canton losing to Belleville by 23 last year and the Tigers expected to contend for a spot at Breslin this upcoming March.
3. Detroit Cass Tech 84, Flint Beecher 53 – The Technicians are expected to be among Class A contenders after winning 19 games a year ago, and this was a great sign as reigning Class C champ Beecher no doubt will be in that mix again as well.
4. Clarkston 65, Wayne Memorial 55 – The reigning Class A champ got a nice win over another expected contender before finishing the week with a five-point victory in another test, against Flint Carman-Ainsworth.
5. Hazel Park 86, Detroit East English 72 – The Vikings may have taken a step toward joining the elite with a big win over one of the anticipated best from the Detroit Public School League.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Canton (2-0) – The Chiefs opened 0-2 a year ago with losses to Detroit Country Day and Belleville, the teams they beat last week. Canton plays in a Kensington Lakes Activities Association Black with expected favorites Wayne and Westland John Glenn, but showed last week it should be right in the mix after finishing third and 13-8 overall in 2016-17.
Mattawan (2-0) – The Wildcats were 7-14 a year ago and haven’t had a winning season this decade. But they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, opening with a 55-54 win over Paw Paw after falling to the eventual 18-win Redskins by 16 a year ago.
CLASS B
Escanaba (2-0) – Coming off a banner football season, the Eskymos provided some early excitement on the basketball court last week after winning 12 games last winter. Escanaba avenged last year’s 20-point opening night loss with a 60-45 win over Negaunee, which won 20 games last season.
Essexville Garber (2-0) – The Dukes’ 5-16 campaign last winter ended with seven straight losses including by a basket to Bay City John Glenn in the District. The bounce-back began last week with a 25-point win over Pinconning followed by a 14-pointer over the rival Bobcats.
CLASS C
Bad Axe (2-0) – An ability to win close games surely would be beneficial as Bad Axe looks to build on last season’s 10-10 finish. The Hatchets beat both Imlay City and Harbor Beach by three points last week; both opponents finished with winning records last winter.
Detroit Pershing (1-0) – The Doughboys have had three middling seasons since their last 20-win run in 2013-14, but they’re expected to be among the state’s best even as they will play a mostly Class A schedule. Last week’s 81-74 overtime win over 2017 Class D semifinalist Southfield Christian was an impressive way to start.
CLASS D
Ewen-Trout Creek (2-0) – The Panthers’ 6-foot-7 senior Jacob Witt is probably one of the most unknown standout all-around athletes in the state, but he could finish this season with his team making some noise. Ewen-Trout Creek went 14-9 last season and last week avenged a 2016-17 loss to Hancock with a 38-point win.
Rapid River (2-0) – The Rockets not only ended North Central’s streak, but opened with a 56-53 win over Carney-Nadeau, which is coming off a 15-win season. Rapid River was 11-13 last winter after opening with an eight-point loss to Carney-Nadeau and a 53-pointer to the Jets, but the Rockets did close 2016-17 on an 8-4 run.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Dansville (2-0) at Pewamo-Westphalia (1-0) – The Pirates regularly are among contenders statewide in Class C, but Dansville and 6-9 Caleb Hodgson surely would love to take their place starting in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference standings.
Thursday – Rapid River (2-0) at Crystal Falls Forest Park (2-0) – These look like early contenders to go after the top Class D spot from the Upper Peninsula as reigning MHSAA champion North Central is expected to fall back toward the pack.
Friday – Saginaw Arthur Hill (0-1) at Saginaw (0-0) – This one rarely disappoints; all three meetings went Saginaw’s way by double digits last season, but that third one did come in a District Final.
Friday – Hazel Park (1-0) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (2-0) – The Cubs are off to another strong start and have a tough game against East English on Tuesday before Hazel Park comes in looking for another big early win.
Sunday – Detroit Pershing (1-0) vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (2-0) at Ecorse – This looks to be the premier game of the Hoopz 4 Hope Classic, as the Eaglets also have a pair of double-digit wins to start this winter.
PHOTO: Lansing Everett was among teams that began 2-0 to start the season last week. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Columbia Central Overcomes December Stumble to Claim Long-Anticipated Title
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
February 17, 2026
In early December, the Brooklyn Columbia Central boys basketball team dropped two games in three nights and was staring at a 3-2 record that – more importantly – included two conference losses.
So, winning the Cascades Conference championship Saturday – the first in 43 years for the Golden Eagles – was something of a minor miracle.
“It was a long chase,” Columbia Central coach Jacob Crawford said. “I feel we started to peak at the right time.”
The Golden Eagles certainly were trending upward. After losing by two points to Jonesville right after the Christmas break, Columbia Central won nine consecutive games to win the Cascades Conference West division and set up an overall league championship tilt against Michigan Center.
Michigan Center had beaten was one of those teams that beat Columbia Central in December.
“We knew that was going to be a tough one,” Crawford said. “My guys have been matched up against (Hayden) Hinkle and those guys from Michigan Center for years. We did a good job of weathering the storm.”
The conference championship game was originally scheduled to be played at Spring Arbor University, but due to a scheduling snafu, Columbia Central got to host the game. It made for an incredible environment, Crawford said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love playing at Spring Arbor, but being able to host the championship game was an awesome experience,” Crawford said. “I had guys coming into the gym who I played with. The whole community came together.”
Columbia Central led by seven with only a few minutes remaining, but Michigan Center fought back to within one possession of the lead during the final seconds, missing a couple of game-tying attempts.
The Golden Eagles held on for a 59-56 victory.
Columbia Central is a balanced team by nature. David Munro leads with a 13.9-points per game average with Nolan Schiel a point behind him. Munro shoots a healthy 35 percent from 3-point range, making 48 shots on the season from behind the arc. Trent Troyer fills the stat sheet night after night, averaging 6.5 rebounds, 6.3 points, 2.6 steals and 2.1 assists a game.
Schiel is the point guard.
“I’m probably talking to him during a game more than anyone else,” Crawford said. “He has the ball in his hand most of the game. What’s really unique about him is his rebounding ability despite being a point guard. He really gets to the glass.”
The Golden Eagles are 17-4 heading into Thursday’s final regular-season game. The losses, however, were by a combined 12 points. They are the third seed in a tough District at Tecumseh next week. One of the teams in the District is Michigan Center, 18-2 and the top seed.
Columbia Central was a Cascades Conference member from 1968 to 1995 before joining the Lenawee County Athletic Association. In 2023-24, the Golden Eagles rejoined the Cascades Conference. Prior to the league title in 1982-83, the others all came during the 1970s.
Columbia Central not only won its first conference boys basketball championship since 1983, it also became the fifth different league team to win the title in six years. In a league that was once dominated by Hanover-Horton, seven schools have celebrated league championships since 2012.
“There is a lot of parity in the league,” Crawford said. “It’s a tough league. You play a lot of games, and then you get to the finals and have to win another.”
Last year Columbia Central reached the conference championship game against undefeated Grass Lake and lost 31-30.
Crawford said that experience played into the Golden Eagles getting back to the final this season.
“We talk about trailblazers, and last year the seniors that helped us get there were just that,” Crawford said. “They kind of showed everyone else the path, what it takes to get to that game. The experience for our guys as underclassmen was immeasurable.”
Crawford started as the freshman coach at Columbia Central, moved up to the JV coach and now is in his second season as the varsity coach at his alma mater. He graduated in 2014, having played for Jason Rychener, who is now the head coach at nearby Dexter.
“I’ve always looked up to him,” Crawford said. “It’s been really cool having him as a mentor.”
Crawford had ideas of a future in coaching, but an internship in Kalamazoo while going to school at Western Michigan University helped him decide.
“I was with Next Level Sports and I started working with schools in that area,” he said. “I had a blast, and it led me to go back to school and get my teaching degree because I knew I wanted to coach.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Brooklyn Columbia Central boys basketball coach Jacob Crawford finishes cutting the net after his team clinched the Cascades Conference title Saturday. (Middle) BCC’s Nolan Schiel (14) works to get to the basket. (Photos by Hannah Tacy/JTV.)