Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 10
February 13, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Three previously-perfect boys basketball teams suffered their first losses last week, leaving only 15 undefeated in Michigan with the start of the MHSAA Tournament only three weeks away.
What might this mean?
There are still at least two teams in every class that have yet to leave the floor unhappy this winter – but also many more teams that have tasted a loss or two (or more) but still can be expected to contend in what is looking like some wide-open brackets in at least three classes (with two-time reigning Class D champion Powers North Central the clear team to chase in the fourth). We highlighted a few more of the contenders in this week's Breslin Bound report, powered by MI Student Aid.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Frankenmuth 63, Bridgeport 53 – The Eagles’ only loss this season was by 10 to Bridgeport in Frankenmuth’s first game this season, and claiming this rematch to hand the Bearcats their first defeat also created a tie between them at the top of the Tri-Valley Conference East.
2. Iron Mountain 54, Norway 43 – The Mountaineers still need another Norway loss to move into a first-place tie in the Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference, but got in position by handing the Knights this first defeat of the season.
3. Carson City-Crystal 42, Pewamo-Westphalia 37 (OT) – The Eagles handed P-W its first and only loss this season and also this school year for a number of Pirates who also played on the undefeated Division 7 champion football team.
4. Muskegon 70, Ypsilanti Community 56 – The undefeated Big Reds broke Ypsilanti Community’s 10-game winning streak as they continue to take on the best from all over the Lower Peninsula.
5. Clarkston 73, Wayne Memorial 68 – The Wolves, holding down first place in the Oakland Activities Association Red, earned an impressive win but didn’t knock Wayne off-track; the Zebras finished the week by beating Westland John Glenn to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association South.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Holt (11-3) – The Rams are three losses by a total of 11 points from a perfect record this season, and gave undefeated East Lansing its closest game in a four-point defeat Jan. 13. They face each other again Friday with first place in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue on the line.
Holland West Ottawa (14-1) – The Panthers have built a two-win lead in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red with four league games to play and can finish a sweep of second-place Grand Haven on Tuesday. Those two tied for the league title last season, and West Ottawa went 6-15 only two years ago.
CLASS B
Paw Paw (13-3) – The Redskins have won eight straight and Feb. 3 handed leader South Haven its first loss in the Wolverine Conference North. Paw Paw still trails South Haven in the league standings and will have a hard time catching up, but already has surpassed last season’s 11-12 finish.
Grayling (11-3) – The Vikings – who went 10-12 a year ago – have won 10 of their last 11 as they eye a rematch with Traverse City St. Francis and a possible share of the Lake Michigan Conference title. Grayling’s only league loss was by five to the Gladiators on Jan. 24, and it will get that opportunity to avenge Feb. 21.
CLASS C
Breckenridge (12-1) – The Huskies, coming off a turnaround football season, are in first in the Mid-State Activities Conference with their only loss to second-place Carson City-Crystal. The Huskies were only 6-14 a year ago; they see the Eagles again Wednesday.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (14-0) – These Eagles own a two-win lead in the Huron League with four conference games to play and have swept second-place Milan. In fact, they’ve won 24 straight league games since falling to Milan in the final Huron game of 2014-15.
CLASS D
Bay City All Saints (12-2) – The Cougars have secured a share of the Michigan Summit League championship and have won seven straight games, adding to a District title they won to cap last season. All Saints also already has equaled last year’s 12 wins.
Northport (11-3) – The Wildcats can clinch the Cherryland Conference title against second-place Traverse City Christian on Tuesday after sharing the championship last season. Five more wins over the final six regular-season games and postseason would give Northport its best record this decade.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Battle Creek Central (13-2) at Kalamazoo Central (13-1) – The Maroons opened their season with a 12-point win over the Bearcats, but a BCC win would make the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East title pursuit a two-team race again.
Tuesday – Romulus (12-2) at Belleville (13-2) – The Eagles have a one-win lead over Belleville in the Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue thanks to a one-point win over the Tigers in their first matchup Jan. 20.
Friday – East Lansing (14-0) at Holt (11-3) – As noted above, the CAAC Blue lead could be altered with a Holt win, which also would break the Trojans’ 27-game league winning streak.
Friday – Saline (12-3) at Ann Arbor Skyline (11-4) – These two are tied for first in the Southeastern Conference Red with three league games to play heading into this week; Skyline won their first matchup by 11.
Saturday – Detroit Public School League Final at University of Detroit Mercy – Detroit Martin Luther King, Collegiate Prep, East English and Cass Tech will play in semifinals Tuesday to decide the title matchup.
PHOTO: Breckenridge defeated Vestaburg 65-46 on Feb. 3 and is 12-1 this season after winning six games in 2015-16. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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.