Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 12
February 26, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half
Soon we’ll be celebrating District, Regional and Finals champions in boys basketball.
But as we roll into the final week of this regular season, we’ve got a few more memorable stories to tell.
Take, for example, Burton Bentley, which clinched its first league title in 41 years earlier this month after going 9-12 a year ago. Or Okemos, which made an impressive yet at least a little bit unexpected closing run mentioned more below. Last week had a few more surprise wins too that could make storylines more interesting as we get into tournament mode.
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. Novi 71, Canton 56 – The Wildcats have rattled off six straight wins and with this one not only earned a spot in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship game, but also handed Canton its only loss this season.
2. Okemos 64, East Lansing 56 – Okemos had beaten the Trojans without star Brandon Johns on Jan. 19, but this win over East Lansing with him clinched for the Chiefs the outright Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title.
3. Maple City Glen Lake 53, Frankfort 47 – This tied things up at the top of the Northwest Conference with Glen Lake, Frankfort and Buckley in line to share the title with one last league game to play.
4. Ishpeming 53, Iron Mountain 47 – Second place Ishpeming can’t catch Iron Mountain in the Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference, but on this night the Hematites handed the Mountaineers their lone defeat this winter.
5. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 52, Madison Heights Bishop Foley 36 – After going 12-10 last season, Cranbrook is 18-1 and won the Catholic League C-D tournament title with this victory.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Detroit U-D Jesuit. (16-3) – The Cubs are Detroit Catholic League Central and A-B tournament champs again, and haven’t lost a game instate since Dec. 15. Jesuit opened this season with a four-point overtime win over Detroit Edison, and will see now-Detroit Public School League champ Edison again Thursday in an Operation Friendship game.
Flint Carman-Ainsworth (17-2) – The Cavaliers won the Saginaw Valley League by three games and gave reigning Class A champion Clarkston one of its few challenges this season, falling by just five on Dec. 7. The only other loss came to Holland West Ottawa (17-2), and nonleague wins over Grand Blanc (16-3), Detroit Renaissance (11-5) and Flint Hamady (13-5) should have Carman-Ainsworth prepared as well.
CLASS B
Detroit Voyageur (18-0) – The Cougars are an intriguing team to watch over the next few weeks coming off Michigan Metro Athletic Conference division and tournament championships and with a win as well over Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (14-4). The Gators and MMAC Black runner-up Detroit Community (10-5) are the only opponents that have come within single digits.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (16-1) – Considered a Class B contender from the start this season, GRCC has lost only to another in Wyoming Godwin Heights. The Cougars since have won 13 straight and all by double digits, including a pair against Spring Lake (15-4).
CLASS C
Hanover-Horton (16-2) – The Comets have clinched a share of the Cascades Conference title after tying for second last season, and are well on their way to equaling or bettering last year’s 19-4 overall finish. Only second-place Michigan Center (15-2) has come within single digits during Hanover-Horton’s 12-game winning streak.
Kalamazoo Christian (18-1) – The Comets have built on last season’s surprising run to the Quarterfinals with a perfect one through the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley. The only loss came to SAC Lakeshore winner Coloma (17-2), 58-52 on Jan. 23.
CLASS D
Ellsworth (16-3) – Friday’s win over Vanderbilt clinched a shared Northern Lights Conference title for Ellsworth, which improved from finishing runner-up a year ago. The Lancers haven’t had a game closer than 28 points since falling Jan. 26 in their second meeting this season with eventual league co-champ Wolverine (16-1).
Flint International Academy (17-2) – In its first season in the conference, International can clinch the North Central Thumb League Stars championship outright Tuesday against Kinde-North Huron and has won 12 straight including avenging an earlier loss to second-place Dryden (12-6). Two more big wins have come over Kingston (16-3).
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Waterford Mott (16-3) at White Lake Lakeland (15-4) – Both have doubled their win totals from last season, and Mott can clinch the inaugural Lakes Valley Conference title outright.
Thursday – Hazel Park (17-1) at Clarkston (17-1) – The Wolves won the first meeting big, but a Hazel Park return favor would mean a shared Oakland Activities Association Red title as long as neither trips up Tuesday.
Thursday – Grand Rapids Catholic Central (16-1) at Holland West Ottawa (17-2) – These league champions get one more tune up before going their separate ways for the tournament.
Thursday – Benton Harbor (18-1) at Wyoming (15-4) – The Wolves also are a league champ and can get one more test before the Class A tournament against this Class B favorite.
Thursday – Novi (12-7) at Grand Blanc (16-3) – The KLAA championship game will pit Gold champion Grand Blanc against the runner-up Wildcats for the third time after winning the first two meetings.
PHOTO: Okemos, here against Grand Ledge, clinched a league title last week by finishing a season sweep of East Lansing. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 11
February 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
High school basketball season in Michigan lasts roughly four months, making it risky to write off a talented team because of a slow start.
As we draw toward the close of the regular season, we’re seeing some of those teams we thought might be around at the end making their way back – and just in time.
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. Detroit Edison 82, Detroit Pershing 45 – The Pioneers’ surprise run to the Detroit Public School League tournament title included closer wins over Cass Tech and Renaissance before this impressive finale.
2. Belleville 70, Romulus 65 – The Tigers almost were forgotten after a 1-3 start, but with this win clinched the Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue title.
3. Bridgeport 60, Frankenmuth 53 – The Bearcats finished a sweep of the rival Eagles to take a commanding lead in the Tri-Valley Conference East after the teams split the title last season.
4. Kent City 48, Morley Stanwood 45 (OT) – Kent City kept its perfect record intact and clinched the Central State Activities Association Silver title by outlasting the second-place Mohawks.
5. Southfield Christian 68, River Rouge 45 – The Eagles are the likely Class D favorites, even more so after handing Class B contender River Rouge its first defeat.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Clarkston (14-1) – The reigning Class A champion Wolves have dominated since falling by nine to Detroit East English on Dec. 28. Clarkston has downed Hazel Park (15-1) and Troy (12-4) over the last three weeks to take control in the Oakland Activities Association Red.
East Lansing (14-2) – The Trojans retained their share of first place in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue with a 74-67 overtime win over Grand Ledge last week, avenging the first of their two losses this season. East Lansing is looking to finish the comeback by locking up a third straight league title.
CLASS B
Benton Harbor (17-1) – The Tigers have bounced back from their lone loss to Class A Hazel Park on Feb. 3 with three more victories, handing Coloma (16-1) its lone defeat last week. Dowagiac (12-4) and Mattawan (13-3) are among others Benton Harbor has beaten impressively.
Olivet (16-0) – The Eagles have clinched the Greater Lansing Activities Conference championship, with only two of 11 league games so far decided by fewer than 10 points. In fact, 13 wins overall have come by double digits.
CLASS C
McBain (15-1) – A five-point loss to Frankfort (15-1) two weeks ago looks more and more impressive, and McBain will look to clinch the Highland Conference title by finishing a sweep of Manton (13-3) on Wednesday. The Ramblers also have an early win over reigning Class D runner-up Buckley.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (16-0) – The Falcons have clinched the Huron League title outright with two league games to play, with only one single-digit conference win and just two victories overall of fewer than 10 points. St. Mary has won 40 straight league games over the last three seasons.
CLASS D
Peck (14-3) – The Pirates have rattled off five straight wins after a brief midseason stumble and have earned a share of the title in the North Central Thumb League Stripes division. Peck has won all of its league games by at least 15 points.
Wolverine (15-1) – The Wildcats have clinched a share of the Northern Lakes Conference and won 15 straight since falling to second-place Ellsworth in the season opener. Wolverine has improved from seven to nine to 13 to 15 wins and counting over the last three seasons.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Bridgeport (14-1) at Flint Hamady (13-3) – Both are working to finish off league titles and give the I-75 corridor more interesting postseason possibilities.
Wednesday – Frankfort (15-1) at Maple City Glen Lake (14-2) – A Glen Lake win could create a three-way tie atop the Northwest Conference, and the Lakers won the first meeting by nine.
Friday – East Lansing (14-2) at Okemos (13-4) – They are tied for first in the CAAC Blue, and the Chiefs won the first meeting while Trojans star Brandon Johns missed with an injury.
Saturday – Belleville (12-4) at Muskegon (13-3) – Both of these annual Class A contenders have caught stride during the season’s second half to push aspirations high again.
Sunday – Detroit Catholic League A-B Final at Detroit Mercy – U-D Jesuit (14-3), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (11-6), Warren DeLaSalle (12-5) and Detroit Catholic Central (11-5) play Tuesday semifinals to determine the championship game pairing.
PHOTO: Flint Carman-Ainsworth and Davison squared off in Saginaw Valley League play Thursday, with the first-place Cavaliers coming out on top 59-55. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)