Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 2
December 10, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Pre-New Year’s Day basketball is generally a getting-to-know-you time across Michigan.
Every week we’re learning a few more things about possible contenders while watching to see if all the preseason hype is panning out.
It’s hard to say we know much after two weeks – and yet, some surprises already are beginning to emerge. We give a glance at a few of those below.
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 Renaissance 73, Detroit Edison 60 – The Phoenix bounced back from a three-point opening loss to Flint Beecher to win by double digits over the reigning Class C champion Pioneers.
2. Pontiac 63, Clarkston 58 – This win over the reigning Class A champion should boost a Pontiac turnaround effort detailed a little more below.
3. Pewamo-Westphalia 63, Dansville 45 – The Aggies had taken over as mid-Michigan’s best contender among Class C/Division 3 schools after beating the Pirates by a point in last year’s Regional Semifinal, but that status likely shifted back to the Pirates after this big win.
4. Alma 52, Frankenmuth 48 (OT) – The Panthers lost by 21 when these Tri-Valley Conference contenders met in a crossover Jan. 29, but avenging the defeat last week kept Alma perfect at 4-0.
5. Belleville 63, Romulus 43 – Now in different leagues, these longtime rivals are set to meet for sure just this once – and the Tigers extended their winning streak in the series to three straight.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
• Hudsonville (2-0) – Coming off a 10-12 finish a season ago, Hudsonville has a lot to be excited about right away. The Eagles opened with a 43-37 win over East Grand Rapids and then beat Wyoming Godwin Heights on Friday 75-64 to avenge last year’s 17-point loss.
• Wayne Memorial (2-0) – The Zebras are following up last season’s 17-8 record and run to the Regional Finals with a nice start. Last week’s win was 61-56 over Ann Arbor Skyline, which is coming off a 23-1 finish in 2017-18.
DIVISION 2
• Pontiac (3-0) – The Phoenix are rising after going 5-15 last season and winning just three games the season before that. Of course the Clarkston win noted above sticks out, but Pontiac also downed Clawson by 25 to end the week.
• St. Clair (4-0) – The Saints will start work on a second straight Macomb Area Conference Gold title coming off a pair of close wins, 54-49 over Marysville and 65-64 in double overtime over Marine City.
DIVISION 3
• Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (4-0) – A 5-1 start last season turned into a 12-9 finish, and the Lakers are enjoying the early-going again. They’ve avenged three of last season’s losses, including last week with a 46-42 overtime win over Ubly and 58-43 victory over Brown City.
• Vandercook Lake (4-0) – The Jayhawks already have doubled up last season’s two wins, coming off Friday’s 86-74 overtime victory over Manchester. Junior Tyler Horky is averaging 30.5 points per game and scored 47 against the Flying Dutchmen, including 34 over the second half and overtime.
DIVISION 4
• Central Lake (4-0) – The Trojans have built from two to four to seven to 11 to 13 wins over the last five seasons – and might be in store for more. Last week’s 54-39 win over Bellaire and 84-75 defeat of Onaway both came against teams that beat Central Lake at least once last winter.
• Gaylord St. Mary (2-1) – The Snowbirds finished 9-14 last winter but closed with four wins over their final six games. After losing to Rogers City in the opener two weeks ago, St. Mary earned close wins last week over Mancelona (53-52) and Fife Lake Forest Area (54-50) – after going a combined 1-3 against the pair last season.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Grand Blanc (1-1) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (2-1) – These are both Division 1 hopefuls which despite an early loss apiece could play deep into this winter.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids Christian (3-0) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (1-0) – Both have notable early wins, Christian over Wyoming Godwin Heights and GRCC opening with a victory over Holland West Ottawa.
Friday – Saginaw (2-1) at Saginaw Arthur Hill (1-1) – One of the state’s best rivalries rolls again after the Trojans won last season’s games by eight and four points.
Friday – Belleville (1-0) at Ann Arbor Skyline (2-1) – Skyline’s 23-1 run last season included a 14-point win over Belleville, which ended up reaching the Class A Quarterfinals.
Saturday – Detroit Henry Ford (0-1) vs. Benton Harbor (3-0) at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills – This is likely the premier game of the Battle of I-96 Classic, pitting the reigning Class B champion Tigers against the 2016 title winner in that class.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: After opening with a two-point loss to Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Detroit Cass Tech bounced back last week with a 74-50 win over West Bloomfield. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 5
January 14, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
After slightly more than a quarter of the regular season for most Michigan high school boys basketball teams, nearly 10 percent remain undefeated. Many others have fallen just once with midseason approaching.
Some of that could change this weekend, which could be one of the most exciting of the winter with multiple big-time showcases featuring some of the state's top teams.
Check out some of the matchups that especially pop off the page below, but also see the full schedule on the MHSAA Score Center.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Hudsonville Unity Christian 50, Holland West Ottawa 48 The reigning Division 2 champion won twice last week by a combined five points, Tuesday handing West Ottawa its only loss and then edging Holland Christian by three Friday.
2. Ann Arbor Huron 47, North Farmington 41 – The River Rats remained unbeaten with another solid win, sending North Farmington to 7-2.
3. Detroit Edison 60, Ferndale 55 – A qualifier for Breslin the last three seasons, the Division 3 Pioneers added another impressive win to a growing list this winter against Division 2 notable Ferndale.
4. Waterford Mott 60, Grand Blanc 57 – Add Mott to Division 1 teams to keep an eye on after this impressive victory at the Oakland County Tip-Off Classic.
5. Escanaba 63, Marquette 56 – The Eskymos sit just 4-4 overall, but 3-0 and first in the Great Northern Conference after this win over the reigning league champion.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (5-2) Just a season after finishing last in the Detroit Catholic League Central with a 0-8 conference record, the Warriors quickly are tied atop the standings after breaking that streak with the weekend’s 79-67 win over Warren De La Salle Collegiate. Brother Rice ended last winter 11-13 overall, but did show a spark winning a District title. The Warriors lost to solid opponents Southfield Christian and Macomb Dakota during the second half of this past December, but otherwise have five double-digit wins.
Wyoming (6-0) The Wolves are looking at a big jump in 2019-20 after last year’s 10-12 finish. They opened the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold schedule Friday with an 80-72 win over Grand Rapids South Christian, and Wyoming also owns solid early double-digit wins over Grand Rapids Northview and Byron Center. Wyoming was 16-6 and won the Gold only two seasons ago, so a bounce-back shouldn’t stun many.
DIVISION 2
Cadillac (5-0) With wins already over both 2018-19 Big North Conference co-champions Petoskey and Traverse City Central, Cadillac sits atop the standings while seeking its first BNC title since sharing it in 2012-13. Before defeating Petoskey 46-37 on Thursday, Cadillac opened last week with another solid victory 48-42 over nonleague Big Rapids. The nonleague schedule includes unbeaten Mount Pleasant and McBain as well during the final weeks before District play, great prep for a possible postseason run.
Clio (7-0) Make way for the Mustangs. After flipping their 2017-18 finish of 5-15 to go 15-5 last winter, they’ve flown out of the gate. Clio already has avenged a last-season loss to Flushing – 54-50 last week and their only win so far by fewer than 10 points. And after finishing second last season in the formerly one-division Flint Metro League, the Mustangs sit tied for first in the first-year Stars division with also-undefeated Goodrich.
DIVISION 3
Fennville (5-1) The Blackhawks bounced back from their lone loss last week to nonleague Niles Brandywine with a 42-38 win Friday over Gobles that put Fennville first alone atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore. Fennville also has handed reigning champion Coloma its only league loss. The Blackhawks are coming off a third-place Lakeshore finish and 10-11 overall run last winter.
Munising (8-0) The Mustangs won their league and a Division 4 District title last season, but at least for the playoffs will face a different path playing now in Division 3. The start has been similar, if not much better, however. Munising has avenged last season’s early losses to Gwinn and Rapid River and extended its perfect start Monday with an overtime win over Manistique.
DIVISION 4
Frankfort (5-0) The Panthers have picked right back up after last year’s 21-6 run and Division 4 runner-up finish. They’ve already avenged last season’s loss to Onekama with a 51-46 win Dec. 19, and they join Maple City Glen Lake as the two teams undefeated in Northwest Conference play – with Glen Lake coming to Frankfort tonight. Glen Lake defeated Frankfort twice last winter.
Pellston (5-0) Featuring one of the state’s leading scorers in Blake Cassidy, the Hornets are one of two teams unbeaten early in Ski Valley Conference play after winning the league and making the Division 4 Quarterfinals a year ago. They’ve won comfortably but also shown the ability to win close, with a three-point victory over Harbor Springs and one-pointer versus Fife Lake Forest Area – which both sit currently at 4-2.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Maple City Glen Lake (5-1) at Frankfort (5-0) – These are the main contenders in the Northwest Conference, and Frankfort is looking to avenge multiple losses from last season to the reigning champion Lakers.
Friday – Detroit Douglass (7-1) at Detroit Martin Luther King (7-2) – This is likely to decide the champion in the Detroit Public School League East; King won last year’s meeting by 19.
Saturday – Benton Harbor (7-1) vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (5-1) at Ottawa Hills – This rematch of the 2018 Class B championship game highlights the annual Floyd Mayweather Classic.
Saturday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (6-0) vs. Flint Beecher (6-1) at Ferndale – These contenders in Divisions 1 and 3, respectively, face off in one of the top matchups at the Freedom Classic.
Saturday – Muskegon (3-1) at Ferndale (3-2) – This Freedom Classic matchup features two highly-regarded teams that could break out as January continues to roll along.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as 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.
PHOTO: Muskegon fell Jan. 4 to Chicago Curie, its only defeat this season. (Photo by Tim Reilly.)