Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 2
December 20, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
As with football during the fall, Second Half tries to hit all classes and all corners of the state for these weekly boys and girls basketball reports.
But sometimes, focusing on the powers in Class A and B is simply unavoidable.
Most of this week's 10 notable performances came from some of our biggest and best-known schools. (Results and records based on those reported to Score Center at MHSAA.com)
1. Warren DeLaSalle (3-0) – The Pilots have been the Detroit Catholic League team to beat for half a decade, and that could continue this winter. DeLaSalle beat Farmington Hills Harrison 64-50 before edging Class B power Grand Rapids Christian 77-76 in double overtime.
2. Gibraltar Carlson (2-0) – The Marauders’ 70-53 win over Saginaw Buena Vista might not have earned the biggest headline from Saturday’s Metro Detroit Saginaw Valley Challenge at West Bloomfield. But given Buena Vista’s rich tradition, it was still intriguing – although Carlson is coming off a run to its Regional Final too.
3. Romulus (2-1) – I hope to avoid repeating teams on this list from week to week. But Romulus beating reigning two-time Class B champion Lansing Sexton 67-52 makes the Eagles a must again.
4. Grand Rapids Christian (1-3) – It’s been a tough go for these Eagles, who are expected to contend in Class B. But despite finishing the week with that close loss to DeLaSalle, they did beat reigning Class A runner-up Rockford 48-39 earlier on.
5. Rockford (1-2) – The Rams also opened with a couple of losses, but finished the week with a 63-53 win over Muskegon – which made this list last week and is considered a possible contender this season.
6. Bessmer (5-0) – After going 10-11 in 2011-12, Bessemer is halfway to matching that win total. Last week’s were close ones – 50-48 over Hurley, Wis., and 55-51 over Ironwood.
7. Lansing Eastern (2-1) – The Quakers have had three Division I college prospects graduate or move to schools out of state over the last two years, but keep rolling. They picked up solid wins over Williamston (68-58) and East Lansing (55-50).
8. East Jackson (4-0) – The Trojans are off to another nice start coming off a 15-win season. They opened last week beating Brooklyn Columbia Central 51-45 before doubling up Manchester 102-61 – after another high-scoring 100-94 win over Manchester a year ago.
9. Saginaw (4-0) – The reigning Class A champion is on the move again. After beating Midland 86-77 and then Saginaw Heritage 81-34, the Trojans came back Saturday to beat a strong Detroit Southeastern team 57-56 in the MDSV Challenge.
10. Flint Southwestern (3-1) – The Knights are already halfway to last season’s win total, thanks in part to victories last week over Flint Northwestern (63-59) and Flint Powers Catholic (70-39).
PHOTO: Grand Rapids Christian's Drake Harris attempts to drive around a Rockford defender during last week's win against the reigning Class A runner-up. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 11
February 20, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This boys basketball season still has some surprises in store.
The latest proof? Check out last week’s results from the Detroit area, especially the top two listed below to kick off this week’s Breslin Bound boys report powered by MI Student Aid.
We're two weeks from the start of District tournaments, so stay tuned as a number of teams attempt to clinch league titles this week and give us our last glimpses of what we might be able to expect once the playoffs begin.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Cass Tech 59, Detroit Martin Luther King 47 – The Technicians are 16-3, so this can’t be considered a complete shocker, but beating perennial power King gave Cass Tech its first Detroit PSL tournament championship reportedly in at least 20 years.
2. Southfield Arts & Technology 64, Clarkston 60 – The first-year Warriors got off to a rough start but are 7-3 over their last 10 games and earned a season highlight handing Clarkston its only loss.
3. Belleville 69, Romulus 66 – Belleville avenged its one-point loss to Romulus on Jan. 20 to earn a shared Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue title with the Eagles.
4. Southfield Christian 73, Cornerstone Health & Technology 55 – Southfield Christian has rounded in Class D championship shape, showing it again against a potential Class C contender in Cornerstone.
5. East Lansing 66, Holt 61 – The Trojans remain one of only three undefeated teams in Class A despite losing a key scorer to injury and beating the Rams twice by only a combined nine points on the way to clinching a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Parma Western (14-3) – The Panthers have improved from 8-13 two seasons ago and 12-9 last winter to lead the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference with two league games to play. What’s more, Parma Western also is a one-point loss and another defeat in overtime from 16-1.
Portage Central (14-2) – After improving by 10 wins from 2014-15 to last winter, Portage Central can close out an outright championship in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West after sharing it with two others last season. The Mustangs earned a share this time by beating Portage Northern on Friday.
CLASS B
Hudsonville Unity Christian (14-3) – A 2-3 start was tough, but the Crusaders are unbeaten since the calendar turned to 2017. They clinched the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title after finishing second and 16-9 overall a year ago.
Wyoming Godwin Heights (17-0) – Few teams in any sport have been as consistent as Godwin Heights this decade. The Wolverines are closing in on a sixth straight season of at least 20 wins and definitely look good to make a deep tournament run after reaching the Regional Semifinals last winter. They can clinch the O-K Silver title Tuesday against Wyoming Lee.
CLASS C
Morley Stanwood (14-2) – A 44-43 win over Kent City avenged an earlier loss and gave the Mohawks a share of the Central State Activities Association Silver title. Morley Stanwood finished second in the league to Kent City last season, but only 9-11 overall.
Riverview Gabriel Richard (15-1) – A two-point loss to Marine City Cardinal Mooney two weeks ago has been the only slip-up as Gabriel Richard won its division of the Detroit Catholic League and its first-round game in the C-D Tournament. The league title was the Pioneers’ fifth straight; next, they’ll try to improve on last season’s Regional Final appearance.
CLASS D
Owendale-Gagetown (14-2) – A 49-45 win over Burton Faith on Thursday gave Owendale-Gagetown a share of the Inner State Athletic Conference title. The Bulldogs started this season 1-2 but have rebounded nicely after making the move from the Michigan Summit League.
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (11-4) – The Eagles have climbed from second last season to first in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Red with three league games left. They bounced back from back-to-back losses to beat second-place Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 74-72 on Friday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Ottawa Lake Whiteford (15-2) at Sand Creek (15-0) – Sand Creek’s 17-point win last month was Whiteford’s only Tri-Country Conference loss; a win this time would clinch Sand Creek the league title.
Tuesday – Walled Lake Northern (13-4) at Walled Lake Western (13-4) – These neighbors split during the regular season as Western won the Kensington Lakes Activities Association North title; they meet this time in the Lakes playoffs.
Tuesday – Powers North Central (16-0) at Munising (15-2) – The Jets have pushed their MHSAA record and the longest active winning streak in the nation to 71 straight, but Munising could provide one of the toughest challenges so far.
Tuesday – Mount Pleasant (9-6) at Saginaw (14-3) – It got some headlines when the Oilers handed Saginaw its lone Saginaw Valley League North loss Jan. 20; the Trojans no doubt have circled this rematch.
Friday – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (14-3) at Oxford (14-2) – Depending on how the rest of this week unfolds, Stoney Creek could clinch the Oakland Activities Association Blue title, or Oxford could move into a first-place tie.
PHOTO: Wyoming Godwin Heights, here against Belding, is three wins from a perfect regular-season finish and remains one of two undefeated teams in Class B. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.