Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 7
January 22, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The fireworks flew in Michigan boys basketball last week, as three Associated Press top-ranked teams fell, albeit against others considered contenders as well.
With boys basketball season now at its midpoint, it's fair to say doors remain open for more potential contenders to step in. See this week's list of high performers for some that could be in the mix.
1. Detroit Cass Tech (10-1) – The two-time reigning football champ has owned the basketball court too since falling in December to Harper Woods Chandler Park.
2. East Kentwood (10-0) – The Falcons won 17 games two years ago and 18 last season, and will make a run next month to improve on those totals again.
3. Detroit Consortium (6-2) – Consortium is looking to be in the Class C mix and looks good to contend after knocking off Class B giant Detroit Country Day last week 68-62.
4. Wyoming Godwin Heights (9-0) – On top of being considered arguably the top team in Class B, Godwin Heights gave Class D power Wyoming Tri-unity Christian its first loss, 60-58 last week.
5. Detroit Pershing (12-0) – Pershing was here last week too, but it’s hard to not include the Doughboys again after they beat Detroit Southeastern 63-54 and handed Flint Beecher its only loss, 56-53.
6. Munising (6-1) – Since opening with a loss to Gwinn, Munising hasn’t fallen and beat 2012 Class D Semifinalist Carney-Nadeau last week 40-37; C-N knocked Munising out in the Regional Final last season.
7. Frankfort (8-0) – Just 11-12 last season, Frankfort is only a few wins from besting that mark and looks good to accomplish much more.
8. Jackson Lumen Christi (8-0) – The Titans often have contended but rarely been favored during their decade in the Capital Area Activities Conference; they are the team to beat in the CAAC Gold this time.
9. Warren Woods-Tower (7-2) – After opening 1-2, the Titans have won six straight including a big win over previously-surging New Haven, 58-54 last week.
10. Beal City (6-3) – The Aggies have won four straight after a little bit of a delayed start due to a Ford Field football run; last week’s 62-61 win over Leroy Pine River was the best win so far.
PHOTO: Saginaw (white jerseys) improved to 14-1 on Saturday with an 86-61 win over Harper Woods Chandler Park. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
'Secret Weapon' Thomas Plays Lead Role as East Lansing Ends Title Wait
By
Jeff Bleiler
Special for MHSAA.com
March 15, 2025
EAST LANSING — East Lansing High School boys basketball coach Ray Mitchell called sophomore Kingston Thomas his “secret weapon.”
Going forward he’ll have to refer to Thomas as just a weapon, because the secret is out.
On a team chock-full of seniors and juniors, Thomas made a massive impact Saturday despite not having any plays called for him. His double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds helped lift the Trojans to a 66-46 victory over Wayne Memorial in the Division 1 Final at the Breslin Center.
Cameron Hutson led all scorers with 20 points, and Kelvin Torbert scored 16 as East Lansing won its first championship since 1958.
Carlos Medlock Jr. and Jaylohn Allen each scored 14 points for Wayne Memorial, which was making its first Finals appearance.
“These guys have been preparing for this pretty much all their lives. I told them it was their destiny,” Mitchell said. “They’ve been working toward this. They’ve been connected, they’ve been a family for so long, they deserve this. I couldn’t ask for much more from a group of 15 kids.
“It’s a wonderful thing that we can top it off with this championship.”
The Trojans (28-1) absorbed an early punch from Wayne Memorial, which led 16-12 after the first quarter thanks to 10 points from Medlock. But Zebras coach Steve Brooks knew the advantage came with an asterisk.
“The lead was fake because we were shooting long bombs, and that’s not how you win a basketball game,” he said. “We weren’t executing anything at all. They weathered the 3-point storm at the beginning, and they started beating us to every 50-50 ball.”
Hutson’s layup as the first quarter ended ignited a 21-0 barrage that turned the game permanently in East Lansing’s favor. His three-point play put the Trojans up 17-16 just over a minute into the second quarter, and the rout was on.
Thomas scored 12 points in the quarter, during which East Lansing outscored Wayne Memorial 21-4. The Trojans also finished the half with a massive 25-13 rebounding advantage, with Thomas collecting nine.
“I was just crashing as hard as I could, which helped me get rebounds, and most of the rebounds I got were putback layups,” Thomas said. “So I went hard to the basket, and good things came from it.”
A pair of Torbert layups put East Lansing ahead 43-27 midway through the third quarter before the Zebras (25-4) clawed back with seven straight points to cut the lead to single digits.
Hutson made a layup, Torbert canned two free throws and Thomas cashed in a three-point play to help reset the Trojans. Hutson’s layup with four seconds to play in the quarter pushed the lead to 52-34.
During the final quarter, Hutson found Torbert then Jayce Branson on two alley-oops that brought the sizable East Lansing crowd to its feet. Hutson said the support from the crowd has been consistent and huge.
“Almost all of our games the students, the people who support us, they travel,” he said. “So it was no surprise they were going to pack this arena. They’ve been showing up the whole year, and when it finally mattered in the big championship, they were there.”
Containing Medlock proved to be a group effort as Mitchell called on several players to silence the junior guard who was coming off a 29-point outing in the Semifinals. After scoring 10 in the first quarter, Medlock scored only four the rest of the way and was held to 11 points under his season average.
“We were letting him get to his sweet spots, we were letting him drive,” Mitchell said. “He’s a great player, but we wanted to try to force him to use his weak hand and try to help a little bit sooner, so we made those adjustments.”
The significance of claiming the school’s first championship banner in 67 years was not lost on the Trojan players.
“I think this means a lot to the community,” senior guard Brian Windham said. “We always look at that banner every day at practice, so it’s a lot of motivation. I’ve been looking at it since I was a freshman, I’ve been wanting to be here, so it’s been a lot of motivation and it means a lot to the community.”
Not long after Thomas’ sophomore season ended, Mitchell couldn’t help but look forward to what’s coming.
“He’s definitely one of the best sophomores in the state,” Mitchell said. “He’s a big-time player, so he’s kind of like our secret weapon. Watch out for him next year. It’s his coming-out party.”
PHOTOS (Top) East Lansing’s Kelvin Torbert throws down a dunk during East Lansing’s Division 1 championship win Saturday at Breslin Center. (Middle) Wayne Memorial’s Austin Tory (1) pops a jumper as the Trojans’ Cameron Hutson gets a hand up to defend. (Below) Hutson and Brian Windham celebrate as their team wraps up the title. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)