Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 8
January 21, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
It’s all relative until they meet each other on the court, of course.
But there are some Michigan high school boys basketball teams absolutely dominating as we turn toward the final five weeks of the regular season.
A total of 22 teams remain undefeated. Bump that number to 55 counting teams that sit 10-2 or better. See below for crazy scoring stats for two of those high-achieving teams. And yet, every game is an opportunity – see Almont (8-3) handing Richmond (12-1) its first defeat Friday after Hemlock (6-5) did the same to Sanford Meridian (10-1) on Tuesday
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. River Rouge 66, Flint Beecher 61 – A matchup of two MHSAA championship favorites, Division 2 River Rouge improved to 10-1 while sending Division 3 Beecher to 11-1 at the Horatio Williams Freedom Classic.
2. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 63, Muskegon 59 (OT) – This is less an upset than a rarity because Reeths-Puffer is 11-1, but Muskegon won last season’s two meetings by 32 and 10 points.
3. Oxford 49, Pontiac 46 – Unbeaten Oxford gained a slight edge in the Oakland Activities Association Blue standings by handing Pontiac its first defeat; the rematch is Feb. 19.
4. Detroit U-D Jesuit 74, Detroit Catholic Central 62 – The Cubs made it a league season sweep of the surging Shamrocks and can clinch a share of the Detroit Catholic League Central title with a win Tuesday.
5. Detroit Martin Luther King 50, Detroit Cass Tech 48 – Both went on to lose Saturday showcase games, but this one pulled King into a tie for first in the Detroit Public School League Midtown after the Crusaders had fallen to Cass Tech by 14 on Dec. 18.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
• Clarkston (10-2) – The two-time reigning Class A champion graduated Mr. Basketball last spring and saw the third-winningest coach in state boys basketball history retire. But after opening this season with two losses, the Wolves have won 10 straight including over King on Saturday.
• Walled Lake Northern (11-0) – After finishing fourth last season, Northern appears to be closing in on the Lakes Valley Conference title with five straight double-digit league wins including one against second-place Waterford Mott. The Knights also will equal last season’s overall win total with their next victory.
DIVISION 2
• Benton Harbor (12-0) – The reigning Class B champion continues to roll, winning big most nights but also showing it can hold on for close victories. The Tigers edged Ferndale 90-81 at the Mayweather Basketball Classic on Saturday and also have wins over Henry Ford, Saginaw and Indiana contender South Bend Riley.
• Otsego (12-0) – The Bulldogs are outpacing the competition by an average of 25 points per game. They sit first in the Wolverine Conference North after the first run through the league schedule as they look to repeat in the league and improve on last year’s 19-2 overall finish.
DIVISION 3
• Madison Heights Madison (11-1) – Madison bounced back from starting last week with its lone loss, to Warren Lincoln, by beating Clinton Township Clintondale 88-84 in overtime to clinch a share of the Macomb Area Conference Silver title. It’s the Eagles’ second straight, and they can make it outright with a win over Eastpointe on Tuesday.
• Pewamo-Westphalia (12-0) – The Pirates were supposed to trail at least Dansville this season in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference after finishing second to Laingsburg a league ago. But P-W made it a season sweep of the Aggies with a 60-56 win last week and beat second-place Laingsburg by 33 in their first meeting.
DIVISION 4
• Flint International Academy (6-4) – The overall record isn’t stunning, but the reigning champion Phoenix lead the North Central Thumb League Stars thanks to a 12-point win over two-loss Kingston in December. The four losses came to nonleague opponents now a combined 41-7, including undefeated Brimley and Division 2 Bridgeport and Richmond.
• Marcellus Howardsville Christian (11-0) – A 41-point win over second-place New Buffalo last week gave Howardsville a two-game lead in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference White. And that win has been the norm: the Eagles are winning by an average of 42 points per victory.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Friday – Beaverton (9-2) at Sanford Meridian (10-1) – Despite being stunned last week by Hemlock, that was nonleague and Meridian still leads the Jack Pine Conference with Beaverton just a game back.
Friday – Athens (11-0) at Bellevue (12-0) – The Broncos finished three games ahead of Athens a year ago to win the Southern Central Athletic Association West. The margin looks to be closer this time regardless of which team wins the title. Bellevue’s wins are all by double digits, and Athens has 10 victories by 10 or more.
Friday – Redford Thurston (7-4) at Redford Union (8-4) – They’re tied atop the Western Wayne Athletic Conference standings after Thurston won by eight in their first meeting in early December but fell Friday to Dearborn Heights Crestwood.
Saturday – Benton Harbor (11-0) vs. Detroit Edison (7-4) at North Farmington – The headliner of the Prep Ball Classic showcases a matchup of reigning champs, Benton Harbor in Class B (as noted above) and last season’s Class C winner Edison.
Saturday – Detroit U-D Jesuit (9-2) at Flint Beecher (11-1) – Beecher just suffered its only loss (see above), and Division 1 Jesuit’s defeats have been pretty strong as well to Division 2 contender New Haven and Chicago power Morgan Park.
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: Gwinn's Tucker Taylor (32) – who needs four points to reach 1,000 for his career – considers his options last week while Ishpeming's Darius Yohe (22) defends. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Tri-Unity Christian Sends Retiring Coach to Championship Day 1 More Time
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 13, 2025
EAST LANSING — One thing is certain.
Saturday will see the last game in the career of legendary Wyoming Tri-unity Christian boys basketball coach Mark Keeler.
The question now is whether Keeler will go out with a seventh MHSAA Finals championship, or a seventh runner-up trophy as he finishes off his 38th and final season as head coach of the Defenders.
Tri-unity Christian helped send Keeler, who announced his retirement earlier this season, to a fifth-straight championship game with a 67-46 win over Crystal Falls Forest Park in the first of two Division 4 Semifinals on Thursday.
“I asked my wife Cheryl before we came today to please pray for me because I’ve been pretty emotional all week,” Keeler said. “It’s hard sometimes after 38 years of coaching to realize it’s going to be my last game. At the same time, it’s amazing it gets to be at the Breslin in the championship. I think it’s a win-win situation.”
There wasn’t much doubt from the start against Forest Park that it would be a winning situation for Tri-unity Christian, which made four of its first five shots from 3-point range and jumped out to a 20-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The margin kept growing in the second quarter with the Defenders leading by as many as 21 points before going into the locker room at halftime up 38-19.
Tri-unity Christian shot 75 percent (15 of 20) from the field in the first half and limited Forest Park to 5 of 18 shooting.
“If we buy in on the defensive end, that is what’s going to win us championships,” Tri-unity Christian senior Keaton Blanker said. “That’s what we are here to do. We just bought into it. Everybody plays their role, and we have amazing trust in each other. It’s just a grind.”
Sophomore Cody Osbun led the way offensively for the Defenders (26-2), finishing with 16 points. Blanker added 11 points and senior Joey Mellon added 10 for Tri-unity Christan, which shot 64.1percent from the field (25 of 39) for the game and made 8 of 13 shots from 3-point range.
Senior Kevin Giuliani scored 16 points and sophomore Vic Guiliani added 10 for Forest Park (25-3), which advanced to the Semifinals for the first time since 2004.
“The start of the game didn’t go the way we wanted it,” Forest Park head coach Jason Price said. “Quick shots from us and easy layups for them in the first quarter. That’s just how the game went.”
The Trojans actually ended up shooting decent from the field, connecting on 44.1 percent of their attempts overall (15 of 34) and making 5 of 11 from 3-point range. But 15 turnovers didn’t help.
Forest Park was able to take the next step after losing in the Quarterfinals last year, and the future looks even brighter with six sophomores and a freshman on the roster. Kevin Guiliani, Matt Showers and Gabe Quevedo were the only seniors.
“We’re young,” Price said. “We’ve got a lot of talent coming back, and we’ve got some younger talent down at the middle school level. These (seniors) have paved the way.”
PHOTOS (Top) Tri-unity Christian’s Brayden Nelson (12) grabs a rebound near Forest Park’s Vic Giuliani on Thursday. (Middle) Kevin Giuliani, right, and the Defenders’ Joey Mellon ascend for the game’s opening tip.