Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 9
February 11, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
If you’re a regular reader to our “Breslin Bound: Girls Report” as well, what follows will sound pretty familiar – but remains extremely important.
We’re winding down the boys basketball regular season, and we’re less than two weeks from seeding the top two teams in each District for the first time. But we need your help.
Teams earning the top spots will do so based on success and strength of schedule, and it’s imperative for MHSAA.com to list all games played and correct scores for each. Know a score we don’t or realize a game is missing that should be added? Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected]. Every result affects multiples of others, and we thank you for your help in advance.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Benton Harbor 64, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 51 – Another Saturday showcase, another huge win for the Tigers, who followed up their previous Saturday victory over Ypsilanti Lincoln with this one against a possible postseason foe.
2. Frankenmuth 43, Bridgeport 38 – The Eagles avenged a 26-point defeat from Dec. 20 to hand the Bearcats their first of the season.
3. Grand Blanc 54, Muskegon 51 – The Bobcats dealt the Big Reds only their second loss this season and first to an in-state opponent.
4. Kalamazoo Central 66, Portage Central 44 – The Maroon Giants handed Central its first and only defeat this winter.
5. Beaverton 49, Sanford Meridian 45 – The Beavers moved into first place alone in the Jack Pine Conference by finishing a sweep of second-place Meridian.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Grand Blanc (12-3) The Bobcats have clinched a share of the Saginaw Valley League Blue title and posted one of the most impressive runs in the state against a slate of opponents that has won just a tick under 70 percent of its games this winter – giving Grand Blanc the second-highest strength of schedule in Division 1. They started this week by finishing a sweep of Flint Carman-Ainsworth (10-5) to clinch that league title and also have wins over Muskegon (11-2), Kalamazoo Central (10-3), U-D Jesuit (9-6) and Detroit Douglass (14-3).
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (13-1) The Eaglets have clinched the Detroit Catholic League Central title, and that’s just the start of the story. They also have handed the only losses to Clarkston and Hudsonville, and one of few to Grand Blanc with the only defeat against Division 3 contender Flint Beecher. The league title is St. Mary’s first in more than a decade and comes against a group that includes 2019 Division 1 runner-up Detroit U-D Jesuit among three nine-win teams that also were in the chase.
DIVISION 2
Benton Harbor (14-1) As noted above, Benton Harbor put up another big win at the Floyd Mayweather Classic on Saturday to go others over Ypsilanti Lincoln, Kalamazoo Central and Battle Creek Pennfield. Add in a loss to Beecher, and the Tigers’ strength of schedule ranks 10th in Division 2 – and they are one of only four teams in that top 10 with a winning record. And Benton Harbor isn’t done prepping for what should be another long tourney run, with River Rouge (15-1), Niles Brandywine (11-1) and Wyoming (12-1) rounding out the regular-season schedule.
Grand Rapids Christian (13-0) The Eagles are one of three undefeated teams left in Division 2. They handed Grand Rapids Catholic Central its first loss on Dec. 17 and also gave the only defeat to Wyoming. Grand Rapids Christian has survived its share of close games – two by two points apiece and two more by seven or fewer – but that’s pretty impressive too. They lead an Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold that also includes Wyoming (12-1) and East Grand Rapids (10-4).
DIVISION 3
Flint Beecher (13-1) The Bucs are unbeaten since falling to Division 2 Ferndale in their season opener, and they’ve loaded up the nonleague portion of their resume with wins over Benton Harbor, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (both mentioned above) and Flint Carman-Ainsworth, with a matchup with Grand Blanc coming up. For any other team, it would be impressive alone that Beecher leads a Genesee Area Conference with two other teams at 11-3. But the Bucs have won five MHSAA Finals titles over the last eight seasons and will be in the statewide mix again.
Niles Brandywine (11-1) The Bobcats took over the top spot this week in Division 3 MPR thanks in part to a schedule against opponents that have won nearly 63 percent of their games. Of course it helps a ton that Brandywine is 11-1 against those teams. The Bobcats lead the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red by a game despite losing their first meeting with second-place Parchment in overtime Jan. 24. They meet again Feb. 28, and a March 3 matchup with Benton Harbor will be a great test heading into the postseason.
DIVISION 4
Kingston (14-0) The Cardinals appear to be closing in on the North Central Thumb League Stars championship and haven’t had a game closer than 11 points since Jan. 10 against Dryden – which happens to be tonight’s opponent and lost by just a point in their first meeting. Kingston shared the league title and won its District last season and could be poised to achieve that and more carrying the top Division 4 MPR into this week.
Southfield Christian (11-3) The reigning Division 4 champion has wrapped up at least a share of a ninth-straight league title despite having three games left to play in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue. They’ll be seeking a third-straight Finals championship carrying into the postseason a win over Division 3 contender Detroit Edison and good playoff-preparation losses to Division 1 West Bloomfield, Southfield Arts & Technology and Detroit Catholic Central.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Detroit Martin Luther King (13-3) vs. Detroit Douglass (14-3) at Cass Tech – This Detroit Public School League Tournament semifinal matches up the champion and runner-up, respectively, from the PSL East.
Tuesday – Detroit Communication Media Arts (12-3) at Detroit Cass Tech (15-1) – Similarly, the other PSL Tournament semifinal features the runner-up vs. the champ, respectively, in the West.
Tuesday – Detroit Edison (9-3) at Clarkston (12-1) – Both have championship aspirations, Edison as mentioned above in Division 3 and the Wolves in Division 1.
Thursday – Belleville (11-2) at Westland John Glenn (10-4) – Belleville holds a one-game lead in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East thanks to a 58-50 win over John Glenn on Jan. 21.
Thursday – Escanaba (10-5) at Marquette (12-3) – This could decide the Greater Northern Conference championship outright, as the teams are tied for first with two league games to play and Marquette won the first meeting 63-56 on Jan. 7.
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: Marquette's Thomas Albarello drives to the basket while being defended by Ishpeming's Jacob Kugler during their game last month. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Bear Lake's Harless Twins Both Eclipse 1,000 Points, Have More Milestones in Mind
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
January 30, 2026
Grady and Myles Harless will end their high school basketball careers among the highest scorers in Bear Lake history.
The twin brothers are the latest Lakers to join the 1,000-point club, but scoring is not how either one of them wants to be remembered. Their preferred legacy, as they look to play at the next level, is a strong work ethic.
“You can be athletic as you want, but if someone outworks you they'll be better than you,” Grady Harless said, noting his message is to current and future high school basketball players. “If you're from a small school, hard work will get your name out there.”
Myles Harless has a similar message for those competing on the hard court.
“Even if you come from a small school or a small community, you can be great,” he said. “It doesn't matter what part of the state you're from – if you're good, you're good.”
With the Harless twins leading the way, the Lakers are off to a 13-4 start and share first place in the West Michigan D League at 8-1. Grady Harless is scoring 23 points per game while also averaging six rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.7 steals. Myles Harless is averaging 20.7 points per game while dominating the boards with almost 18 rebounds per contest.
“Those two have been the definition of what I view Bear Lake basketball is and should be going forward,” said fifth-year Lakers coach Christian Novak. “I've seen some pretty solid twins that have played together and what not, but I've not seen any accomplish the same thing these two have.”
Myles Harless pulled down 25 rebounds and scored 28 points Tuesday night as the Lakers stayed in first place with an 87-49 win over Mesick. Grady Harless added 27 points and six assists.
Joining the 1,000-point club had been the twins’ goal since they first played for Bear Lake as eighth graders. With an enrollment far fewer than 100, Bear Lake applied for and was granted an MHSAA waiver to permit eighth graders like the Harless boys to compete in junior varsity and varsity play.
The twins played sparingly on the varsity as eighth graders, mostly benefiting from the fifth-quarter rule.
“Myles and Grady are the exact definition of what Bear Lake basketball is — show up, go to work, put in the extra time with grit and all the extra stuff,” Novak said. “I would say from their eighth-grade summer until all the way up till now, they did the work and I doubt they missed more than a handful of training opportunities.”
The Lakers are riding a five-game winning streak and have four league games remaining. They’ll finish the regular season at Baldwin, a team they topped 66-48 at home. Baldwin currently shares the league lead.
Senior Easton Nowak has been on a tear of late for Bear Lake as well. He had 13 points, four steals, two assists and a blocked shot against Mesick and is now averaging almost 10 points per game. Just prior to playing Mesick, Nowak had double-digit games of 20, 16 and 10 points.
“Easton started off slow this year, but he's been picking it up a lot recently,” Novak pointed out. “He is looking to score, and everything has just opened up the twins so much to where it's made everything so much easier for them.”
Mesick was the opponent earlier this season when Myles Harless, who has also topped 1,000 rebounds in his career, joined the 1,000-point club. The milestone point was scored with a slam dunk.
“The coolest part was when Myles was at the point of reaching 1,000, he got a steal and got a dunk,” said Novak, himself a past all-state player for Bear Lake. “That's the perfect way to cap your thousand – go throw it down.”
Prior to the first meeting with Mesick, the 1,000-point club recognized just one Harless, Grady. The Lakers were prepared to immediately recognize Myles’ accomplishment.
It was an extra special moment for the twins and not just because the pressure of both getting into the club had been lifted. They were both on the court during the second quarter as the game was temporarily halted.
“It was pretty special — they unveiled the banner during the game,” recalled Grady Harless. “Having both of our names on those banners back-to-back, it really shows it’s worth putting in so much time and effort into one thing.”
Myles Harless admitted it was quite a relief the moment he joined his brother in the club. He started the season 91 points shy.
“My goal was to hit it before Christmas break, and thankfully I did,” Myles acknowledged. “I kind of just wanted to not really think about it and just play because if you just play, you'll score and just play hard and do the work. But once I did hit it, all the pressure went away.”
Myles’s Harless was quick to point out there is more to achieve for the Lakers moving forward. And no one knows that more than Novak.
Bear Lake hopes to win the District championship – which has eluded the Lakers since 2008 – in addition to a first conference title since 2018. They had both in their sights as the season tipped off, and they have not wavered despite a tough loss to Marion early that reminded the Lakers they have to show up every night.
“It's been a while for both so it was just kind of let's get a conference title – we're kind of the favorites – and then let's go into Districts, handle business there and try to get that and then move on to Regional,” Novak said. “So it's always been kind of the goal to accomplish as much as we can with all the guys we have and put the work in.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Grady Harless (10) brings the ball up for Bear Lake against Traverse City Christian, while Myles Harless (4) puts up a shot against the Sabres. (Middle) Grady Harless directs the offense against Mason County Eastern. (Below) Myles Harless elevates for a jumper against Leland. (Traverse City Christian and Leland game photos courtesy of the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Mason County Eastern game photo courtesy of Miles Joseph/milesflics.)