Breslin Bound: Quarterfinal Preview
March 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Breslin Center is only one more win away for 32 boys basketball teams taking the floor in Quarterfinals on Tuesday across Michigan.
So far we know we’ll have at least two new champions, in Class C and Class D, when this week ends. And only eight of the 16 teams that made the trip to East Lansing last season have a chance to book Semifinal repeat returns.
Our final “Breslin Bound” report – powered by MI Student Aid – takes a glance at all 16 Quarterfinals, which are all at 7 p.m. unless noted. All Quarterfinals will be broadcast and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv. Come back Wednesday night for a more in-depth look at our 16 finalists as they head into this weekend.
Class A
Warren DeLaSalle (18-7) vs. Detroit U-D Jesuit (22-3) at University of Detroit Mercy – 5 p.m.
These Detroit Catholic League Central rivals have played three times, with Jesuit winning all three meetings – although the second Feb. 10 by just two points. The Cubs won their fourth straight Regional title and were Class A champions in 2016, while this will be DeLaSalle’s first Quarterfinal since 2010. Junior guard Daniel Friday leads three Jesuit players averaging double-digit scoring at 13.9 ppg, while senior forward Luke Pfromm scores a team-high 15.6 ppg for the Pilots.
Flint Carman-Ainsworth (23-2) vs. Clarkston (23-1) at Grand Blanc
Reigning champion Clarkston is hoping to add to last season’s first-ever title and celebrated its second Mr. Basketball Award winner Monday in senior guard Foster Loyer (25.6 ppg, 6.0 apg). Center Taylor Currie (13.1 ppg) and guard CJ Robinson (13.8 ppg) are also senior standouts. Only four opponents have come within single digits of the Wolves, and Carman-Ainsworth was the first falling 72-67 on Dec. 7. The Cavaliers are seeking their first Semifinal berth since back-to-back trips in 2003 and 2004. Their only other defeat this winter came to Holland West Ottawa, alive on the other side of this bracket. Senior guards Omari Duncan (16 ppg) and Ja’Kavien Lewis (14.9 ppg, 3.0 apg) are among playmakers.
East Lansing (22-3) vs. Holland West Ottawa (23-2) at Lansing’s Don Johnson Fieldhouse
West Ottawa is 23-2 for the second straight season but with a first Regional title in program history this time. In addition to defeating Carman-Ainsworth, the Panthers have beaten powers Muskegon and Grand Rapids Catholic Central over the last three weeks. Senior forward Tyler Bosma leads with 17.2 ppg. East Lansing’s Brandon Johns (26.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg) finished second in the Mr. Basketball voting and can lead the Trojans to their first Semifinal since 2008. The Regional Final win over rival Okemos avenged East Lansing’s two most recent defeats.
Belleville (20-5) vs. Novi (16-8) at University of Detroit Mercy – 7 p.m.
A pair of teams with high preseason hopes followed by slow starts have made good by reaching the final week of this winter. The Tigers have won 15 of their last 16 – with the lone loss in overtime – and are led by standout seniors Gabe Brown and Davion Williams. Novi has won 10 of its last 11 and surged with the return of senior guard Trendon Hankerson (14.2 ppg) from injury to go with senior Taveon Maddox, Jr. (17.5 ppg), and junior Jiovanni Miles (15.3 ppg).
Class B
Benton Harbor (24-1) vs. Williamston (22-2) at Ionia
Benton Harbor is seeking its second straight and third Semifinal berth in five seasons. Since falling to eventual champion New Haven in a Semifinal to end last winter, the Tigers have lost only to Class A Hazel Park. Sophomore Carlos Johnson (18.3 ppg, 13.1 rpg) remains among the top players statewide in his class and is joined by senior Shawn Hopkins (15.7/11.4). Williamston is undefeated in calendar year 2018, having fallen to Class A quarterfinalist DeLaSalle and Howell in November. The Hornets will play in their third straight Quarterfinal and made the Semifinals in 2016.
Dearborn Divine Child (18-6) vs. River Rouge (22-1) at Chelsea
River Rouge also is celebrating its third straight Quarterfinal appearance and after falling in last year’s Semifinal by a point in overtime to eventual Class B runner-up Ludington. Senior guard Jayvien Torrance-Jackson is the only returning starter from that team, but the Panthers have fallen this winter only to Class D quarterfinalist Southfield Christian. Divine Child is coming off its first Regional title since 2011 and seeking to make the Semifinals for the first time since 1977. Senior forward Quinn Blair leads at 20.2 ppg.
New Haven (25-0) vs. Bridgeport (24-1) at Corunna
Reigning champion New Haven has won 51 straight games going back to Dec. 2016, with junior star Romeo Weems (23.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 5.1 spg) leading four players averaging double-digit scoring. Seniors Tavares Oliver (16.8) and Ashton Sherrell (15.7) follow on that list. Bridgeport’s lone slip-up came by three points in its opener at Lansing Everett. The Bearcats have rattled off 24 straight wins thanks in part to the scoring of senior Charles Garrett (20.1 ppg) and junior Sirquarius Bell (17 ppg).
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (22-2) vs. Boyne City (19-6) at Big Rapids
GRCC’s 6-foot-11 senior Marcus Bingham, Jr., (16.8 ppg, 10 rpg) is another Mr. Basketball finalist who has brought his team to the final week, with plenty of help in the post from 6-8 senior Jake Polakovich (14.2 ppg, 10.5 rpg). The Cougars’ only loss of calendar year 2018 was to Class A quarterfinalist West Ottawa. Boyne City has been a Class C power over the last four seasons but moved into B for 2017-18. They eliminated reigning runner-up Ludington last week after winning a fourth straight District title. Senior forward Mason Gardner leads a balanced scoring attack at 11.4 ppg.
Class C
Detroit Edison (14-10) vs. Unionville-Sebewaing (25-0) at West Bloomfield
Edison reached the Quarterfinals and Semifinals for the first time last season and will play this time after also winning the Detroit Public School League tournament last month. Senior guards Gary Solomon (16.2 ppg) and Pierre Mitchell, Jr. (15.3 ppg), set the scoring pace. Unionville-Sebewaing eliminated three-time reigning Class C champion Flint Beecher in the Regional Final to reach championship week for the first time since 2005. That and the Regional Semifinal win over Saginaw Nouvel were the first single-digit victories for the Patriots since their third game this season against Detroit Douglass.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (21-4) vs. Sanford Meridian (21-3) at Stanton Central Montcalm
After a more than a 20-year absence, Covenant Christian returned to the season’s final week a year ago and ended up as Class C runner-up. Its losses during this repeat run were all to bigger schools, including by just four to GRCC. Senior forward Carson Meulenberg has returned as the team’s leading scorer at 15.4 ppg. Sanford Meridian celebrated its first Regional title since 2001 and is playing for its first Semifinal berth. The Mustangs are making this run without injured top scorer Lucas Lueder (14 ppg), as senior point guard Garrett Stockford (9.2 ppg) leads a balanced bunch.
Kalamazoo Christian (23-2) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (24-0) at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Kalamazoo Christian won its second straight Regional title, this time by handing Cassopolis its only loss of the season 61-48 on Wednesday. Senior forward Jordan Katje (16.8 ppg, 11.6 rpg) has been a force. Monroe St. Mary also made the Quarterfinals last season – and this will be its fifth trip this decade. Senior C.J. Haut (18.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg) has a similar post presence as Katje, and they could provide a memorable matchup. Katje is 6-5 and Haut 6-8.
Maple City Glen Lake (22-2) vs. Iron Mountain (23-1) at Petoskey – 6 p.m.
Like its girls team last week, Glen Lake’s boys are Regional champs and playing for more. The Lakers’ lone losses were to reigning Class D runner-up Buckley, which also remains alive. Junior guard Xander Okerlund checks in at a team-leading 16.1 ppg. Iron Mountain is enjoying its longest tournament run since 1994, with its only loss to league foe Ishpeming. Sophomore Marcus Johnson (23.5) and freshman Foster Wonders (19.1) offer one of the most potent 1-2 scoring punches left in the tournament – and with a few more seasons to build on this success.
Class D
Cedarville (21-3) vs. Dollar Bay (25-0) at Escanaba
Dollar Bay has been one of the statewide stories of this season, and the Blue Bolts have advanced to the final week for the first time since 1979. They won their Regional games last week over Rapid River and Carney-Nadeau by a combined four points and should get another challenge from Cedarville. The Trojans have won 11 in a row and beat 20-win league foe Brimley to claim a fourth Regional title this decade. Senior guard Dakota Fairchild (14.1 ppg) leads a balanced attack.
Southfield Christian (20-4) vs. Flint International Academy (23-2) at Goodrich
Southfield Christian earned its fifth Regional title this decade and is sure to be motivated this week after missing last season’s championship game by a point in a double overtime loss to eventual champ Powers North Central. Senior Bryce Washington (21.6 ppg) and junior Harlond Beverly (16 ppg, 5.4) are among players to watch. Flint International will play its first Quarterfinal riding an 18-game winning streak. The Phoenix has given up more than 60 points this season only four times, and no more than 65 in a game.
Marcellus Howardsville Christian (20-5) vs. Hillsdale Academy (23-2) at Portage Northern
Howardsville Christian is another team playing a Quarterfinal for the first time. The Eagles have won 10 straight led by dynamic junior guard Dylan Jergens at 31.5 points and also 6.3 assists per game. Hillsdale Academy, coming off its first Regional title as well, also features a dynamic player – 6-7 senior center Peter Kalthoff, who averages 21.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Colts. They avenged their second loss of the season with a Regional Final win over Adrian Lenawee Christian.
Buckley (19-5) vs. Hillman (24-0) at Gaylord
This has been a long-awaited matchup in the northern Lower Peninsula, as reigning Class D runner-up Buckley has faced many of the best in Class C and D on its side of I-75. Seniors Denver Cade (16.5 ppg), Austin Harris (17) and Joey Weber (14.4) are all 1,000-point career scorers. Hillman has only two single-digit wins this season, although the latest was a four-pointer over league foe Mio in the Regional Final. This will be the Tigers’ second straight and third Quarterfinal in four seasons. Senior guard Jared Juergens (14.8 ppg) leads four players scoring at least 10 per game.
PHOTO: Flint Carman-Ainsworth's Ja'kavien Lewis looks to finish a drive against Midland this season. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
Promising Ypsilanti Aiming for Historic Finish
By
Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
January 7, 2016
By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
YPSILANTI – It was 30 minutes after Ypsilanti Community finished its victory over Flint Hamady on Tuesday, and 7-year-old Jaylon Allen was running around the court like any other ordinary 7-year-old.
As Ypsilanti basketball coach Steve Brooks watched him on the court, he spoke glowingly of the promise the youngster had in basketball.
“Mark this down, he can run my offense right now, and he’s 7,” Brooks said.
Eleven years ago, Brooks was in the same position, watching a young player with a ton of hope. That player was Corey Allen, older brother of Jaylon and star of Ypsilanti’s unbeaten team that has advanced to the Class A Quarterfinals two of the past three years.
“Corey has been around like that,” Brooks said, comparing the brothers. “At that time, his dad was our middle school coach, so he would go to the middle school practices.
“Corey has been our leading scorer since he hit campus. He started as a freshman, and we had guys like Jaylen Johnson and Janeau Joubert, and he led us in scoring. His first three games were 17, 27 and 25 as a 14-year-old.”
Mutual respect and admiration
The bond between Brooks and Allen has been a special one. Although Brooks is fond of all of his players, he admits that it is not unlike the relationship shared by Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and his star player Mateen Cleaves during Cleaves’ successful career that included an NCAA championship nearly two decades ago.
“He really is my Mateen Cleaves,” Brooks said, “but don’t get me wrong. We go at it. I’m a disciplinarian, and as they get older, they want to do the social things. We had a heart-to-heart last Sunday. He’s a Mr. Basketball candidate, and I needed him to step it up.
“He had kind of deferred to the other guys because he already has a scholarship, and he wants some of the other guys to get seen. I was like, ‘Corey, those other guys depend on you,’ and he’s back to the old Corey.”
Allen showed it Tuesday night against Flint Hamady. After Ypsilanti trailed by one at halftime, Allen broke a tie game in the third quarter with a long 3-pointer, then stole the ball and drove coast-to-coast for a layup and a quick five-point lead. The Grizzlies (5-0) never trailed after that.
“He’s been getting big baskets since I’ve known him,” Brooks said. “He had 45- and 50-point games in middle school, and he has led us in steals, so he’s just not a shooter.”
Allen, a 6-foot-3 guard, has committed to play at the University of Detroit Mercy, and although he admits that he is looking forward to playing in college, he is in no hurry for the high school portion of his career to end.
“Detroit Mercy was like a family when I went on my visit,” Allen said. “They took me in like I was a part of the team. The coach kept it real, and I really liked that, and I liked the players. I played against some of them in AAU circuit, so I know them well.
“But ever since I was in the eighth grade, I’ve wanted to win the state championship for Coach Brooks. All through high school, we’ve been making runs and coming up short. Now this is my senior year, and I’m pushing to make that happen.”
Allen speaks of Brooks much like Brooks speaks of him.
“Coach is a tough guy,” he said. “He wants the best out of all of us, and he pushes us the hardest. That’s why we love him. I love him to death. He’s a father figure to me.”
And vice versa.
“A lot of times he gets the brunt of a lot of stuff because he’s like a son to me,” Brooks said. “The expectations are really high, and the standards are really high for him. He’s a humble kid, and I’m really going to miss him after he leaves.”
Task at hand
Ypsilanti has never won an MHSAA championship in basketball. The team did make it to the Class A Finals in both 1968 and 1969 but lost both times. There was another great run during the late 1970s when the Phoenix won three consecutive Class A Regional titles before losing in the Quarterfinals.
After the 2012-13 school year, Ypsilanti and Willow Run merged to form Ypsilanti Community High School, and the Phoenix became the Grizzlies. That was Allen’s first year in high school and the start of the most recent run of success.
Allen is not only a leader on the court; he is a leader off the court as well. It was something he picked up on as a freshman.
“At first, I wasn’t the type to seek out to be a leader,” he said. “We had a lot of leaders when I was in ninth grade. I was very quiet and took the teaching from them and worked on everything all through my high school career.”
While Allen isn’t a one-man team, he is the one everyone looks up to.
“The kids love him,” Brooks said. “We go as he goes, and I try to explain that to him. Whether he wants it or not, the other guys all look up to him all the way down to the seventh grade. All the kids know who he is, and they respect him.”
Junior guard De’Money Gentry said Allen’s leadership skills are felt both on and off the court.
“He pushes us and makes us do our best all the time,” Gentry said. “If we’re messing up, he just tells us to keep our heads up and keep doing what we need to do.”
Allen is surrounded by a talented team that made it to the Class A Quarterfinals a year ago, losing to eventual champion Detroit Western International. The Grizzlies lost just two players off that team and have even more on the way as injuries have been a problem at the start of the season.
Marquis Smith, star quarterback who is being recruited by such schools as Iowa State, Syracuse and Cincinnati for football, did not play all last season because of a dislocated shoulder but is expected back soon.
“He really is like the spirit of the team,” Brooks said of Smith. “He brings a positive attitude and confidence, and when I’m down, he’s the kind of guy to come into the office and cheer me up.”
Smith attended Willow Run prior to the merger and is excited to be part of such a successful program.
“I like to be part of a positive program,” he said. “I can’t explain how it feels to be winning. It’s the way we click together like a brotherhood. We’re on the same page with each other, and we know what’s happening and what we are capable of doing on the court.”
Junior guard Jamezell Davis has given the team a scoring spark early in the season and should take some of the heat off Allen, and there is plenty of depth waiting to get healthy and eligible.
Starting forward Jalen Maxwell is trying to come back after a concussion, and center Josh Perkins is battling a back injury. Guard Marlin Talley, son of former Mr. Basketball Award winner and University of Michigan player Michael Talley, missed the game Tuesday with an illness.
And then there is guard RayJon Williams-Jackson, a starter from last year who is on crutches after suffering a knee ligament injury in football.
“He does all the tough stuff, so we miss him,” Brooks said. “He does all the dirty work.”
Brooks also anticipates a big addition in a few weeks when 6-foot-5 forward Michael Bruce becomes eligible. Bruce originally attended Willow Run but chose to move on to Belleville after the closure instead of coming to Ypsilanti Community. He will be eligible in two weeks.
“He’s going to make us a different team,” Brooks said. “We will be a real good team. We’ll be a more confident team because he’s real skilled.”
Best kind of wins
Brooks wants to win as much as anybody, but he sees the big picture. The players understand that, too.
“He teaches us how to be better young men off the court,” Allen said.
Brooks calls it “educational athletics.”
“They are great kids; we don’t have any issues,” he said. “They are always well-mannered, they don’t get technical fouls, they don’t talk back to officials or things like that, and I’m really proud of them in that regard.
“It is educational athletics on this level, and that is what some people kind of lose sight of. Of course you want to win, but you want to teach them lessons along the way.”
Brooks, who took over at Ypsilanti in 2003, is relishing the run the Grizzlies are having, and he says the future looks bright – even before the arrival of the 7-year-old prodigy whom Brooks says can run his offense right now.
But he’s not looking that far in advance.
“By then,” Brooks said, “I’ll probably be eating popcorn and be at the point where I can just come out and watch the games.”
Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Ypsilanti Community’s Corey Allen (5) goes to the basket during Tuesday’s win over Flint Hamady. (Middle) Grizzlies coach Steve Brooks huddles with his team during a break. (Below) Jamezell Davis (3) pushes the ball upcourt during a fastbreak Tuesday. (Photos by Betsy Howell.)