Calvin Christian Follows Hot Hand in C
March 24, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Grandville Calvin Christian’s success is built on team basketball, feeding the hottest hands at opportune times.
Smoke might have been rising off Tony DeWitte’s fingers during the first half of Thursday’s Class C Semifinal against McBain at the Breslin Center.
The 6-foot-2 senior guard made 10 of 11 shots during the first half for 26 points, and Calvin Christian opened up a lead that stayed in double digits for good over the final 20 minutes to advance to Saturday’s championship game with a 65-42 win.
DeWitte finished with 31 points on 12 of 15 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, and had both of his assists late as the game crept out of reach for the previously-undefeated Ramblers.
“I came out shooting with confidence. The ball was going in, and my teammates found me, got me open,” DeWitte said. “The rim feels two times bigger like that. The ball keeps going in, and it’s great.”
Allow Calvin Christian coach Ryan Stevens to elaborate.
“When he gets hot like that, his teammates know that,” Stevens added. “We have a lot of kids who can do that. They find each other when they are hot, and the thing about Tony is he can score so many different ways. You’ll see him score inside, outside, off the dribble, off the pass, off a screen, off a back cut. He’s just a very good scorer all-around, very hard to defend.”
Calvin Christian (21-4), unranked at the start of the postseason, will face reigning champion Flint Beecher at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The Squires will be playing for their first championship since 1994 after reaching the Semifinals for the first time since that season.
DeWitte entered this week as his team’s leading scorer at 18.2 points per game, and Stevens said his standout shooter’s Thursday performance wasn’t rare – he and DeWitte’s teammates have been witness to that kind of scoring outburst going back to when his seniors were finishing up elementary school.
But it certainly seemed to knock McBain a bit off its game, as the No. 3 Ramblers never warmed up offensively and gave up more than 60 points for the first time since giving up that exact number in the season opener.
“We tried some different things. They hit everything,” McBain coach Bruce Koopman said. “They executed extremely well, and that gave them excellent opportunities to get back and play defense on us. I thought there was a time when (the deficit) was 10, and we got three or four stops in a row. But we didn’t capitalize. Maybe if we’d gotten a few of those to close the gap, it would’ve been different.”
Senior guard Braden Stevens added 10 points and seven assists for Calvin Christian, which made an incredible 60 percent of its shots from the floor after opening with a blistering 70-percent success rate during the first half.
Junior guard Logan Eling had 18 points to lead McBain (26-1), while junior center Craig Sterk had nine points and eight rebounds and senior guard Cole Powell added nine points and six rebounds.
Calvin Christian (21-4) was prepared for elite competition after facing a league schedule that included two matchups with reigning Class B champion Wyoming Godwin Heights and two more against last season’s Class C runner-up, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian. The Squires lost all four of those games, but came back to beat NorthPointe in the District Final.
“We always talk about ladders, and at the beginning of the season it felt like we were midway up the ladder,” Stevens said. “A lot of teams get there when the tournament starts, but it felt like we were already up there midway through the season.
“We had a couple of losses to Godwin and NorthPointe, and we weren’t satisfied with our record. (So) we wanted to work toward the end of the season.”
The Boys Basketball Finals are presented by Sparrow Health System.
PHOTOS: Calvin Christian’s Tony DeWitte (20) pushes the ball upcourt during Thursday’s first Class C Semifinal. (Middle) The Squires’ Braden Stevens (10) works to stay in front of McBain’s Logan Eling.
Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Boys Report Week 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 19, 2022
Warren may be the place to be in Michigan high school boys basketball as we close in on the end of 2022.
Our two most notable wins from this past week were by Warren-based teams on the rise. Our most intriguing game this week is a rematch of last season’s Division 1 Final, won by another notable Warren hoops power.
Of course, great basketball is being played all over the state, and we name a number of others who have impressed so far or will have some great opportunities to do so over holiday break.
“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. Warren Michigan Collegiate 45, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 44 While Michigan Collegiate (3-1) had its share of on-court success last season and lost to Warren De La Salle Collegiate by only seven earlier this month, this was a major statement by the Division 2 Cougars with St. Mary’s (1-1) expected to contend in Division 1.
2. Warren Lincoln 56, North Farmington 55 Lincoln similarly won 19 games last season and looks ready to join the Division 2 elite after handing North Farmington (4-1) its only loss.
3. Kalamazoo Central 63, Saginaw 61 Central’s annual Don Jackson Invitational concluded with the Maroon Giants (4-0) remaining undefeated with a close win over the Trojans (3-2).
4. Grand Rapids Christian 58, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 50 The Eagles (3-0) avenged a 25-point Regional Semifinal loss from last season, plus a three-point regular-season defeat to the Cougars (0-2).
5. Detroit Edison 56, River Rouge 54 After losses to two teams that are currently 4-1, the Pioneers (1-2) got on the board at the Northville Showcase, handing River Rouge (2-1) its lone defeat.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Ann Arbor Skyline (3-0) The Eagles face some significant competition to finish out 2022, but they look up to the challenge. They’re coming off a 17-6 finish last season and picked up an especially solid win Friday, 52-49 in overtime over Ann Arbor Pioneer after those two split last winter. West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Port Huron Northern to finish this month are opportunities to see where Skyline stands.
Port Huron Northern (3-0) The Huskies ended 15-6 last season after a 1-3 start, and they’ve begun this winter on the much different note starting with a 17-point win over Clinton Township Chippewa Valley at the MAC Champions Classic. After defeating rival Port Huron on Thursday, Northern capped the week Saturday with a 60-56 win over Croswell-Lexington – which entered this season a combined 61-4 over the last three.
DIVISION 2
Flint Hamady (2-0) The Hawks got things started last week with an 87-62 win over Genesee Christian – a Division 4 semifinalist last season. Hamady then defeated Flint Southwestern by 33 the next day, and could be primed to take another step after improving from 2-10 in 2020-21 to finishing 15-7 and reaching the Regional Finals in March.
Hart (4-0) The Pirates have improved from four to five to seven wins the last three seasons, respectively, and they’re well on their way to building on those totals again. The most impressive of this start was the most recent – 92-84 on Thursday over previously-undefeated Big Rapids, an 18-game winner last season.
DIVISION 3
Niles Brandywine (4-0) Last season’s 13-6 run ended with a District-opening loss to Buchanan, but Brandywine avenged it Friday with a 51-40 win over the Bucks. Brandywine was the champion in the final season of the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red and hopes to carry that success into the new Lakeland Athletic Conference, which includes BCS Red opponents Buchanan and Berrien Springs as well.
Vassar (3-0) A 2-4 run to end last season put the Vulcans at 9-13 overall, but they’ve turned that around to start this fall. One of those final defeats last season came to Harbor Beach, but Vassar opened this winter with a 59-57 win over the Pirates before defeating Marlette by five and then winning big last week against Mayville.
DIVISION 4
Indian River Inland Lakes (3-0) The Bulldogs have made a strong impression already this season after going 8-13 in 2021-22. Inland Lakes opened with a 64-62 win over Harbor Springs to avenge one loss from last winter, then avenged two more by downing Johannesburg-Lewiston by 41 last week. They’ll have another chance to avenge with a trip Wednesday to Rogers City.
Mackinaw City (3-0) The Comets made major noise last week when their 71-56 win over Ellsworth ended the Lancers’ 61-game Northern Lakes Conference winning streak. Mackinaw City was second last season in the NLC – and 13-8 overall – and also has avenged a last-year loss to Onaway early this winter.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Warren De La Salle Collegiate (4-0) at Grand Blanc (2-0) – This is a rematch of last season’s Division 1 championship game, won by De La Salle 67-58.
Dec. 28 – Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (4-0) vs. River Rouge (2-1) at North Farmington – This high-profile matchup helps start the North Farmington Holiday Extravaganza.
Dec. 28 – Bridgeport (4-0) vs. East Lansing (2-1) at St. Clair County Community College – This sets up as the most intriguing matchup of the SC4 Showcase.
Dec. 30 – Warren De La Salle Collegiate (4-0) vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (0-2) at Ferndale – This Motor City Roundball Classic matchup pits the reigning Division 1 champion Pilots and Division 2 runner-up Cougars.
Dec. 30 – Detroit Cass Tech (2-0) vs. Grand Rapids Northview (3-0) at Ferndale – Another Motor City matchup pits teams that combined for 46 wins and two Regional titles last season.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews 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 A Davison player looks for an open teammate while surrounded by Saginaw Arthur Hill defenders Dec. 13. The Cardinals won 66-51. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)