Class B Final: They leave as champions
March 24, 2012
EAST LANSING – Lansing Sexton coach Carlton Valentine described Saturday night how every one of his four senior starters fit into a puzzle the last three seasons.
All could star for most teams. But they each contributed a few outstanding skills that together pushed the Big Reds to one of the most dominating runs in MHSAA history.
Together one last time, they combined for a memorable closing performance in the Class B Final at the Breslin Center.
In its third-straight title game appearance, Sexton won its second-straight championship, downing Stevensville-Lakeshore 67-32 in the last game of the winter season.
“Not just winning, but winning with these guys, playing with these guys, is like a blessing,” Sexton senior Anthony Clemmons said. “To have guys around me chasing the same dream as me … I think everybody sacrificed something to win. And to have a winning coach too, you can’t forget him, having him (to) put us through a lot. We deserved it.”
The Big Reds finished 27-1 this season. On its own, that’s impressive enough. But consider:
Sexton’s 74 wins over three seasons is tied for sixth-most in MHSAA history for that long of a stretch.
The Big Reds went undefeated as the only Class B team among all Class As in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue, arguably the strongest league in the state this season.
They won all of their games by at least eight points, taking down Class A Semifinalist Romulus, highly-ranked Lansing Eastern twice, Class A Quarterfinalist Okemos twice and Class A reigning champion Kalamazoo Central, plus No. 4 Lansing Catholic and No. 3 Detroit Country Day during the postseason.
That only loss was by one, 81-80, to Detroit Pershing. The Doughboys were ranked No. 1 in Class A at the time.
“These guys have endured just so much pressure, being number one all year, being the number one team in the state of Michigan, regardless of class,” Sexton coach Carlton Valentine said.
“This was the number one basketball team in the state of Michigan.”
That the Big Reds would finish tops in Class B was well-established midway through the second quarter. Sexton rattled off 14 straight points and ended the first half on a 20-2 run that made the score 32-10.
And the Big Reds did so with the Iowa-bound Clemmons playing only 11 minutes because of a back injury suffered in the second quarter. Mr. Basketball runner-up Denzel Valentine capped a four-year varsity career with 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. He’ll next suit up for Michigan State. Senior Bryn Forbes, who has signed with Cleveland State, scored a game-high 19 points. Junior forward Jalen Hayes, who has emerged as the team’s star-in-waiting over the last two seasons, had 12 points.
“That’s one of the best high school basketball teams I’ve seen in the state of Michigan,” Lakeshore coach Sean Schroeder said. “For us to compete at a better level tonight, we had to make some shots. When you shoot 23 percent for the ball game, it’s difficult to compete with a team that good.”
Lakeshore (24-3) entered the tournament ranked No. 7 and was playing in its first MHSAA Final.
“I think what I’ll remember about this team the most is we always played tough no matter what game it was. We never gave up today,” Lancers senior Loren Johnson said. “I’ll always remember making it to Breslin, the championship game. And I’ll always remember this loss too. It’s not a good feeling. But I’m glad we made it here.”
Sexton finished its first trip to Breslin of this recent string with a loss to Detroit Country Day in the 2010 Final.
The Big Reds have won four games at MSU since – but will try to come back next season without Denzel Valentine, Clemmons, Forbes and Jeff Cain, those four starters who have played together since elementary school.
“I think we’re pretty good. I don’t know about the greatest ever. But we put a lot of hard work in,” Forbes said. “These guys have been grinding ever since I met them, 11 years ago. But yeah, I think we’ll go down as one of the greatest.”
Click for box score or to watch the game and press conferences at MHSAA.tv.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sexton players pose for photos after receiving their medals and trophy for winning the Class B championship. (Middle) Big Reds freshman Trevor Manuel slammed down two of his five points. (Bottom) Bryn Forbes led Sexton with 19 points, including two on this dunk. (See more at Terry McNamara Photography.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 8
January 30, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A record nearly 60 years old was toppled last week by Powers North Central. Now Beaverton is readying to celebrate a new winningest coach in MHSAA basketball history.
Those have been the headline grabbers in boys hoops over the last few weeks, and of course we touch on both below in this week’s Breslin Bound report powered by MI Student Aid. But there was plenty else to discuss too as we came out of halftime of this boys basketball season into a final dash full of exciting possibilities.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Powers North Central 76, Bark River-Harris 29 – The Jets have brought a lot of attention to their small community and Upper Peninsula basketball as a whole thanks to what this win earned them – an MHSAA record with 66 straight victories going back more than two seasons and including two Class D title runs.
2. Detroit Catholic Central 52, Detroit U-D Jesuit 51 – This was the first of two banner wins last week for the Shamrocks (who also downed Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 70-54); last season, DCC fell to the eventual Class A champion Cubs by 21 and 35.
3. Flint Carman-Ainsworth 52, Saginaw 45 – The Saginaw Valley League North-leading Cavaliers handed the South-leading Trojans this loss, avenging last season’s 20-point Regional defeat.
4. Detroit Edison PSA 99, Detroit East English 81 – After losing to East English by 20 on Jan. 10, DEPSA stunned the 10-2 Bulldogs to improve to only 5-7 but with three wins over its last four games.
5. Lansing Catholic 76, Williamston 72 – These two split the Capital Area Activities Conference White championship last season, but this counts as an upset after the Hornets (10-2) beat Lansing Catholic by 21 during the first week of this winter.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Melvindale (9-2) – The Cardinals have won seven straight since opening 2-2 and downed Brownstown Woodhaven 73-66 on Friday in a matchup of teams that entered undefeated in Downriver League play. Woodhaven is the reigning league champ, but Melvindale has an upper hand with this their only meeting of the season.
Sterling Heights (10-1) – The Stallions have taken major strides this winter after going 6-15 last season and winning a combined 13 games over the last three. That lone loss this run was in double overtime to Marysville, which they trail in the Macomb Area Conference Silver but face again Wednesday.
CLASS B
Fennville (9-2) – A three-point win over Gobles on Dec. 13 has kept Fennville atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore, and the Blackhawks can stretch the lead as they face the Tigers again Tuesday. Fennville is playing this season for a third straight league title, and the only losses were by one to Grand Rapids Covenant Christian and nine to Class A Byron Center.
Onsted (9-2) – The Wildcats sent 6-foot-10 Austin Davis to University of Michigan after last season’s league and District title runs. But after opening 2-2, they’re in position again to make things interesting in the Lenawee County Athletic Association; those losses came to Dundee and Hillsdale, and Onsted beat Dundee last week and sees Hillsdale again Tuesday.
CLASS C
Iron Mountain (11-1) – Last season’s Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference co-champion (with Negaunee) has been chasing all season after falling to current leader Norway by four on Dec. 16. The Mountaineers – which beat Negaunee by four last week – get Norway again Feb. 10.
Sand Creek (11-0) – The Aggies downed second-place Ottawa Lake Whiteford 70-53 on Tuesday to move into first place alone in the Tri-County Conference. Those teams tied for fourth in the league last season when Sand Creek finished 11-11 overall, but it’s allowed only one opponent to get within 10 points this winter.
CLASS D
Bellaire (9-1) – The reigning Ski Valley Conference champion already has a two-game lead on the field after handing Pellston a 64-57 defeat on Jan. 19. The Eagles took a loss on opening night to Harbor Springs 40-37, but have looked more since like the team that made last season’s Quarterfinals.
Southfield Christian (8-2) – After playing, and winning a pair of District titles, in Class C the last two seasons, Southfield Christian is back in Class D. The two losses came during the season’s first three games to Class A Ann Arbor Pioneer and U-D Jesuit, and the Eagles beat Class A West Bloomfield by 10 on Tuesday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Romulus (8-2) at Dearborn Heights Crestwood (10-2) – The Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue has three teams with only two losses, and Crestwood sees the other two this week starting with the league leader.
Wednesday – Farwell (2-7) at Beaverton (10-1) – A win would give Beavers coach Roy Johnston 729 for his career, breaking the Michigan high school record set by River Rouge’s Lofton Greene from 1942-84.
Wednesday – Cornerstone Health/Technology (7-2) at River Rouge (12-0) – Cornerstone has played some tough competition and could be a challenger in Class C, and we expect to know more from this matchup.
Friday – Detroit East English (10-2) at Detroit Martin Luther King (10-2) – East English can still claim a share of the Detroit PSL East Division 1 title from the Crusaders and won the first meeting 71-57.
Saturday – Flint Beecher (9-3) vs. Ypsilanti Community (9-3) at Delta College – This matchup of teams with high aspirations is the most intriguing of the Delta College Showcase.
PHOTO: North Central's Marcus Krachinski (3) battles with Bark River-Harris defender Nick Lippens in the paint during the first half Friday night at Powers. (Photo by Keith Shelton.)