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 1
December 14, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
One week can tell only so much about a season just beginning. But plenty of hopeful Michigan high school boys teams hope last week's successes are an indication of more to come.
Each week during the regular season, we’ll glance at four teams from each class that have caught our attention, and this week's list includes a handful off to bounce-back starts. Results and records below are based on schedules posted at MHSAA.com.
Class A
Ann Arbor Pioneer (3-0) – Pioneer improved from six wins two seasons ago to 12 in 2014-15, and is a quarter of the way there again after a week that included a 71-64 overtime win over rival Skyline; Pioneer beat Skyline in the District last year after losing twice to the Eagles during the regular season.
Caledonia (2-0) – The Fighting Scots won close last week, 49-47 over Hastings and 73-67 over Byron Center, a couple of victories worth celebrating as the team works to rebound off a 5-16 finish from a year ago.
Grand Rapids Union (2-0) – After ending 9-13 last winter, Union could be a candidate for significant improvement as well; the Red Hawks opened with a 53-39 win over reigning Class C runner-up Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian and followed with a 54-53 nail-biter over Detroit Loyola.
Lake Orion (2-0) – The improvement has been immediate for the Dragons, who defeated Linden 66-62 and then Romeo 71-52; last season they won three games total and didn’t get their first victory until Feb. 4.
Class B
Coldwater (2-0) – Coming off the best football season in school history, the Cardinals are keeping the good times rolling; a year ago, an overtime loss to Marshall in the season’s second game started a 10-game losing streak and Coldwater finished 5-16, but this time the Cardinals followed another opening-night win over Battle Creek Lakeview with an 80-73 win over the Redhawks.
Chelsea (2-0) – Fresh off its first trip to the MHSAA Football Finals, Chelsea (9-13 a season ago) kicked off the winter with a 55-45 win over Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard and 50-39 win over a Milan team that made it to the Class B Semifinals in March.
Croswell-Lexington (1-0) – Last week’s 39-35 victory over Marine City was only one, but significant after the Pioneers finished 5-16 a year ago and didn’t win their first game until Jan. 9. They’ll look to get to 2-0 tonight against Memphis.
Lansing Catholic (2-0) – The Cougars quickly switched gears after a Semifinal football run to open with wins over nonleague rival Okemos (50-44) and Capital Area Activities Conference White rival Williamston (72-69 in overtime), the team it tied for the league title last season.
Class C
Addison (2-0) – The Panthers finished a 12-12 season strong last winter with a District title, and started this one similarly by defeating Hudson (44-42) and Quincy (40-37) after losing to Quincy by 40 points the last time they met.
Detroit Allen Academy (1-0) – Detroit Allen played only once last week, but made a statement with a 107-79 win over Class A Southfield; the Wildcats were 11-11 a year ago.
Flint Beecher (3-0) – What a way to start a new season: Beat a local rival in Flint Southwestern (77-49) and raise last season’s championship banner on opening night, then down Montrose 65-41 and Class A Detroit East English 72-69.
Johannesburg-Lewiston (2-0) – A year has made a difference for these Cardinals as well, as they beat Boyne Falls on opening night after losing by 25 to the same opponent in December 2014 on the way to finishing a solid 16-7.
Class D
Chassell (2-0) – After starting last season 0-3, the Panthers are off to a quick start to improving on last season’s 7-14 finish. They downed Watersmeet 84-53 and Baraga 64-61 after losing to them by 35 and 23 points, respectively, a year ago.
Hillman (2-0) – The Tigers are hoping to build on last season’s Quarterfinal run, which ended with a loss to eventual champion Powers North Central; they started this time with a 60-43 win over Cedarville, which lost only once last season and beat Hillman by 15 on opening night 2014.
Portland St. Patrick (2-0) – The Shamrocks are seeking their first winning season since 2011-12 and are off to the right start with victories over Morrice (39-34) and Bellevue (52-50). Brandon Schreurer made six 3-pointers against the Broncos.
Rogers City (2-0) – The Hurons started 2-0 last season too en route to 8-13. But if the second win of last week is an indication, this will be different as Rogers City broke 80 points for the first time since 2012 with an 87-54 victory over Posen.
PHOTO: Standish-Sterling also opened 2-0 with a win over Ogemaw Heights followed by this victory over Beal City. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)