Class B: Moves like Magic
March 23, 2012
EAST LANSING – The first time Detroit Country Day faced this Lansing Sexton team during a Finals weekend, the Yellowjackets won an MHSAA championship.
But coach Kurt Keener knew that night in 2010 wouldn’t be the last his team would run into these Big Reds.
The rematch came in last season’s Semifinals – a Sexton win that was a little about revenge, but more about earning a chance to break a 51-season title drought.
When the top-ranked Big Reds faced No. 3 Country Day in yet another Semifinal on Friday, it was about finishing one of the most incredible two-season runs in MHSAA history. And Sexton earned that opportunity with a 74-59 win.
“We’ve come a long way since we started this out our sophomore year,” said Sexton senior Jeff Cain, one of six current Big Reds who played on the 2010 team. “We had a shaky start, 6-4 I think, and people started to doubt us. But we had a team meeting, we got it together, and we’ve been on a roll ever since.”
In the Lansing basketball community, that team meeting has become legendary. It’s impossible to argue with the results.
Since falling to Country Day 71-47 in the 2010 Class B Final, Sexton has gone 52-3 and won its first MHSAA title – last season, also in Class B – since 1960. Now the Big Reds will face No. 7 Stevensville Lakeshore in the last championship game of the winter, at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Keener has seen more than most over 34 seasons and 653 wins. So when he raves, it comes with an extra punch.
His biggest Friday came for Sexton’s 6-foot-6 senior Denzel Valentine, this season’s Associated Press Class B Player of the Year and a Michigan State recruit. He had 12 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and five steals – and drew a Keener comparison as the best big passing guard since Lansing Everett legend Magic Johnson.
Senior Anthony Clemmons (Iowa) led with 21 points, and senior guard Bryn Forbes (Cleveland State) followed with 19. Junior forward Jalen Hayes added 12. Total, the Big Reds shot 59 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Yellowjackets by 12. Sexton led by at least 10 for the final 15:31.
“We played a tough schedule, but that’s the best basketball team we’ve played this season,” Keener said. “They have no weakness. They have no weak player."
And yet, the Big Reds (26-1) made enough mistakes – like 19 turnovers – to look forward at Saturday’s Final with some added motivation.
“You don’t always win pretty,” Sexton coach Carlton Valentine said. “(But) I don’t give them enough credit. They work hard. They execute the game player. They find a way to win games. We weren’t the smartest offensively tonight, but we made plays when we needed to.”
Country Day finished 21-6. Senior Robert Puleikis led the Yellowjackets with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Austin Price had 11 points and sophomore Edmond Price had 10.
Click for box score or to watch the game and press conferences at MHSAA.tv.
PHOTO: Sexton senior Jeff Cain drives past Country Day senior Robert Puleikis during Friday's Semifinal. (Photo courtesy of Terry McNamara Photography.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 10
February 4, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Last week from a boys basketball point of view was one to mostly forget, as just about every team statewide was forced to postpone one if not more games – bad news as we’re less than a month from the start of District play.
But thanks in part to a memorable event at Grand Rapids Union on Saturday, we closed on a high note – and there are plenty of critical league matchups this week to get us rolling again.
Breslin Bound is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. To offer corrections or fill in scores we’re missing, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Benton Harbor 86, Ypsilanti Lincoln 83 – Another week, another big-time matchup for the Tigers, and this time they moved to 15-1 by handing Lincoln just its second loss of the season in the headlining game of the Redhawks Showcase at Grand Rapids Union.
2. Grand Rapids Christian 57, Kalamazoo Central 54 (OT) – Not to be outdone at Union, Grand Rapids Christian sank a halfcourt buzzer beater to break a two-game losing streak.
3. Muskegon 56, Grand Blanc 53 – Also at Union, the Big Reds won their seventh straight in handing the Saginaw Valley League-leading Bobcats a defeat.
4. Milford 37, Walled Lake Northern 34 – The Mavericks handed Northern their first loss of the season, in part leading Waterford Kettering to secure a shared championship in the Lakes Valley Conference.
5. Westland John Glenn 67, Wayne Memorial 63 – John Glenn finished a regular-season sweep of Wayne to create a three-way tie for first in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East between those two and Belleville.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
• Canton (13-1) – The Chiefs can lock up a share of the KLAA West title Tuesday against second-place (tied) Northville, which they beat by 19 on Dec. 20. Canton has won 24 straight league games, including a perfect run last season through the former KLAA Black. Canton also has won 13 straight this winter since falling to reigning Class C champion Detroit Edison by just three points, 69-66, in its opener.
• Okemos (14-1) – A loss three weeks ago to Detroit Catholic Central has been the only detour from an otherwise perfect run for Okemos this winter. The Chiefs can lock up a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title – which would be their second straight – with wins this week over Holt and East Lansing.
DIVISION 2
• Dearborn Divine Child (11-3) – The Falcons guaranteed themselves at least a share of the Detroit Catholic League AA championship Saturday with a 61-58 win over former leader Detroit Loyola – which had defeated Divine Child by six in overtime on Jan. 4. The title is the Falcons’ third straight either shared or outright, and the team’s only other losses are to Edison and another league leader in Rochester Adams.
• Grand Rapids South Christian (11-3) – A dramatic finish put Grand Rapids Christian among our top-five results above, but South Christian’s 56-50 win over the Eagles on Friday could end up much more significant. It avenged the Sailors’ loss in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 4, and put South Christian in first in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold as well as extended an eight-game winning streak since that defeat.
DIVISION 3
• Detroit Pershing (14-1) – The Doughboys finished a 10-0 run through the Detroit Public School League East-Town heading into this week’s PSL tournament. Pershing could be making some big plans over the next two months – the only loss this winter came by four to Toledo Scott, and an overtime win over Ypsilanti Arbor Prep early remains impressive. And don’t forget, Pershing’s 2017-18 season ended with a pretty strong six-point defeat to Edison in a Regional Semifinal.
• Oscoda (14-0) – The Owls won eight games two seasons ago and 14 last winter, and they’re guaranteed to at least equal that finish as they close in on an anticipated North Star League Big Dipper championship. Oscoda downed second-place Mio on Friday for the second time this season, 41-34, and after winning the first meeting by two points.
DIVISION 4
• Carsonville-Port Sanilac (11-2) – The Tigers lead the North Central Thumb League Stripes title chase and have won nine straight games after opening the season 2-2. Carsonville-Port Sanilac finished just 6-14 a year ago and has guaranteed its first winning season since 2012-13.
• Frankfort (10-2) – The Panthers trail Northwest Conference leader Maple City Glen Lake by just a game heading into their rematch Thursday – Glen Lake won the first meeting by 25 on Jan. 9. Frankfort’s only other loss came Dec. 12 to Elk Rapids, a contender in the Lake Michigan Conference, as the annual success has continued under first-year coach Daniel Loney.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Martin (9-1) at Coloma (8-4) – These two are tied for first in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore after Coloma’s win Friday over another former co-leader Fennville.
Tuesday – Hudsonville Unity Christian (12-2) at Holland Christian (11-2) – Unity Christian can’t lock up the O-K Green title yet, but only one of its league games has been decided by single digits and the Crusaders won the first meeting of this series by 21 on Jan. 8.
Tuesday – Kalamazoo Central (9-2) at Mattawan (11-0) – The first-place team in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West hosts the leader of the SMAC East.
Tuesday – Kalamazoo Hackett (11-1) at Schoolcraft (13-1) – Thanks to a 16-point win in their first meeting Dec. 18, Hackett owns a slim lead over Schoolcraft in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley.
Saturday – New Lothrop (10-3) at Mount Morris (10-2) – Mount Morris is tied for first during this inaugural season for the Mid-Michigan Athletic Conference, but New Lothrop is just a game behind and also sees co-leader Ovid-Elsie again.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau 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, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: Okemos, here against Lansing Waverly, can clinch a league title with a pair of wins this week. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)