Class D: Follow the Blue and Yellow Road
March 22, 2012
EAST LANSING – The blue and yellow brick road was paved with character and hard work.
So read T-shirts worn by Climax-Scotts basketball players making their first appearance at the MHSAA Semifinals on Thursday.
How excited is the school much better known for its nine straight football playoff appearances? The rest of those shirts sold out to the student body in less than a day.
And that yellow haze swallowed up the Panthers as they celebrated a 52-44 win over Carney-Nadeau that earned Climax-Scotts its first berth in an MHSAA hoops championship game.
“It means the world to do something nobody in the history of our school has done before. The feeling’s pretty much indescribable,” Climax-Scotts senior guard Brandon Eshuis said. “Our student body probably wanted this just as bad as we did. … We had a huge crowd and a huge support group, and it really helped us.”
The No. 5 Panthers (26-1) will face No. 7 Southfield Christian in the Final at 10 a.m. Saturday.
They advanced by taking advantage of a few big ones.
Carney-Nadeau’s tallest player was just 6-foot-1, good news for Climax-Scotts’ 6-7 junior Aaron Cook (12 points, 14 rebounds) and 6-7 all-state senior Malachi Satterlee (12 points, nine rebounds). Total, the Panthers outscored Carney-Nadeau 28-6 in the paint.
The Wolves also have relied almost solely on five players for the last two weeks and never subbed in the Semifinal. Climax-Scotts looked a little worn at the end Thursday night – but went on a 9-3 run over two minutes to turn a three-point lead into a 49-40 advantage with 1:08 to play.
What Carney-Nadeau (23-3) does best is shoot from outside, and "3-pointer" became the buzzward among the Panthers over the two days leading up to the game. Climax-Scotts’ second stringers were given green lights to shoot from NBA 3-point range at practice Wednesday in an attempt to imitate what the team would see.
“We had anticipated shooters, and they were just amazing when we got here,” Panthers coach Steve Critchlow said.
Wolves junior Wade Schetter scored 15 points, with three 3-pointers, while senior Keenan Lampinen added 12 points and senior Lucas Moreau scored 13. All three took at least 15 shots from the floor. But as a whole, the team made only 29 percent.
“This has been a long two weeks for us, with tough games night in and night out,” Carney-Nadeau coach Jason Polfus said. “Maybe the kids were worn out a little bit. But they stuck it out today. They kept fighting today, and I can’t say enough about that.”
Click for box score or to watch the game and press conferences at MHSAA.tv.
PHOTO: Climax-Scott's Aaron Cook attempts to block a shot by Carney-Nadeau's Lucas Moreau on Thursday. Cook blocked two shots in the game. (Photo courtesy of Terry McNamara Photography.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 6
January 16, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
As conference races begin to heat up on both peninsulas, the best of the best are starting to show it against arguably their toughest opponents – those most familiar.
Our top game from last week in this week's Breslin Bound report – powered by MI Student Aid – features two such neighbors facing off again as they have for decades, while a number of rivals also saw each other for the first of two meetings this season.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Saginaw 62, Saginaw Arthur Hill 49 – This annually is one of the state’s best rivalries, and the Trojans have the edge in the Saginaw Valley League North with the rematch coming Feb. 3.
2. Detroit East English 73, Kalamazoo Central 63 – After being stunned by Detroit Osborn on Friday, East English came back to win the premier game of the Floyd Mayweather Classic at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills on Saturday.
3. Wyoming Godwin Heights 114, Wyoming Kelloggsville 75 – The Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver includes three teams from Wyoming that are a combined 20-2, but Godwin Heights remains the leader at 8-0.
4. East Lansing 70, Holt 66 – The undefeated Trojans should be contenders in Class A, and now have survived a second challenge in the strong Capital Area Activities Conference Blue.
5. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 56, St. Clair 38 – Lake Shore, sitting in first place in the Macomb Area Conference Silver, handed then-MAC Gold leader St. Clair its first loss.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Saginaw (7-1) – The Trojans opted up to play in Class A again despite an enrollment of just fewer than 600. And they’ll again be in the mix, judging from last week’s 62-49 win over Arthur Hill; the lone loss was to Chicago Orr, which also has wins over Detroit Martin Luther King and Pershing.
Wayne Memorial (7-1) – After finishing 8-14 only a season ago, Wayne has asserted itself atop the Kensington Lakes Activities Association South. Friday’s one-point win over Canton put the Zebras in first alone and the Chiefs in second.
CLASS B
Benton Harbor (9-0) – The Tigers are looking like a challenger in Class B again after a step back, relatively speaking, to 15-6 last season. Last week showed plenty – a 55-45 win over Class A Battle Creek Central and an overtime win over struggling but recently successful Stevensville Lakeshore.
Richmond (7-1) – Better known for football and wrestling, Richmond finished third in the Blue Water Area Conference last season but has an early leg up with a win over co-champion Imlay City and that other co-champ, Yale, coming up Tuesday.
CLASS C
Gobles (8-2) – The Tigers’ defeats have come to Class B one-loss teams Fennville and Wyoming Lee, and they are closing in on last season’s 12-win total. The rematch with Fennville comes Jan. 31 and could end up deciding the champion in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore.
Negaunee (7-0) – The Miners have won all of their games by at least 16 and six by at least 21 points to keep pace with also-undefeated Norway in the Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference. Negaunee split the league title last year with Iron Mountain, winning its first 19 before losing its final two games.
CLASS D
Fowler (6-1) – The Eagles took a mid-December loss to Bath, but remain the mix in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference after last week’s 63-56 win over rival and 2016 Class D semifinalist Fulton.
Deckerville (6-2) – These Eagles are looking to challenge Dryden again after splitting the North Central Thumb League title last season, and will circle the March 2 rematch with the Class C Cardinals after falling to them Dec. 12.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Negaunee (7-0) at Marquette (7-1) – Two Upper Peninsula league leaders will face off in one of the north’s top nonleague matchups this season.
Tuesday – Detroit Martin Luther King (6-1) at Detroit East English (7-1) – First place in the Detroit Public School League East Division 1, and superiority in the league as a whole, could be at stake.
Tuesday – Buckley (5-0) at Frankfort (5-0) – The Northwest Conference co-leaders are also potentially two of the best in all of Class D.
Tuesday – Dundee (9-0) at Hillsdale (8-0) – These two lead the Lenawee County Athletic Association and also are rising up the ranks in Class B.
Tuesday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (7-1) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (6-2) – The Eaglets are in the Detroit Catholic League Central conversation again, and can take a commanding step against the reigning Class A champion.
PHOTO: Deckerville, attempting a shot, earned a win over Sandusky earlier this season and sit 6-2. (Click to see more from Varsity Monthly.)