D1 Preview: Follow the Fan Favorites
March 13, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Friday's first Semifinals – formerly Class A, now Division 1 – always are the most popular ticket of Boys Basketball Finals weekend.
But you’ll want to get to Breslin Center especially early to see this season’s contenders.
It’s no secret that fans statewide are eager to see Ypsilanti Lincoln freshman Emoni Bates. But local Okemos no doubt will bring a big crowd as well. Howell, just down I-96, should too as it plays in its first Semifinal in more than 90 years. And Detroit U-D Jesuit always seems to bring a following, led by a festive student section.
Division 1 Semifinals – Friday
Howell (20-6) vs. Ypsilanti Lincoln (21-4), Noon
Detroit U-D Jesuit (24-2) vs. Okemos (23-2), 2 p.m.
Division 1 Final – Saturday, 12:15 p.m.
Tickets cost $10 per pair of Semifinals and $10 per two-game Finals session (Divisions 4 and 1). All Semifinals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv and viewable on a pay-per-view basis. The Divisions 2, 3 and 4 championship games will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit’s primary channel, while the Division 1 Final will be shown live on Fox Sports Detroit PLUS. All four championship games will be streamed live on FoxSportsDetroit.com and the FOX Sports app. Free radio broadcasts of all weekend games will be available on MHSAANetwork.com.
Below is a glance at all four semifinalists. Click on the name of the school to see that team’s full schedule and results from this season. (Statistics are through teams' Regional Finals.)
DETROIT U-D JESUIT
Record/rank: 24-2, No. 1
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Pat Donnelly, 11th season (207-53)
Championship history: Class A champion 2016.
Best wins: 91-54 over honorable mention Roseville in Quarterfinal, 79-59 over honorable mention Detroit Cass Tech, 70-69 over Division 3 No. 1 Flint Beecher, 54-47 over Detroit Edison.
Players to watch: Daniel Friday, 6-4 sr. G/F (16.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 bpg); Jalen Thomas, 6-10 F/C (12.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 3.5 bpg).
Outlook: The Cubs have reached at least the Quarterfinals six seasons straight and won their six playoff games this winter by an average of 27 points per. Jesuit hasn’t lost since Jan. 5, and it’s only instate defeat was Dec. 1 to Division 2 No. 1 New Haven. Friday and Thomas earned all-state honorable mentions last season and senior guard Caleb Hunter (9.6 ppg) made the all-state first team in Class D. Senior guard Julian Dozier adds 12.8 ppg and leads the team at 5.9 assists per contest.
HOWELL
Record/rank: 20-6, unranked
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Nick Simon, seventh season (108-55)
Championship history: Class B runner-up 1927.
Best wins: 57-56 over No. 5 Saginaw in Quarterfinal, 59-46 over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Regional Semifinal, 55-49 over Linden in District Final, 58-57 over Wayne Memorial.
Players to watch: Josh Palo, 6-2 sr. G (17.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.7 apg); Tony Honkala, 6-2 jr. G/F (10.2 ppg).
Outlook: Howell played its first Quarterfinal since 2014 on Tuesday to earn its first trip to the Semifinals since 1927. The Highlanders have won 14 of their last 16 games, the only losses during that time both to No. 3 Canton, and while giving up 50 or more points only four times during the run. Palo earned an all-state honorable mention last season and is one of four seniors in the starting lineup.
OKEMOS
Record/rank: 23-2, honorable mention
League finish: First in Capital Area Activities Conference Blue
Coach: Jeff Wonch, seventh season (101-58)
Championship history: Class B champion 1982 & 1981, Class A runner-up 2006.
Best wins: 50-45 over East Kentwood in Quarterfinal, 39-34 (Regional Final), 56-41 and 41-35 over DeWitt, 72-28 over Howell.
Players to watch: Evan Thomas, 6-4 sr. G/F (17.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), Noah Pruitt, 5-9 jr. G (10.7 ppg, 3.0 apg).
Outlook: Okemos is returning to the Semifinals for the first time since the runner-up run in 2006, although Wonch has been to Breslin a little more recently – he led Bath to the Class C championship in 2007. The Chiefs only losses this season were Detroit Catholic Central and Haslett, which both went on to win at least District titles. Long-range shooting could be key – entering the week, five players had made at least 13 3-pointers and the team as a whole was making 33 percent of its shots from beyond the arc.
YPSILANTI LINCOLN
Record/rank: 21-4, honorable mention
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference White
Coach: Jesse Davis, fourth season (54-34)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 56-52 over No. 8 Detroit Martin Luther King in Quarterfinal, 81-79 over Detroit Catholic Central in Regional Final, 58-55 over Ann Arbor Skyline in Regional Semifinal.
Players to watch: Emoni Bates, 6-10 fr. (29.2 ppg, 53 3-pointers, 10.1 rpg, ); Jalen Fisher, 5-10 sr. G (13.1 ppg, 3.3 spg).
Outlook: Bates entered this season known as perhaps the top player his grade in the country. It’s fair to say his impact has been even greater than anticipated. He’s keyed Lincoln’s run to its first Regional title and now first Semifinal berth, making game-winning shots in both of last week’s games as he’s continued building one of the most memorable freshman seasons in state history. But his teammates certainly have done their parts. In addition to Fisher, seniors Amari Frye (10.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Tahj Chatman (10 ppg, 2.9 apg) also are averaging double-digit scoring, and Lincoln as a team is making nearly 45 percent of its shots from the floor with Bates, Fisher and Chatman also all at 73 percent or better from the free-throw line.
PHOTO: Okemos’ Evan Thomas looks for an opening during Tuesday night’s Quarterfinal win while East Kentwood’s Ja’moni Jones (1) defends. (Photo by Eric Sawatzki.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 8, 2025
Winter has certainly arrived in Michigan over the last few weeks – at least from a snowy standpoint – and right on the time to signal the start of boys basketball season and our first report on the annual march to Michigan State's Breslin Center.
Big matchups already are happening, and every game against an MHSAA Tournament opponent counts toward seeding for District brackets, and once again we're diving into the results you need to know from the previous week, teams that are showing up big in each division and matchups coming up that you won't want to miss.
“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. Grand Rapids South Christian 75, Grand Rapids Christian 71 The Sailors (2-0) opened by adding to last season’s District Final win over Grand Rapids Christian (1-1), and after having lost to the Eagles 72-55 in their season opener a year ago.
2. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 71, Detroit U-D Jesuit 42 Brother Rice (2-0) enjoyed some significant payback after falling to Jesuit twice last season, during the regular season in what eventually decided the Catholic High School League Central title and then in their Regional Semifinal matchup.
3. Saginaw United 67, Detroit Catholic Central 57 The Phoenix (2-1) opened their new fieldhouse with a notable season-opening victory over the Shamrocks (2-1), who defeated United 69-55 in their opener a year ago.
4. Grand Blanc 76, Hamtramck 75 (OT) The Bobcats (2-0) opened the season with this notable win at the Horatio Williams Tip-Off Classic.
5. Warren Fitzgerald 41, East Kentwood 40 This was another exciting finish at the Horatio Williams event, again in a faceoff of teams with high aspirations this season.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Grand Haven (3-0) The Buccaneers finished an opening week of road games without a loss, defeating Coopersville 65-42 and then Traverse City Central 83-71 and Traverse West 79-77 over the weekend. Grand Haven improved from 11-12 in 2023-24 to 18-6 last season and will have some opportunities to get rolling heading into the new calendar year with a Dec. 22 matchup against Freeland and its Lake Michigan Cup on Dec. 29-30.
North Farmington (2-0) The Raiders are coming off a 12-10 finish and third place in the Oakland Activities Association Red last season, and got off to a fast start under first-year coach Peter Mantyla with a 41-35 win over Canton and a 62-47 victory over Davison while hosting the Horatio Williams Tip-Off Classic. Reigning league champion Birmingham Groves is up next, on Friday, and the first matchup with Farmington – which ended the Raiders’ season last winter – is Dec. 19.
DIVISIION 2
Dundee (3-0) The Vikings appear on track to bounce way back after going 21-5 in 2023-24 but then only 5-18 last winter. They opened last week with a 12-point win over Saline Washtenaw Christian, a 47-46 victory over Milan and a 51-45 triumph over Britton Deerfield – and after losing to Washtenaw Christian by six points during the early going a year ago.
Freeland (3-0) The Falcons are coming off a 22-4 finish and run to the Division 2 Quarterfinals last winter, so a fast start isn’t a surprise. But it was still impressive; Freeland opened with a 22-point win over Bridgeport, then defeated Menominee by 22 and Petoskey by 15 at the latter’s Sean Pollion Invitational. Showcase games against Auburn Hills Avondale and Grand Haven later this month will be opportunities to impress.
DIVISION 3
Ishpeming Westwood (3-0) The Patriots reached the Semifinals last season for the first time since 2003 with Ethan Marta leading the way, and he’s doing so again to begin his senior year as Westwood opened with sizable wins over West Iron County and Hancock. They finished a perfect first week with an 83-64 victory over rival Ishpeming.
North Muskegon (3-0) The Norsemen are off to the right start as well after last season’s 23-2 finish and Regional Final run. They won all three of their games last week by at least 20 points, defeating Division 1 Walled Lake Western 64-44 in the championship game of the Will Lynch Invitational at Benzie Central. And they celebrated senior Adam Dugener reaching 1,000 points in the season-opening win over Holton.
DIVISION 4
Clarkston Everest Collegiate (2-0) A Regional finalist and 24-2 overall last season, Everest jumped 10 wins from 2023-24 and is off to a fast start again. The Mountaineers opened with a 61-42 win over Livonia Clarenceville and followed with a 59-42 victory over Flint Beecher. Clarenceville is a Division 2 team, and the great majority of Everest’s regular-season opponents play in Division 2 or 3 with a date as well against Division 1 South Lyon East on Feb. 19.
Eben Junction Superior Central (3-0) Two of last season’s first four losses came to Hannahville Nah Tah Wahsh as Superior Central went on to finish the season 9-14 – after going 16-8 in 2023-24. But the Cougars got on the right track immediately this winter with a 57-42 win over Nah Tah Wahsh to open last week before defeating Cedarville 42-41 and Mackinaw City 48-41 on successive days to win the Battle of the Bridge hosted by the latter.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Ishpeming Westwood (3-0) at Kingsford (2-0) – These two both made it to Breslin Center last season, Westwood reaching the Division 3 Semifinals and Kingsford the same in Division 2.
Tuesday – Flint Powers Catholic (2-0) at Bay City John Glenn (1-1) – These two Division 2 hopefuls both won 20 games last season.
Friday – Grand Rapids Catholic Central (0-0) at Rockford (1-0) – The Division 1 Rams may have won their matchup last season 70-43, but the Cougars went on to finish their season in the Division 2 Semifinals.
Saturday – Warren Lincoln (1-0) vs. Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (0-0) at Detroit Mercy – These two also both reached Breslin Center last season, Lincoln winning the Division 2 title and ATAP finishing Division 3 runner-up, and they will face off at the U-D Mercy Showcase.
Saturday – East Lansing (1-0) vs. Detroit Martin Luther King (0-1) at Lansing Eastern – The reigning Division 1 champion Trojans should get a strong challenge at the Moneyball Tip-Off Classic from King, which made the Quarterfinals last winter.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and X @mistudentaid.
PHOTO While being defended by Ishpeming's Dax Kakkuri on Friday, Ishpeming Westwood's Ethan Marta makes a move to the basket. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)