East Lansing Downs Reigning Champ to Earn Chance at 1st Title Since 1958
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 14, 2025
EAST LANSING – Kelvin Torbert can't count all the times he's been to the Breslin Center to watch others celebrate MHSAA basketball championships.
But Torbert may not have to wonder what those moments are like any more after helping resilient East Lansing to a 51-44 win over 2024 champ Orchard Lake St. Mary's in Friday's first Division 1 Semifinal.
"My dad would always get us front row seats, and he'd show me how teams were running an offensive set or how to play defense," said Torbert, a junior point guard. "He said one day I'd be there to play. It's something I've always dreamed about – playing in a state final."
The Trojans (27-1) stormed into their first since 1958 by overcoming a couple of potential fatal shortfalls on offense while playing outstanding defense on OLSM's Trey McKenney, named as the state's Mr. Basketball Award winner earlier this week. East Lansing was also virtually flawless down the stretch after trailing much of the second half, including 39-38 with 6:27 to go. But the Trojans closed out the game with a 13-6 run that included hitting 7 of 8 huge free throws over the last 53.7 seconds.
"We knew we could beat Orchard Lake St. Mary, and that's no disrespect to them," said East Lansing coach Ray Mitchell, whose team will enter Saturday's 12:15 p.m. title game on a 22-game winning streak. "We felt we matched up well with them. We think we have the most athletic starting lineup in the state, and we played that way."
East Lansing had to brush aside two streaks where offense was at a premium. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (20-7) scored the game's first 10 points in keeping the Trojans off the scoreboard for the first 3:22. Then in the third quarter, East Lansing managed just three points during the first four minutes. The Trojans trailed 39-36 with 7:16 left.
Mitchell said there is one strength which saves the Trojans when the offense sputters: defense.
"We've been in that situation before, and we've settled down. We know how to win," said Mitchell, whose team has limited opponents to an average of 42 points per game in the tournament. "We start with defense every single day. Basic drills and being in the right place. They've connected with that. We feel we're the best defensive team in the state."
The Trojans' defense on McKenney was solid. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound all-stater did score 21 points, but was a modest 7-of-18 from the floor, including missing six of his nine 3-point attempts. Much of that credit goes to the Trojans' Jayce Branson, a senior guard assigned to shadow McKenney, who entered the game averaging nearly 23 points per game.
"Trey is a nice player, hard to guard," said Branson, an offseason travel teammate of McKenney's since eighth grade. "My mindset was to stop him. He's their leading scorer, and they run their offense through him. I just wanted to stop him, and I did. I've seen his moves on tape and when we're together – I've studied all that."
Torbert finished with 19 points, six rebounds and two assists. Kingston Thomas, a sophomore guard, added 12 points and seven rebounds. He was clutch in the fourth quarter, when he hit a short jumper, another shot along the baseline and added a layup in the space of 2:26 to turn a 39-38 deficit into a 46-41 lead with 53 seconds left.
"Obviously it was a back-and-forth game and it wasn't our best night, but (East Lansing) had a lot to do with that," Orchard Lake St. Mary's coach Todd Covert said. "Sometimes the ball bounces for you and sometimes the right way for the other team. It was two great teams out there. I would've thought if we held a team to 40-some points we would be in good shape."
McKenney said it was a combination of East Lansing defense and his team connecting on just 16-of-49 shots, including only 3-of-16 from 3-point range.
"I didn't hit my shots," he said. "They played good defense ... but we let them get in transition, and that's their game. It was a close game we just didn't win."
The Trojans' Cameron Hutson said it'll be a thrill to actually play in a championship game Saturday rather than viewing it from the stands.
"I've been here a handful of times, and I've definitely thought of this moment," he said. "When we needed a big shot or free throw, I was ready to knock it down."
PHOTOS (Top) East Lansing’s Jayce Branson throws down a dunk during his team’s Division 1 Semifinal win Friday at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Trojans’ Cameron Hutson works to get to the basket as St. Mary’s Trey McKenney defends. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Concord Basketball Celebrates Rare Feat: Foursome of 1,000-Point Scorers
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
March 3, 2026
Concord has a rich basketball tradition, but something has happened this year that no one could have predicted.
The Yellow Jackets have had four players – two girls and two boys – reach the career 1,000-point milestone.
“It seems like a pretty rare occurrence,” Concord athletic director Matt Lehman said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve never seen anything like it. There was a time where we’d go years without having one player do it. To have four players do it in one season is crazy.”
Senior Cierra Barrett started the avalanche when she reached the milestone just after Christmas against Adrian Lenawee Christian. Teammate Cierra Barrett grabbed a steal and fed Lehman with an assist to put her over the top.
A couple weeks later, during the same game, Concord seniors Connor Stevens and Jett Smith both scored their 1,000th points on back-to-back possessions during the Yellow Jackets’ win over Quincy. It was also Senior Night.
“It was a close game, too,” said Smith. “I got it, then the next time down the court, Jett got his 1,000th point. We called timeouts both times. It was pretty cool.”
Stevens went into the game needing just six points to reach 1,000. “I knew I should get it that game,” he said.
Smith needed a bigger night to accomplish it the same game – and he came through, pouring in 35 points in the Concord win.
“It was cool,” Smith said. “A lot of people said they’ve never seen that before.”
Barrett, who is also Concord’s all-time assists leader, has played for three coaches over her four varsity seasons. After a 4-17 season her freshman year, Concord has won 20, 22 and 20 games. This year’s team is 20-2 heading into the District Semifinals on Wednesday.
“I’ve had multiple coaches, and they all have had a different style,” Barrett said. “I’ve had to learn how to play in all of them. I think they each have given me something different I can use in my game.”
Reaching 1,000 points, she said, “wasn’t my focus, but once I knew I was close it became a goal.”
Lehman, the daughter of the athletic director, also was brought up to the varsity at the start of her freshman season. She said that season she wasn’t a big scorer.
Concord’s girls play an up-tempo offense, averaging 55.7 points a game. Lehman said the team plays tough defense, too, which sets up the offense.
“We score a lot in transition, off turnovers,” she said.
Reaching 1,000 points took a burden off of her, she noted.
“I was out for a lot of games last year, so I didn’t think I could get it this year,” she said. “Once I got there, it was kind of a relief. I was thinking about it so much. I just wanted to get it done and move on.”
Lehman thinks the Yellow Jackets are poised for a deep tournament run again. Last season they reached the Division 4 Semifinals.
“I definitely think we can make it there (again),” she said. “We have a lot of pieces.”
The Concord boys (20-4) put the finishing touches on their Division 4 District title Friday.
During his four seasons on the varsity, Stevens – also Concord’s all-time leading rebounder – said he’s grown as a player.
“I’ve gotten stronger and better,” he said. “I’m more aggressive now. That has helped my confidence, too.”
Smith said he’s always had a shooters mentality. He had 36 points in the District Final and is among the top scorers in his area. The success of this year’s team is no surprise, he said, given the bulk of the team has been playing together since middle school. The Yellow Jackets have won 67 games over the past four years.
“We’ve been talking about this since the eighth grade,” he said.
Concord boys basketball coach Marcus Gill said Smith and Stevens are polar opposites in terms of personalities, but they make it work.
“They couldn’t be more different dudes,” he said. “Jett is wired to score. From day one, he was wired to score. He never met a shot he didn’t like. Connor, he’s so unselfish it’s almost selfish. I tell him we need him to score more.”
All four players now have banners hanging up in the Concord gym recognizing their accomplishment. The athletic department also has a Wall of Fame outside the gym that all of them may someday join.
Gill summed it up: “It’s a special time for Concord basketball.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Four Concord basketball players have reached 1,000 career points this season – from left: Bradie Lehman, Cierra Barrett, Connor Stevens and Jett Smith. (Middle) Lehman brings the ball upcourt. (Group photo by Doug Donnelly. Lehman action photo courtesy of the Concord athletic department.)