Future Becomes Now as Freshman Oliver Pulls Douglass Past Dollar Bay
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 12, 2026
EAST LANSING — Judging by the Detroit Douglass and Dollar Bay rosters Thursday, one thing is for certain:
The day’s first Division 4 Semifinal might not be the last time those two schools – located 553 miles apart on opposite ends of the state – hook up at the Breslin Center over the next few seasons.
In a matchup between teams with rosters dominated by underclassmen, Douglass had a little too much on this occasion, advancing to the Division 4 championship game for the first time since winning it all in 2021 with a 58-47 win.
Douglass head coach Pierre Brooks had high praise after the game for Dollar Bay head coach Jesse Kentala and how he prepared his team, and knows the Hurricanes could be running into the Blue Bolts again.
“I heard about the young guys they have on their team,” Brooks said. “I think Coach told me they were here in 18 or 19. So hey, I wouldn’t mind seeing them again.”
One advantage Douglass had Thursday – and will if they meet again in the near future – is freshman Damani Oliver.
Entering the game leading his team in scoring at over 22 points a game, Oliver played like someone beyond his years, scoring 17 of his 21 points during the second half to help Douglass pull away.
“I (didn’t) see too many (Detroit) Lions games this year because every Sunday, he’s calling me to get into the gym,” Brooks said. “He’s definitely put in the work and I’m glad in the second half he decided to really pick it up.”
Holding a 22-17 lead at halftime, Oliver started the third quarter with a four-point play and finished the third with 10 points to help Douglass take a 40-35 lead into the fourth.
The Hurricanes put the game away from there, going up 51-38 with 3:44 remaining on a basket by sophomore Quinn Davis.
He also scored 14 points for Douglass, which didn’t shoot the ball well from the perimeter. Douglass was just 4 of 20 from 3-point range, but made that up a bit with a 30-22 rebounding advantage.
Junior Baron Colbert scored a game-high 23 points for Dollar Bay (24-3), which was making its first Semifinal appearance since 2019. With just three seniors, three freshmen and two eighth graders on the roster, Dollar Bay should be heard from again.
Kentala just hopes that if his team returns next year or beyond, the weather will be a little better.
Many of the school and community’s fans couldn’t make it down to the game as expected because the Mackinac Bridge was closed due to a winter storm.
“It’s been a great ride,” Kentala said, talking about his team’s tournament run. “I thought our plan was right. I thought these guys executed it just beautifully. I thought we did everything in our power. I thought we kept them guessing. We mixed up our zone and man pressure. I thought we attacked, I thought we were fearless, I thought we were tough. Sometimes the shots don’t fall, and (Oliver) really stuck a few key shots. A really nice player.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Douglass’ Kamari Howard (12) gets a shot up over Dollar Bay’s Liam Tourtillott (20) during Thursday’s first Division 4 Semifinal at Breslin Center. (Middle) Tourtillot makes a move into the lane while guarded by Douglass’ Dimauvion Smith-Powe (35). (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Missing McKenney Provides St. Mary's Another Opportunity to Grow
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2025
Such a situation certainly wouldn’t be ideal for Todd Covert and his Orchard Lake St. Mary’s boys basketball team.
But from now on during the MHSAA Tournament, if star guard Trey McKenney gets into foul trouble or has to miss extended game time for another reason, it might not be as nightmarish of a scenario as once thought.
On Jan. 9, during a game against IMG Academy (Fla.), McKenney suffered a broken bone in the top of his shooting hand.
He didn’t return until Feb. 8. But that month without McKenney ended up producing a revelation for Covert and his team.
Essentially, the sky didn’t fall and the reigning Division 1 champion showed it could still be one of the top teams in the state.
“Of course, when he’s with us I think we’re a lot better,” said St. Mary’s senior Jayden Savoury, who has signed with Michigan State for football but also is an important member of the basketball team. “But when he was down, a lot of guys had to step up. I think that built us up and made us better.”
During that stretch, St. Mary’s went 4-2, with the losses by one point to No. 1 East Lansing and two to No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice. One of the wins was over Grand Rapids Northview, which received votes in the final rankings of the regular season.
“Kids had to take on new roles and hit some big shots,” Covert said. “Obviously with Trey we missed his scoring. It took us a couple of games to rebound. He rebounds. He goes and gets it. We were blocking out the same, but we weren’t going to get it. That’s how East Lansing hurt us early, and they ended up beating us. It took us a minute (to adjust).”
McKenny, a Michigan signee, averaged 22.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a junior and is a finalist for the Mr. Basketball Award this season. The Eaglets this winter also returned two more starters and a top sub from last season’s championship-winning team, but losing McKenney provided them another opportunity to grow.
Covert said Savoury was one of the players who stepped up and filled an expanded role, as did senior and Western Michigan signee Sharod Barnes, and senior Isaiah Hines.
“In a weird way, it really made Trey appreciate what he had,” Covert said.
While watching from the bench during that stretch, McKenney constantly nodded his head in approval of what his teammates were doing.
“We have such a deep team, I think the next man is always going to be ready whenever somebody is hurt or whenever somebody is in foul trouble,” McKenney said. “Everybody was ready and everybody took the challenge on. I was happy to see the game from a different aspect.”
McKenney returned Feb. 8 in a Catholic High School League Bishop quarterfinal, then helped lead the Eaglets past Brother Rice in a semifinal game and then to another Catholic League title with a 58-57 win over Detroit U-D Jesuit in the Feb. 14 final.
With him back in the fold, St. Mary’s seems fully stocked to repeat as Division 1 champion entering a District Final game Friday against West Bloomfield.
Even more reassuring for St. Mary’s than having McKenney back is that if he got into foul trouble or had to miss extended time again, all hope wouldn’t be lost thanks to how St. Mary’s developed during the month he was out.
“Definitely,” Savoury said. “When he’s in foul trouble, we’ll be all right.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Trey McKenney holds up a banner celebrating his becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer during a win over Toledo Whitmer on Dec. 28. (Middle) Quincy Wright (5) dunks against East Lansing on Jan. 11. (Photos courtesy of the State Champs! Sports Network.)