Glen Lake Dials Up Winning Number
March 22, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – The numbers may not lie, as the saying goes. But sometimes they tell an unexpected story.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central entered Thursday’s Class C Semifinal undefeated, and then made 52 percent of its shots from the floor.
But Maple City Glen Lake will play for its first MHSAA boys basketball championship since 1977 thanks to one other number in particular – the powerful 3.
The Lakers made 10 3-pointers – and three players combined to score all of their points – as they handed St. Mary its first and only loss, 62-56 at the Breslin Center.
The numbers nearly caught up to Glen Lake. After leading by as many as 13, the Lakers saw their advantage dwindle to two with two minutes to play. But junior guard Xander Okerlund scored four of his game-high 23 points to close out the historic victory.
“The way we looked at it is (it’s) another good basketball team that knows what they’re doing,” Glen Lake senior forward Cade Peterson said. “We expected coming into the game that they were going to make their runs. We were going to make our runs. What I love about this team is just we bounce back no matter what. Even after our two (regular-season) losses to a really good Buckley team, we come back, we just keep on going. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”
Glen Lake (24-2) earned its first championship game appearance since 1996 and will take on Detroit Edison in Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. Final.
The Lakers’ first four baskets Thursday were 3-pointers. They made 10 of 22 from beyond the arc – 46 percent of their tries, better than the 42 percent they shot from the field overall.
“I thought we did a nice job of not forcing them. We didn’t want to come out and start firing them,” Glen Lake coach Rich Ruelas said of the long-range shots. “Our big thing is inside-out – let’s get touches inside, and once they collapse, let’s open it up. We have guys who can absolutely knock them down … but we wanted to really make that defense work.
“We didn’t always take the greatest shots. But for the most part, we did.”
Monroe St. Mary (25-1) also plays inside-out, and had plenty of success inside. Senior 6-foot-8 forward C.J. Haut made 7 of 12 shots for 15 points as St. Mary scored 32 total in the paint, compared to Glen Lake’s 12.
Junior guard Hunter Kegley added 13 points, and senior guard Mitchell Sherrard and junior forward Tyler Welch both had 10 points.
But the Falcons had a hard time containing Glen Lake’s big three. In addition to Okerlund’s 23 points, Peterson finished with 20 and sophomore guard Reese Hazelton had 19.
The 62 points were the second-most St. Mary had given up this season – opponents had averaged only 40.4 points per game against the Falcons heading into this weekend.
“We got a lot of good shots. I just felt like early we gave up too many 3s,” St. Mary coach Randy Windham said. “We let them be a little comfortable. I just felt that they settled in, and when teams settle in and get their feet under them – our whole thing is to make them uncomfortable, get them off their spot.”
This was St. Mary’s second Semifinal – its first was in 2013 – and the Falcons took the next step after falling in the Quarterfinal a year ago.
“This final game doesn’t define us as people. We still had a really rewarding season,” Haut said. “We were 25-0 coming into this game, and we were undefeated in our league. We were ranked number one in the state for a long time. I don’t think this game has anything to do with the success of our season. We were still very successful.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Maple City Glen Lake’s Reece Hazelton launches a 3-pointer Thursday at the Breslin Center. (Middle) Monroe St. Mary’s Mitchell Sherrard works to get a shot around Glen Lake’s Cade Peterson.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 10
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 9, 2026
We’ve nearly reached the end of this boys basketball regular season, and District seedings and brackets will be released Sunday on this website.
But it’s never too late to make a move heading into the playoffs.
See two-time reigning Division 2 champion Warren Lincoln. The Abes are 5-15 but broke a 13-game losing streak Saturday with a 65-64 overtime win over Benton Harbor – one of the top teams in Division 2 this winter at 17-2.
Lincoln finds itself lined up as the second seed in its District if brackets were finalized today. Others have been racing up their respective Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) lists as well, and we’re tracking them all as a season’s worth of work goes into how teams are placed when playoffs begin.
“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 Northview 63, East Lansing 46 Northview (13-4) put an end to reigning Division 1 champion East Lansing’s 40-game winning streak during the final game of the 2K26 Showcase.
2. Freeland 65, Hudsonville Unity Christian 60 A week that started with a loss to Alma for the Falcons (16-3) ended with a win over the Crusaders (14-3) in a matchup of the top two teams statewide in Division 2 MPR.
3. McBain 44, Beal City 40 The Aggies (15-1) entered undefeated and atop the Highland Conference thanks to a December win over McBain, but the Ramblers (15-1) are lined up now to at least share the league title.
4. Rockford 57, East Kentwood 55 For a few days, the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red had co-leaders as the Rams (14-3) avenged a one-point loss to the Falcons (15-2) from last month – but East Kentwood stands alone again after Hudsonville downed Rockford 62-55 on Friday.
5. Grand Rapids South Christian 50, Grand Rapids Northview 47 (OT) Although Northview’s week ended with a statewide rim-rocker, South Christian (15-2) started it by avenging a January overtime loss to the Wildcats to create a first-place tie in the O-K Gold.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Ann Arbor Huron (17-2) A win over Dexter on Tuesday would set up a first-place showdown Thursday in the Southeastern Conference Red between Huron and Ann Arbor Pioneer, which won their first matchup 60-52 on Jan. 16. Huron’s only other loss this season came to SEC White contender Chelsea, by two points, and the River Rats closed last week with a 66-51 win over the leader of that division, Ypsilanti Lincoln – one of eight Huron victories over teams with at least 12 this winter. Huron has reached at least the Quarterfinals the last three seasons.
Kalamazoo Central (14-2) The Maroon Giants load up a tough schedule every season and are in the conversation among Division 1 teams to watch most winters. They made a loud statement with a 95-80 win over Muskegon on Jan. 31, and a 40-28 victory over Warren Fitzgerald at the 2K26 Showcase also complements well Kalamazoo Central’s lead in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference. The Maroon Giants can clinch a share of the league title Tuesday at Mattawan, which would give them four straight. The lone losses this season were to Division 1 contenders Detroit Martin Luther King and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice.
DIVISION 2
Kingsford (12-4) The Flivvers – Division 2 semifinalists a year ago – moved up seven spots to No. 7 in statewide Division 2 MPR this week thanks in part to a 51-49 win over Gladstone that has Kingsford a half-game back of the lead in the Great Northern Conference standings but controlling its destiny with home games against league leader Menominee and second-place Marquette next week. The Flivvers are the only team in the league to defeat Menominee, a statewide contender in Division 3, and they’ve put together seven straight wins after a midseason three-game losing streak that included a two-point defeat against Gladstone.
Michigan Center (17-1) The Cardinals have clinched the Cascades Conference East title after finishing second to Grass Lake a year ago, and they face Brooklyn Columbia Central on Saturday at Spring Arbor for the overall league championship. Michigan Center also is making for an intriguing team in the Division 2 race in its second year after previously playing in Division 3. The Cardinals’ only loss this season came to Marshall on Dec. 13, and they lead for the top seed in a District that includes Adrian and Columbia Central among six teams total and five with winning records.
DIVISION 3
New Haven (15-2) A 58-47 win over Warren Woods-Tower avenged a 41-39 loss from Jan. 20 and made those two tied atop the Macomb Area Conference Gold with one league game left for both. New Haven’s only other defeat this winter came against Adrian, a solid Division 2 opponent, and the Rockets already have their most wins in a season since 2022-23. Only three other opponents have come within single digits of catching New Haven, and tonight could see another test against MAC Silver co-leader Center Line; the Rockets defeated the other leader in that division, Eastpointe, by 10 in early December.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford (15-3) A 69-61 win over Adrian Lenawee Christian last week avenged a 61-60 loss from Jan. 9 and put Whiteford in position to at least share a first Tri-County Conference title since 2017-18. The Bobcats may need to win both of this week’s games against Britton Deerfield and Erie Mason, and total they have four games left before Districts begin – and need just one more win to tie last year’s victory total. Also among highlights this winter is a 55-48 overtime win over Huron League contender Monroe Jefferson that gave Whiteford its home New Year’s Tournament title.
DIVISION 4
Genesee Christian (14-3) The Soldiers have made a nice jump after going 10-15 last season but reaching the Regional Finals. They began this winter 0-2 but have lost only once more over the last two months, and all three defeats were to Division 1 or 2 teams. A 23-point win last week over International Academy of Flint (16-2) was among their best, and add victories over Dryden (10-7) Lenawee Christian (11-7), Maple City Glen Lake (12-3), Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (14-3) and Southfield Christian (13-5) to an impressive list.
Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian (13-3) Harbor Light won 20 games two seasons and 19 last winter, and might be ready to make another jump after advancing to the Regional Finals last year as well. Two losses this time have come against Pickford and Traverse City Christian – both 17-0 – and the third came to Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian (12-3), which Harbor Light should see again in a Northern Lakes Conference crossover. The Swordsmen have five wins over teams with at least 12, and a couple more big opportunities coming up starting with a rematch Thursday against Traverse City Christian.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – South Haven (13-1) at Gobles (14-0) – These are the leaders of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore and Central, respectively.
Wednesday – Romulus Summit Academy North (19-1) vs. Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (12-2) at Ecorse – Although the Charter School Conference Tournament concludes Friday, this semifinal matchup pits last season’s Division 2 and 3 runners-up, respectively.
Friday – Auburn Hills Avondale (18-1) at Clarkston (15-3) – If Avondale also defeats Farmington on Tuesday, the Yellowjackets could be playing to clinch the Oakland Activities Association Red title – or Clarkston could be playing to tie or take over first place.
Saturday – Catholic High School League Central Final at Oakland – Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (15-4), Detroit Catholic Central (13-5), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (8-8) and Toledo St. John’s Jesuit remain in the mix with semifinals Wednesday.
Saturday – Grand Blanc (14-2) at Muskegon (14-1) – The Bobcats already have clinched the Saginaw Valley League South title, and Muskegon leads the O-K Green.
Sunday – Detroit Public School League Final at Wayne State – The final two contenders will face off for the city championship, with quarterfinals set for Tuesday and semifinals Friday.
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PHOTOS (Top) Felch North Dickson's Ty King is guarded closely by Marquette's Connor Fierstine during the Sentinels’ 68-34 victory Friday. (Middle) Flint Carman-Ainsworth defenders converge on a Davison player driving the lane during the Cavaliers’ 60-49 win Dec. 19. (North Dickinson/Marquette photo by Cara Kamps. Carman-Ainsworth/Davison photo by Terry Lyons.)