Grand Blanc Earns Opportunity for Another Grand Breslin Finish
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 25, 2022
EAST LANSING – Grand Blanc started off this season 1-3, which made the prospect of repeating as Division 1 champion seem potentially short of reality.
And no one would have blamed the Bobcats if they had a down year.
But veteran coach Mike Thomas rallied his young team – which starts all underclassmen and with just one senior in the regular rotation – and made a couple of subtle adjustments, and the group proceeded to rattle off 20 wins over its next 22 games, including a convincing 61-40 victory over Belleville on Friday in the second Division 1 Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
“Early on, we were trying to figure out ourselves,” said Thomas, in his fifth year as Grand Blanc’s coach. “How are we going to win? How are we going to score?”
Thomas said the big change occurred when 6-foot-3 junior Tae Boyd started playing inside, giving the Bobcats a legitimate interior threat to complement the dynamic junior point guard duo of RJ Taylor and Amont’e Allen-Johnson.
That trio was all in double figures Friday, putting Grand Blanc (21-5) in position to win a second-straight title at 12:15 p.m. Saturday against Warren De La Salle Collegiate (19-7).
The Bobcats, whose only Finals appearance before last year was a Class B runner-up finish 60 years ago (in 1952), defeated Ann Arbor Huron 45-36 in last year’s championship game. Boyd said the experience of playing two games at the Breslin last year made a huge difference Friday.
“Playing here last year gave us a boost of confidence that we can come here and make history and go back-to-back,” said Boyd, who scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bobcats seized control early, taking a 17-6 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 30-15 by halftime, thanks to a buzzer-beater by reserve Bryce O’Mara.
Thomas said the key to the win was defense, which bore out in the final statistics. Grand Blanc shot 46 percent from the floor for the game, compared to 31 percent for Belleville. The Bobcats also forced 15 turnovers, which led to a 15-4 edge in points off turnovers.
He gave credit for setting the defensive tone to the guard duo of Taylor (salt) and Allen-Johnson (pepper).
“I call them salt and pepper because they will shake you up,” said Thomas, whose team won the Saginaw Valley League title. “I think they are the two best point guards in the state. They know exactly what we want to do and exactly how to run it. They are our leaders.”
Allen-Johnson finished with a game-high 15 points, along with six rebounds and three steals. Taylor, who scored 10 points with five rebounds and a team-high four assists, said playing regular-season games in big gyms and hostile environments prepared the team for Friday.
“We played in Detroit gyms, we played in tough Flint gyms, we played in a tournament in Grand Rapids,” said Taylor, a 6-0 sharpshooter and returning first-team all-stater. “An environment like this feels normal for us.”
Belleville, which was seeking its first championship game appearance since losing in the Class A Final in 1998, was never able to get within 15 points in the second half.
“It could have been legs, it could be nerves – it was our first time playing here,” said ninth-year Belleville coach Adam Trumpour, who guided his team to the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East title. “It just wasn’t our night at all on the offensive end.”
The Tigers had no players reach double figures in scoring.
Bryce Radtka, a 6-8 senior, scored nine points with eight rebounds for the Tigers, while senior guard Da’Jon Johnson also scored nine points with four assists.
PHOTOS (Top) Grand Blanc's Robert Williams (0) makes his move into the lane as Belleville's Bryce Radtka defends. (Middle) Grand Blanc's Donnie Huddleston (35) gets a hand up on a jumpshot. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Boys Report Week 7
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 13, 2025
We've reached the midpoint of this boys basketball season, and that means shifting gears slightly as we take on the next six weeks before District play begins.
We will still be highlighting the major statewide matchups our teams play, of course, and have done so with last week's below. But the focus at this point for most has turned to league play, and we're highlighting several potential title deciders as well, including with all five of our "Can't-Miss Contests" coming up over the next five days.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid 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. Berrien Springs 69, Benton Harbor 51 Berrien Springs (7-2) moved into first place alone in the Lakeland Conference after having been swept by eventual co-champion Benton Harbor (8-3) last season.
2. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 66, Muskegon 50 The Warriors (12-1) made a statewide statement in this matchup of Division 1 contenders at the GottaGetIt Classic at East Kentwood, handing the Big Reds (8-1) their lone loss.
3. Grass Lake 39, Michigan Center 34 Grass Lake (9-0) remained undefeated and moved into first place alone in the Cascades Conference East, sending Michigan Center (9-2) to second.
4. East Lansing 69, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 68 The Trojans (10-1) held on in East Kentwood in another matchup of Division 1 contenders, although the Eaglets (7-5) played without injured star Trey McKenney.
5. Jackson Lumen Christi 53, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep 41 The Titans (10-0) impressed in winning the Traverse City Catholic School Tournament, downing Hackett (9-2) after defeating Saginaw Nouvel in their semifinal.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Lansing Waverly (7-2) The Warriors – 19-6 and District champs a year ago – moved into a tie for second place in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue with last week’s 48-45 win over Okemos, and their only two losses this season are to league leader East Lansing and Flint Carman-Ainsworth – which are a combined 18-1. Waverly also handed Belleville what remains its lone defeat, 60-53 on Dec. 7, and will get another shot at East Lansing on the road Feb. 7.
Warren Fitzgerald (9-1) The Spartans made a nice jump last season, going from 10-14 two years ago to 17-6 and Macomb Area Conference Gold champions. Now in the MAC White, Fitzgerald has jumped out to a quick co-lead thanks in part to a 67-37 win over Utica, which avenged a league tournament championship loss from last season. The Spartans also have avenged a last-season loss to Detroit Edison and handed Waterford Mott its lone defeat, falling only to Grosse Pointe South 39-37.
DIVISION 2
Freeland (9-1) The Falcons are leading the Tri-Valley Conference Red again as they look to repeat as champions, thanks in part to a 67-61 overtime win over second-place Frankenmuth on Jan. 3. Freeland also is nearly halfway to last year’s 20 wins, with its lone loss 58-49 to Saginaw United on Dec. 11. Total, six of the team’s victories are against teams with winning records so far, and the Falcons will get another league challenge this week from Bay City John Glenn.
Onsted (10-0) The Wildcats have opened up an early lead in the Lenawee County Athletic Association as they seek to win the league title for the fourth-straight season, and they’ve also already avenged losses to Stockbridge and Dundee after finishing 20-6 a year ago. A 59-34 win over Adrian Madison on Dec. 12 is to thank for the top spot in league play, and a 63-57 win last week over Ypsilanti Arbor Prep also jumps out among first-half results.
DIVISION 3
Harbor Beach (8-1) The Pirates are a two-point loss to Blue Water Area Conference leader Yale from a perfect record, but have handed BWAC second-place Croswell-Lexington a 45-41 loss and can establish themselves as the lone team without one in the Big Thumb Conference Black with a win over Ubly on Wednesday. Harbor Beach won the former Greater Thumb Conference East by a large margin last season and finished 20-4 – a stunning jump from 7-12 in 2022-23.
Millington (8-0) The Cardinals have surged to the top of the first-year BTC White after tying for first in the TVC Blue a year ago. Their only single-digit games have come against Carrollton and Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, the former coming off a 2023-24 season split with the Cavaliers and the latter pushing Millington into the league lead alone last week. The Cardinals can take a couple more big steps in establishing themselves as conference favorites this week against Bad Axe and Reese, which joins Laker tied for second in the BTC White.
DIVISION 4
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (7-1) The Chargers went from second in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue all the way to the Division 4 Semifinals last season, and capped last week with a 59-50 win over Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest – the reigning league champion. Inter-City has played all larger schools so far this season and pulled out three wins by five or fewer points, with its lone loss to Division 2 Detroit Voyageur College Prep, 63-57.
Pickford (8-1) A 67-42 win over Rudyard is likely the highlight so far; in addition to facing Rudyard twice a year in Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference play, Pickford also has seen its last three seasons end with losses to the Bulldogs. The Panthers also downed St. Ignace by 43 after being swept by the Saints a year ago and has swept Brimley coming off a 2023-24 season split with the Bays. The lone loss came to Harbor Springs; no other opponent has come closer than 17 points to catching Pickford.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Hartford (9-1) at Centreville (7-0) – These two are both undefeated in Southwest 10 Conference action, Hartford with a half-game lead having played one more league game.
Tuesday – Cheboygan (8-1) at Harbor Springs (9-1) – Harbor Springs is undefeated in Northern Shores Conference play and Cheboygan is one of three teams tied for second, but these two have been the best of the bunch overall so far.
Thursday – Okemos (10-1) at East Lansing (10-1) – East Lansing has taken on and defeated several of the state’s elite, but this time will do so to hold onto first place alone in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue.
Thursday – Yale (10-1) at Croswell-Lexington (8-3) – This will be the first of two meetings between these Blue Water Area Conference rivals, and Yale holds a one-game edge at the top of the league standings.
Friday – Petersburg Summerfield (10-0) at Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-1) – This pair is tied atop the Tri-County Conference standings heading into their first of two meetings.
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PHOTOS (Top) A Mt. Morris player soars toward the basket during his team's 70-42 loss at Davison last week. (Middle) Iron Mountain's Oskar Kangas blocks a shot by Marquette's Kyler Sager during their teams' December matchup, won by the Sentinels 67-47. (Mt. Morris/Davison photo by Terry Lyons. Iron Mountain/Marquette photo by Cara Kamps.)