Grand Blanc Locks Down on D, Locks Up Historic Win

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com

April 10, 2021

EAST LANSING – The Grand Blanc boys basketball team spends 45 minutes each practice focusing on defense.

In the end, it was extra time well spent.

A strong defensive effort helped propel the Bobcats to a 45-36 win over Ann Arbor Huron in Saturday’s Division 1 Final at the Breslin Center.

It was the first Finals championship in school history for Grand Blanc, which ended the River Rats’ bid for a perfect season and their first championship.

“They hate it, but that’s what happens when you spend that much time on defense,” said Grand Blanc coach Mike Thomas, who guided Kalamazoo Central to Class A crowns in 2010 and 2011.

“We do it every day for games like this because our shots are not going to fall all the time, so we have to be able to rely on our defense to stay in games – and it happened for us today.”

The Bobcats (15-2), who were Class B runners-up in 1952 the only other time they played in a championship game, averaged nearly 80 points per game this season, but struggled to knock down shots Saturday. They shot less than 30 percent from the field and beyond the 3-point line.

Boys Basketball Division 1 Final

Despite their shooting woes, Grand Blanc’s defense shined and allowed only 12 second-half points in holding Ann Arbor Huron to its lowest scoring output of the season. 

“We had to make sure we were locked in, and I thought our guys did a really good job of not giving up lay-ups and not making mistakes defensively,” Thomas said. “We didn’t do a good job of limiting them to one shot in the first half, but we made the correction and really focused on rebounding at the half.”

Sophomore RJ Taylor was the catalyst on offense in the first half and finished with 15 points, while Timonte Boyd came off the bench to add 12 points and seven rebounds.

“It’s one game at a time for us and we didn’t treat today like a championship game,” Taylor said. “We treated it like just another game, and I’m proud of how we overcame adversity and all obstacles this season.” 

Junior Ty Rodgers played 31 minutes and contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

He said he was thrilled to help bring home a Finals title for the three departing seniors.

“It hasn't sunk in that we won a state championship and just all the hours we put in and the hard work,” Rodgers said. “I'm really proud of our seniors. There were 15 guys when they were freshmen and only three left. They stuck through the storm, and this is the outcome. We’re super excited to bring something like this to the community.”

One of those seniors, Josh Rechsteiner, knocked down a key 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to give the Bobcats a 35-34 lead and ignite a 10-2 run to close the game.

“He’s struggled the last couple games, but I kept telling him to be ready,” Thomas said. “That was a big shot, and it’s a prime example of being ready when your number is called.”

The River Rats’ struggles included making only 3 of 21 3-point attempts and missing 10 free throws. They also committed 14 turnovers.  

“This is a great group of seniors who are winners, and it would’ve been nice to see them go out the right way,” Ann Arbor Huron coach Waleed Samaha said. “We’re disappointed, obviously, in the outcome, but we know that we gave it everything we had out there and it was a great effort all the way through.

“We struggled with execution at times and struggled staying out of foul trouble. I think that threw us off a little bit most of the game.” 

Senior Devin Womack paced Ann Arbor Huron (20-1) with 18 points, while senior Kingsley Perkins had six points and 14 rebounds. 

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS: (Top) Ty Rodgers dunks for two of his nine points for Grand Blanc during Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) Ann Arbor Huron’s Brandon Rawls (23) keeps the pressure on Jacob Carlson. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)

Performance of the Week: Niles Brandywine's Jaremiah Palmer

March 21, 2024

Jaremiah Palmer headshotJaremiah Palmer ♦ Niles Brandywine
Senior ♦ Basketball

Palmer capped his high school career Saturday with 18 points, six rebounds and three steals as Brandywine defeated Detroit Old Redford 56-48 in the Division 3 championship game to earn the school’s first Finals title in boys basketball. He also had 12 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals in Brandywine’s 51-48 Semifinal victory over McBain two days earlier.

The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season and started last year as a junior as well when Brandywine won its first Regional title and reached the Semifinals. He’ll play baseball this spring and played football earlier in his high school career.

@mhsaasports 🏀POW: Jaremiah Palmer #basketball #finals #champion #letsgo #brandywine #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🏀POW: Jaremiah Palmer #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #lebron #sourskittles #burger #fries #cheese #laughingemoji #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

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(Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)