Highlight Reel: Class A Semifinals
March 27, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
Saginaw Arthur Hill and Detroit Western International advanced to the MHSAA Class A Boys Basketball Final with Semifinal wins Friday at the Breslin Center.
Click below for highlights from all four teams that took the court.
Saginaw Arthur Hill 73, Lansing Everett 61
Get That Outta Here! - Willie Rogers of Saginaw Arthur Hill comes up with a monster shot block during the third quarter against Lansing Everett.
Manual Fast Break Dunk - Trevor Manuel led Lansing Everett with 19 points against Saginaw Arthur Hill, including two on this fourth-quarter fast-break jam.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Detroit Western 55, Detroit U-D Jesuit 46
Neely Flies Downcourt - Brailen Neely led Detroit Western with 16 points in its Class A Semifinal win over Detroit U-D Jesuit, with two coming on this dash downcourt after a rebound.
Winston Drives & Scores - Cassius Winston of Detroit U-D Jesuit led all scorers in this Class A Semifinal with 21 points. Here he scores on a drive to the basket.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
PHOTO: Western’s Josh McFolley drives hard in an effort to get past Jesuit’s Gary Collins during their Semifinal.
Moment: Beecher Practice Made Perfect
March 27, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Flint Beecher boys basketball team had prepared for situations like what it faced with five seconds left in its March 24, 2016, Class C Semifinal against Detroit Loyola.
And after watching a 15-point lead dissolve into a two-point deficit during the second half, the Bucs called on a big-time player to come through with a big-time shot to save their championship aspirations.
Malik Ellison took a handoff from teammate Aquavius Burks on the wing, took a dribble left, jutted back right and dropped a 3-pointer from five feet behind the line to give Beecher a 60-59 win. Two days later, the Bucs won another Class C title.
Said Ellison after: “In practice we run that play all the time. (Coach) gives us a situation, like we’re down two and we’ve got to get a bucket. At first on my pump fake, I was like, should I pass? Then I saw (the defender) jump, got a little angle with my arm, and knew it was going in. I felt it.
“Every day I go in the gym, either the Y or I stay after practice, and it’s shots like that just for times like this. I just pulled it through today.”
Click to read Second Half's coverage – Beecher Survives on Last-Second Shot – and watch the game-winner below with coverage from the NFHS Network.