Moment: Rouge Repeats with Late Surge
March 27, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
With 14 MHSAA Finals championships, River Rouge remains the historic standard for Michigan high school boys basketball. And until just a few seasons ago, legendary coach Lofton Greene topped the state’s all-time wins list in this sport.
Rouge again met Muskegon Heights in the 1972 Class B Final after defeating the Tigers 71-65 in the previous season’s championship game. This time, late-game heroics helped Rouge pull out a 65-64 win, earning the program its 12th championship and last under Greene’s guidance.
The Panthers trailed 64-57 with less than a minute to play. Ralph Perry scored with 45 seconds left to make the deficit five, and he also was fouled. He missed the ensuing free throw, but teammate Byron Wilson put back the offensive rebound to get their team to within 64-61. Leighton Moulton pulled them within a point on a jumper with 23 seconds left. After a Heights turnover, Moulton attempted to drive for the game winner but was fouled before he could get off a shot. With only two seconds left on the clock, and needing to make at least the first free throw to send the game to overtime, he connected on both to seal the win.
Click to read a look back from the MHSAA “Legends of the Games” archives, and see below for 27 minutes of film from the game that remains a classic in state hoops history.
PHOTO: River Rouge’s Leighton Moulton pulls up for a jumper during the 1972 Class B Final. (Photo courtesy of the Lofton Greene Family Archives.)
Boys Basketball Postponement Update (3:50 PM)
March 12, 2014
The following MHSAA Boys Basketball Regional Finals scheduled for March 12 have been postponed. This list will be updated throughout Wednesday:
Class A
Regional 1 at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix - Ann Arbor Skyline vs. Kalamazoo Central - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 4 at Detroit Cass Tech - Detroit U-D Jesuit vs. Cass Tech - moved to 6 p.m. March 13.
Regional 6 at Southfield-Lathrup - Clarkston vs. Bloomfield Hills - moved to 5:30 p.m. March 13.
Regional 7 at Linden - Howell vs. Grand Blanc - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 8 at Mount Pleasant - Mount Pleasant vs. Flint Carman-Ainsworth - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Class B
Regional 12 at Spring Arbor (Napoleon) - Wayland vs. Jackson Lumen Christi, moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 14 at North Branch - Millington vs. Goodrich - moved to 7 p.m. March 13
Class C
Regional 18 at Jonesville - Vermontville Maple Valley vs. Hillsdale - moved to 7 p.m. March 13
Regional 20 at Madison Heights Bishop Foley - Mount Clemens vs. Bishop Foley - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 21 at Flint Beecher - Beecher vs. Montrose - moved to 6:30 p.m. March 13.
Class D
Regional 25 at Portage Northern - Battle Creek St. Philip vs. Covert - moved to 6:30 p.m., still March 12, but at Portage Central.
Regional 26 at Morenci - Morrice vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 27 at West Bloomfield - Southfield Christian vs. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist - moved to 6 p.m. March 13.
Regional 28 at Peck - Peck vs. Burton St. Thomas More - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Postponements will be added as received.