EAST LANSING – Muskegon boys basketball coach Keith Guy had concerns about how his team would start in Friday’s Division 1 Semifinal.

It turned out he had little cause for worry.

The Big Reds knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter to build a double-digit lead and were never seriously threatened in a 65-42 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Breslin Center. 

Muskegon (26-2) will face Detroit Cass Tech in Saturday’s Division 1 Final at 12:15 p.m. The Technicians defeated Grand Blanc 63-56 in overtime in the day’s first Semifinal.

It will be the Big Reds’ first appearance in the championship game since 2014, when they won the Class A title.

“They make 500 jumpshots a day, and they had to trust their work on this stage.” Guy said. “The basket is still 10 feet and the basketball court is still 94 feet, so we just couldn't make the moment bigger than who we are.

“I thought our kids did a great job of handling the moment to start this game because I was worried about us being a little tight, and we were loose.”

St. Mary’s opened the game with a 3-pointer from sophomore Trey McKenney, but that would be the Eaglets’ only lead.

The Big Reds raced to a 15-4 advantage and never looked back.

“I feel like we were ready to go,” said Muskegon senior guard Jordan Briggs, who had a team-high 19 points and added seven rebounds and five assists.

“We've played in games like this with big crowds throughout the whole season, so we were kind of prepared for it. We played a tougher schedule with tougher teams. We just wanted to play loose and play our game, and we did that and were able to come out with the victory.”

The Big Reds were up 28-20 at the half and took a 39-27 lead into the fourth quarter before pulling away over the final eight minutes. 

“That’s a tough team we just beat, and we really respect what they do,” Guy said. “They are a tough team to defend and we are blessed to come out on top, and I’m blessed to be around these guys for another day.”

The Big Reds also clamped down defensively, holding the Eaglets to one of their lowest-scoring outputs of the season.

“We are committed to defense, and we try to make everything tough,” Guy said. “If we were going to get beat tonight, it was because Trey or one of their players had an unbelievable night.” 

Muskegon’s David Day III made 5 of 6 shots and finished with 16 points, while Anthony Sydnor III added 11 points and was tasked with the job of defending McKenney, who finished with 20 points on 5 of 13 shooting and had 10 rebounds. 

“I just took pride in my defense, and every shot he made I didn’t react,” Sydnor III said. “I just kept going, and my teammates helped me a lot. We just kept fighting the whole way.”

The Eaglets’ 42 points tied a season-low as they shot only 26 percent (11-42) from the field and 19 percent (4-21) from behind the 3-point line. 

They also were outrebounded 36-25.

“Muskegon is a very good team, and they are very well-coached,” Orchard Lake St. Mary’s coach Todd Covert said. “They do a lot of things very simple, but do them very well, and we got hurt on the boards pretty good and missed some shots early.

“But it was a pretty historic run we just went on, and a pretty tough road we had to get here.” 

The Eaglets (16-11) upset top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice en route to their first trip to the Semifinals since 2006.

Sharod Barnes, a sophomore, chipped in 13 points for St. Mary’s.

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Muskegon’s Anthony Sydnor III (4) elevates for a jumper during his team’s Division 1 Semifinal against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s on Friday. (Middle) The Big Reds’ Jordan Briggs (2) gets to the basket.