Pirates sail into first Final since 1993
March 20, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Nick Spitzley, no doubt like the other eight seniors on Pewamo-Westphalia’s basketball team, dreamed growing up of playing for an MHSAA championship.
He needed to use his imagination, since the first and only time the Pirates did play for a Class C title was in 1993, a few years before he was born.
“Obviously we always came out on top,” Spitzley recalled. “Making a lot of shots, and I was always getting pumped up with my team.
“Since I was little, it’s always been a dream, and it’s come true. We’ve been playing together since fifth grade, maybe before that.”
P-W’s seniors are halfway through the final weekend of their high school careers and more than halfway to making that dream come true.
The No. 10-ranked Pirates advanced to Saturday’s Class C final by defeating No. 9 Muskegon Heights 54-44 in the first Semifinal on Thursday at the Breslin Center. P-W’s nine seniors will get to play in the final game of the season for the first time in school history, at 4:30 p.m. against No. 2 Detroit Consortium.
Pewamo-Westphalia will become the second straight team from the Central Michigan Athletic Conference to play for the Class C title, and third in eight seasons. Laingsburg fell in last year’s Final by a point, 40-39, to Flint Beecher. Bath won the Class C title in 2007.
Also from the CMAC, Fulton was Class D runner-up in 2011 and Fowler finished the same in 2002.
The Pirates had to come back over the final minute to beat Beecher in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal, and made it two-for-two against some of the state’s most storied programs by then eliminating Heights, which played in its 22nd Semifinal and fourth over the last five seasons.
P-W has won 81 percent of its games under coach Luke Pohl during two tenures over a combined 17 seasons. But the Pirates haven't had the chance to add the championship game chapter to their story in more than two decades.
“Knowing we had to beat a team like Flint Beecher and Muskegon Heights, with the history behind those schools, in unbelievable,” Pohl said. “If you follow our league, you’ve seen how many times the league has been here the last 10 years. It’s rock ‘em, sock ‘em basketball in the wintertime, and we’ve got great coaches there – those kind of guys sharpen my skills as a coach. But you’ve gotta have players to win, and we’ve got really good players.”
Spitzley is a four-year starter, one of the top scorers in school history, and did his part Thursday with 22 points and eight rebounds.
But the Semifinal win was truly a full senior effort, as all six players who saw time were 12th graders and a pair added big plays to Spitzley’s game-high scoring surge.
The first came 1 minute, 14 seconds into the second half with the Pirates trailing by a point. Guard Evan Fedewa scored and was fouled on his way to the hoop, and hit the ensuing free throw to give the Pirates a 29-27 lead. They would never trail again.
But Muskegon Heights came close to taking back the lead. The Tigers (20-4) pulled within four with 4:20 to play when P-W center Lane Simon was fouled on a score and also made the following free throw to push the lead back to 46-39 and seemingly drain the last bit of momentum from Heights’ comeback run.
Simon added 17 points, 10 rebounds, and both Fedewa and Kyle Nurenberg grabbed nine rebounds for the Pirates.
Junior Antonio Jones led Muskegon Heights with 16 pints, and senior Eddrick Tornes added 12. Jones made what could be one of the shots of the tournament, a spinning pull-up jumper thrown up without a look at the basket. But overall, his team shot just 24 percent from the floor including 14 percent as P-W pulled away during the second half.
Still, the return run was an accomplishment coach Dalrecus Stewart made sure to note. The Tigers have been here plenty of times, but this one was a little different – the school closed after spring 2012 and re-opened that fall as a public school academy.
“I know (my players) are feeling hurt, but this was a little bit more than a basketball game for us with all of the things that have gone on in our city as well as our school district the last few years,” Stewart said. “The championship they won today was about bringing hope to despair. They are a shining bright spot and what they’ve done is beyond measure. They’re my champions.”
Click for a full box score and video from the press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) P-W’s Lane Simon (1) goes to the rim during Thursday’s Semifinal win over Muskegon Heights. (Middle) P-W's Nick Spitzley works to get past Muskegon Height's Eddrick Tornes.
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Muskegon Heights’ Aaron Sydnor (3) wins the tip-up battle to score late in the first half against Pewamo-Westphalia. (2) Pewamo-Westphalia opened the second half with a 17-3 run. Lane Simon drives for two during that spurt.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 11
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 16, 2026
A season’s worth of work resulted in 128 fully-seeded Boys Basketball Districts published Sunday.
Michigan’s high school teams know when, where and who they will play beginning next week. But there’s one more left before the playoffs begin, and plenty more stories to tell before the championship chase gets underway.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and 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. Brooklyn Columbia Central 59, Michigan Center 56 The Golden Eagles (17-4) clinched their first Cascades Conference title since 1983 and avenged a 56-52 loss to Michigan Center (18-2) from Dec. 15.
2. Detroit Martin Luther King 68, Detroit Cass Tech 63 The Crusaders (17-4) finished a perfect run through Detroit Public School League play with their second win this season over Cass Tech (16-5), this time to seal a city championship.
3. Romulus Summit Academy 35, Harper Woods Chandler Park 33 The Dragons (21-1) emerged from a second close call this season with Chandler Park (12-5), this time to win the Charter School Conference Tournament and after getting past Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac to advance.
4. Freeland 54, Frankenmuth 48 The Falcons (17-3) pulled within a game of the Eagles (18-1) in the Tri-Valley Conference Red, but more notably handed Frankenmuth its only loss and after falling in the first meeting 47-43.
5. Grand Blanc 51, Muskegon 48 The Bobcats (17-3) added to their momentum heading toward the postseason with a close road win over another Division 1 contender in the Big Reds (16-2).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Muskegon (16-2) Despite Saturday’s loss to Grand Blanc, Muskegon has done more than enough to once again be considered a team to watch next month. The Big Reds won their first 11 games, with their most notable of that run over Wayne Memorial (16-3). They’ve also defeated Lansing Waverly (15-5) and clinched the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title outright with two games remaining. The only other loss came to Kalamazoo Central (16-2), and a matchup with Hudsonville (16-4) this week could be a nice jumpstart for District play.
Rochester (20-0) The Falcons have improved from five wins in 2022-23 to eight the next winter, to 19 last season and now a 20-0 start as the only remaining undefeated team in Division 1. Rochester, which will be pursuing a second-straight District title next week, can finish an outright title run in the Oakland Activities Association White on Tuesday against second-place Rochester Adams and has won 14 games by double digits this winter – including 66-45 over Adams in their first meeting Jan. 27.
DIVISION 2
Dearborn Divine Child (18-2) The Falcons defeated Detroit Loyola 69-50 on Saturday to add a Catholic High School League AA Tournament title to its regular-season championship. Divine Child has won 17 straight games since opening with losses to Loyola (17-4) and Detroit Catholic Central over its first three in December. Divine Child also has a pair of important wins over Jackson Lumen Christi (14-5) and another notable victory over Dearborn (15-4).
Grant (20-0) The Tigers have reached 20 wins for the second-straight season but this time without a loss as they seek to finish a perfect regular season with victories this week over Morley Stanwood and Big Rapids. Grant defeated Big Rapids 66-40 last week to clinch the Central State Activities Association Red title outright. The team’s only single-digit games came during the first two weeks of December, a one-point win over Cedar Springs in the season opener and three-pointer over Belding a week later.
DIVISION 3
Comstock (15-4) The Colts have enjoyed a magnificent turnaround with their first winning season since 2022-23 and after winning 15 games combined over the last two. They have a half-game lead on Cassopolis in the Southwest 10 Conference with two games left – including the regular-season finale hosting Cassopolis on Friday, and having defeated the Rangers by 20 in their first meeting Jan. 16. Comstock also has locked down the second seed in a tough District behind only Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep.
Springport (15-5) A 62-44 win over Concord on Friday gave Springport a one-game lead on the Yellow Jackets atop the Big 8 Conference with two to play. One more win also will give the Spartans their most in a season in at least 15 years and after entering January at 4-4. The only loss during the current 10-1 run came Jan. 17 to Battle Creek Pennfield, which won the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference, and four of Springport’s five losses came against Division 2 opponents.
DIVISION 4
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (14-4) The Irish have locked up the Mid-State Activities Conference West title and will play East champion Breckenridge twice in a row this week – the second time in Friday’s league championship game. Division 4 runners-up only two seasons ago, the Irish will be playing next week for a fourth-straight District title and with losses this season to three opponents with at least 17 wins and the fourth to Division 1 Flint Carman-Ainsworth. Sacred Heart avenged a two-point defeat to Beal City from Dec. 20 with a 46-24 win Feb. 9.
Southfield Christian (16-5) The Eagles have guaranteed their winningest season since 2021-22 and last week avenged one their losses from this winter, defeating Whitmore Lake in a rematch 54-40 after losing their Jan. 20 meeting by three. Southfield Christian will finish second to Allen Park Inter-City Baptist in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue, with two losses to the Chargers (18-3). The other defeats came to Genesee Christian (16-4) in overtime and Division 1 Royal Oak.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Gladwin (19-1) at Beaverton (17-4) – These longtime rivals meet a second time this season, this time for the overall Jack Pine Conference title and after Gladwin won the Feb. 3 meeting 61-49.
Tuesday – Macomb Dakota (17-4) at East Kentwood (17-2) – One of the most exciting prep games for the start of the playoffs pits the Macomb Area Conference Red champion Dakota and a Falcons team that has clinched a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title.
Friday – Dearborn Heights Robichaud (15-3) at Redford Thursday (17-2) – These two also play Monday at Robichaud, and Friday’s rematch will either end in a shared Western Wayne Athletic Conference championship or outright title for tonight’s winner.
Friday – Wayne Memorial (17-3) vs. Hartland (17-3) at Northville – The Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall championship game will be a second chance for Wayne after it lost to Novi in last season’s decider.
Friday – Yale (18-2) at Croswell-Lexington (16-4) – Croswell-Lexington leads Yale by a game in the Blue Water Area Conference with two league games left for both and this rematch the regular-season finale; the Pioneers won the Jan. 20 meeting 64-57 in overtime.
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PHOTOS (Top) Lansing Waverly’s Derek Thomas (22) works to get to the basket during his team’s 101-76 win over Flint Hamady on Saturday. (Middle) Saginaw United’s Lemonte Ramon-Wiley (1) finds a teammate during an 81-78 win over Flint Powers Catholic on Friday. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)