Second-Half Surge Sends Tri-unity Christian to 3rd-Straight Final
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 23, 2023
EAST LANSING — The Defenders will once again have a chance to do just that.
In what has become a usual rite of March during longtime head coach Mark Keeler’s 36-year tenure, the Wyoming Tri-unity Christian Defenders are once again headed for the Division 4 boys basketball championship game following a 54-37 win over Frankfort in a Semifinal on Thursday.
Making its third-straight appearance in a Final and 11th in school history, Tri-unity Christian will attempt to repeat as champion when it faces Munising in the 10 a.m. title game Saturday.
Junior Owen Rosendall scored 13 points and senior Roy Fogg added 11 on Thursday to lead Tri-unity Christian (22-6), which will go for its sixth Finals win.
“At the beginning of the year, we had some ups and downs in the season,” Rosendall said. “But we stuck to it and kept working.”
Tri-unity Christian got it done mainly by dominating the board, collecting a 41-22 rebounding advantage.
“I think our quickness on the boards outdid their size,” Keeler said. “I was really happy with how explosive we were on the boards.”
The discrepancy even surprised Frankfort head coach Dan Loney, who said rebounding has been a strength of his team all year.
“Going into the game, I would not have guessed they would have outrebounded us like that,” Loney said. “It’s one thing we’ve done well all year. I think honestly a lot of that came from their guard play. When their guards got to the rim (and) our bigs stepped over to help, their bigs were there to get their missed layups.”
Sophomore Carter Kerby led all scorers with 21 points to pace Frankfort (18-9).
“It was a fun season for sure. We look forward to the future,” Loney said.
Tri-unity Christian separated itself in the third quarter after Frankfort cut the lead to 29-26 with 4:40 to go in the period.
From there, Tri-unity Christian ended the third on an 11-1 run to take a 40-27 lead into the fourth quarter.
“We have a little more depth, and it helped,” Keeler said. “We were really trying to push the ball, and we were really trying to pressure them on defense. I think we wore them down a little bit.”
The Defenders continued to grow the lead in the fourth, taking a 48-32 advantage with 4:17 remaining after a 3-pointer by Rosendall and a basket by Akais Giplaye.
Tri-Unity Christian forced Frankfort into 12 turnovers and 38.9-percent shooting from the field while committing only six turnovers itself.
“We played great defense,” Keeler said. “That is what I was really happy about. We made them work for everything they had.”
Tri-unity Christian got off to a good start, taking a 16-8 lead after the first quarter before Frankfort settled in during the second.
Frankfort outscored Tri-unity Christian 13-9 in the second quarter to cut its deficit to 25-21 by halftime.
PHOTOS (Top) Tri-unity’s Jordan VanKlompenberg (3) puts up a shot over the outstretched arm of Frankfort’s Xander Sauer on Thursday. (Middle) Emmerson Farmer (0) gets a hand up high as Owen Rosendall puts up a jumper.
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Boys Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 20, 2025
Any given week of the boys basketball regular season, MHSAA teams play about 650 games.
Picking a few to highlight as potentially the most significant in the long run can be a bit of a guessing game – but this week’s educated guesses include an interesting variety, reaching the Thumb, Upper Peninsula, northern West Michigan and the shores of Lake Huron before we go heavy Metro Detroit for this week’s most intriguing matchups.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid 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. Warren Lincoln 76, Muskegon 66 The reigning Division 2 champion Abes (8-4) have taken some tough losses from strong competition, but send this prevailing over the Division 1 Big Reds (10-2) to the top of their best-wins list.
2. Bay City John Glenn 70, Freeland 65 The Bobcats (11-2) moved into first place in the Tri-Valley Conference Red over the last week with this upset of the Falcons (10-2) followed by a similarly big win over Frankenmuth.
3. Ishpeming Westwood 64, Negaunee 48 The Patriots (11-3) sit atop the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East after avenging a double-overtime 77-76 loss to the Miners (8-3) from Dec. 20.
4. Grant 61, Big Rapids 47 Grant (10-0) remained undefeated and moved into first place alone in the Central State Activities Association Red, with the rematch at Big Rapids (9-3) on Feb. 21.
5. Bad Axe 60, Millington 54 The Hatchets (9-3) handed Millington (9-1) their first loss and in doing so moved into a tie with the Cardinals for first in the Big Thumb Conference White.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
East Lansing (12-1) The Trojans added another important win last week, getting past rival Okemos 78-67 in double overtime to stay atop the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue. East Lansing also can count wins over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Warren Lincoln among their best, with the lone loss to another Division 1 contender in Muskegon. A Saturday matchup against Romulus Summit Academy North at Detroit Cass Tech is the next big test as the Trojans prep to build on last year’s Quarterfinal run, and the league title will rest on how East Lansing does in rematches with Lansing Waverly and Okemos next month.
Traverse City West (10-1) The Titans – District winners a year ago – are unbeaten this winter since falling to Grand Haven 68-62 on the road to open the season. Wins over Marquette, Midland Dow and Traverse City Central have been among the most notable, and they’ll get an important test against Wayne Memorial on Feb. 8 at Traverse City St. Francis. West also leads the Big North Conference after finishing second a year ago, thanks to a 60-46 win over reigning champion Cadillac; the rematch is Jan. 31.
DIVISION 2
Adrian (10-1) The Maples took the major step last season from solid to league contender, finishing 20-4 overall and second to Chelsea in the Southeastern Conference White. Two of those losses came to Chelsea, and Adrian already has a win over the Bulldogs this winter, 66-62 last week with the rematch Feb 4. The Maples also have handed the only league losses to second-place Tecumseh in Jackson, and downed Detroit Central 67-48 on Dec. 10, one of that team’s two defeats. Adrian’s came against 10-game winner Detroit University Prep.
Center Line (10-3) The Panthers, also 20-4 a year ago, enjoyed a highlight-filled week. First, during a 74-48 win over Eastpointe, standout Te’rez Holmes reached 1,000 career points. Two days later, Center Line edged St. Clair Shores South Lake 46-44 to move into first place alone in the Macomb Area Conference Silver. The Panthers have gotten other strong tests along the way, falling to Warren Fitzgerald, West Bloomfield and Detroit Central, and a rematch with South Lake on Feb. 6 will be one of the most important the rest of the regular season.
DIVISION 3
Grass Lake (12-0) The Warriors sit atop the Cascades Conference East, quite a jump after finishing third and winning just 11 games total last season. They have downed both of last year’s league co-champions, Michigan Center and Napoleon, and impressively Grass Lake has pulled out five wins by five points or fewer. The Warriors also own victories over both co-leaders from the Cascades Conference West, Hanover-Horton and Brooklyn Columbia Central.
Ironwood (7-2) Despite coming off a tough loss Friday at Houghton, Ironwood did down Dollar Bay 53-49 the night before to maintain the top spot in the Copper Mountain Conference after tying for fifth last season. The Red Devils also own an early 54-47 win over Ewen-Trout Creek, another CMC contender, and they play again Feb. 6. Ironwood started the season off right, downing Wakefield-Marenisco 50-48 after losing to W-M by four to end last season as District runner-up.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (9-2) The Cougars are coming off a tough 73-70 loss to Petersburg Summerfield, which sent Lenawee Christian into second place in the Tri-County Conference. But they get another shot at Summerfield on Feb. 4, and Lenawee also came back from an early league loss last season to win the title by three games. The Cougars do have a win this season over Britton Deerfield – which ended their 2023-24 in the District a year ago – and Lenawee’s only other loss this winter came to reigning Division 4 champion Wyoming Tri-unity Christian.
Onekama (9-2) The Portagers have gone from 12-12 and sixth in the Northwest Conference a year ago to approaching that win total already and one of three teams with only one loss in league play – although their face the other two over the next eight days and after falling to co-leader Maple City Glen Lake by 17 in their first meeting Dec. 13. Regardless, Onekama has handed defeats to Traverse City Christian and Pentwater – both 11-2 – and their three remaining games combined against Glen Lake and Frankfort are their only ones the rest of the regular season against teams currently with winning records.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Jackson Lumen Christi (12-0) at Riverview Gabriel Richard (10-2) – These are the only teams without a loss in the Catholic High School League AA, and this will be their only meeting of the league season.
Tuesday – Belleville (10-1) at Wayne Memorial (9-2) – This is the first of two meetings this season between the co-leaders of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East.
Wednesday – Ann Arbor Huron (9-2) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (11-1) – The Cubs lead the CHSL Central and in league play have seen some of the rest of the best in Division 1, but also will get a look at a semifinalist from last season with this nonleague matchup.
Friday – Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (10-1) at Southfield Christian (11-1) – These are the early leaders in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue, and their rematch won’t come until the league schedule finale Feb. 13.
Saturday – Warren Fitzgerald (11-1) vs. Flint Powers Catholic (11-0) at Detroit Cass Tech – This 1:30 p.m. matchup is the second game but arguably the most intriguing of a solid set at the Downtown Showdown.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTOS (Top) Auburn Hills Avondale’s Qualaeb Ross (0) gets up a shot while surrounded by Detroit Martin Luther King defenders during King’s 51-41 win Dec. 30. (Middle) Flint Carman-Ainsworth’s Donovan Hamlin (1) gets to the basket during his team’s 78-61 win over Goodrich on Dec. 16. (Avondale/King photo by Team Arreguin Photos. Carman-Ainsworth/Goodrich photo by Terry Lyons.)