Southfield Christian Claims 3-Peat in D
March 22, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – First one and then a second starter fouled out of Saturday’s Class D Final as Southfield Christian tried to catch Adrian Lenawee Christian with only a few minutes remaining.
Fortunately for the Eagles, they had a few more players left with experience finishing a championship run.
Southfield Christian had never during the last three seasons played from situation it faced early Saturday afternoon. But a number of its players had helped win one or both of two straight MHSAA championships – and that no doubt assisted those left on the floor as they claimed a third.
Junior guard Bakari Evelyn scored five of his game-high 28 points after teammates Lindsay Hunter IV and Damarco White fouled out in the fourth quarter, and 2013 championship game standout Marlo Brown also scored during the same stretch as Southfield Christian claimed its third straight MHSAA title with a 63-61 nail-biter over Adrian Lenawee Christian.
“It was tough once I saw we were losing Lin and Damarco for a few quarters. My whole objective was to keep the game as close as possible,” Evelyn said. “I thought we were going to come out with the win, through the whole game and everything. It was good to finally be right.”
Evelyn, who started last season’s Class D Final and came off the bench in 2012 as a freshman, also had seven rebounds, four assists and four steals and handled the ball almost exclusively after Hunter fouled out with 16 points, 3:47 left to play and the Eagles trailing 54-51.
The 6-foot-6 White fouled out just more than a minute later with only two points, but five rebounds and five blocked shots after spending most of his morning defending Lenawee Christian’s trio of 6-7 post players.
But Evelyn had plenty of help down the stretch. Sophomore guard Jalen Bouldes played only 38 seconds during the closing minutes, but scored, was fouled and made the ensuing free throw to give Southfield Christian a 56-55 lead with 3:09 to play. Brown scored a minute later to push the lead to three. Evelyn then made five of six free-throw attempts over the final 1:13 to keep Lenawee Christian just a few points short.
“We’ve never had this where all of our main guys were in foul trouble. Other guys like Harding (Fears) and Benny (Cookinham) had to step up,” Eagles coach Clennie Brundidge said. "I’d put (Hunter and White) back in here and they’d get another foul. I told them that at the end, our depth was going to win this.”
Fears grabbed eight rebounds in 12 minutes and junior guard Kameron Garner – a starter last season who this winter came off the bench – had five points and five rebounds despite taking a hard fall during the first half. Brown had only four points, but both baskets put Southfield Christian up at points in the game.
Lenawee Christian (21-5), an honorable mention in the Class D poll heading into the postseason, came back from an early nine-point deficit to make it back-and-forth over the final three quarters.
Senior center Kingsley had 22 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor and with sophomore forward Maxwell (11 points) allowed the Cougars to slow the game’s tempo and keep Southfield Christian’s usually active fastbreak to only 11 points.
“We wanted them to come beat us at our game, and I think for the most part we were able to control tempo,” Lenawee Christian coach Scott McKelvey said. “Our free-throw shooting hurt us (19 of 31), but we got opportunities and we couldn’t ask for anything more than that. It’s a team that probably no one in the state thought we could beat.”
“If we could’ve had two more minutes,” Kingsley added, "I’m pretty confident we could’ve changed something.”
Senior forward Grant Hohlbein, also set to accept an MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award later Saturday, added 15 points for Lenawee Christian. The Cougars’ Semifinal on Thursday was its first since 2001, and the championship game berth was their first ever.
Brundidge said that after seeing Lenawee Christian in a summer game, he knew that was the team his Eagles would face if they returned for a third straight Final. Southfield Christian’s only loss this season was to Class A No. 5 Saginaw Arthur Hill, and it finished 26-1 and 74-5 over the last three seasons – good to tie for eighth-most wins over a three-season span.
“I’m in awe,” Hunter said. “My freshman year we lost in the first round of Districts to (Bloomfield Hills) Roeper, went 2-19. I never thought we’d be sitting here in this position with three state championships.”
Click for the full box score and video from the press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Southfield Christian’s Bakari Evelyn (22) works to get to the rim around Adrian Lenawee Christian’s Maxwell and Grant Hohlbein. (Middle) Lenawee Christian’s Nick Mewborn dribbles upcourt with Southfield Christian’s Kameron Garner defending.
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Southfield Christian uses a block to start a fast break, resulting in a basket – and one – for Jalen Bouldes. The free throw gave the Eagles the lead to stay in the Class D finale. (2) With 12 seconds to go, Grant Hohlbein of Lenawee Christian scores on an inbounds pass and draws a Southfield Christian foul. Hohlbein completed the three-point play to pull his team within a point at 62-61.
Record-Setting Scorer Kerby Eager to Take Frankfort on Another Tournament Run
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
February 7, 2025
Three months ago, Carter Kerby’s football season ended by injury – and it left him and his coaches wondering about his basketball future.
But now everyone clearly knows the outcome – and it’s everything they could have desired.
Kerby immediately underwent surgery following the practice injury that prevented him from fulfilling his role as the starting quarterback for Frankfort in the MHSAA Football Playoffs. The injury was a clean break of his left collarbone. Seven pins and a plate were implanted into his shoulder.
He was told he could start shooting a basketball four weeks after surgery. Fast-forward to today, and the right-handed Kerby is shooting with surgical precision – and with high hopes of leading Frankfort to Breslin Center for the Divisions 4 Final.
Frankfort, which plays at Gaylord on Saturday, sports a strong supporting cast for Kerby, and younger players have gained invaluable experience.
“We have a pretty well-stacked team, and we have some young sophomores and juniors,” Frankfort coach Dan Loney said. “They’re getting a ton of experience, and I think that’s going to pay off down the stretch for us.”
Kerby, a 6-foot-3 guard, is ready to finish off the regular season and begin his fourth postseason run with the Panthers. Last year Frankfort fell 44-42 in the District Final to Maple City Glen Lake, which went on to reach the Quarterfinals. In Kerby’s sophomore year, the Panthers reached the Semifinals, and his freshman season ended in the Regional.
“The goal is to go back to the Bres,” said Kerby, who tied the single-game school record of 46 points last month. “I try not to look too far ahead. We have finish off the regular season before anything, and it’s all going to come down to defense, rebounding and just grit.”
Frankfort is 9-7 and out of the Northwest Conference race this season. But the Panthers are well-known for their ability to make a playoff run.
They’re coming off a 49-37 win over Brethren on Thursday during which Kerby had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tristin Griffin, who averages 12 points per game, added eight and collected 10 rebounds as well.
“It’s the same thing that happens most years, if I am being honest,” acknowledged Kerby, who is averaging 21 points per game. “We’re not always a regular-season team.”
Loney, in his seventh season as the Panthers head coach, agrees with his senior star. Win-loss records don’t accurately show the strength of his team, he notes.
“Our conference is tough,” Loney said. “I think we have the pieces to string together some postseason wins.”
Frankfort’s tournament run will begin and possibly end in Suttons Bay. The Panthers’ District features Buckley and Leelanau St. Mary – teams with similarly-strong histories of recent postseason runs. Add in Traverse City Christian, which is eyeing a potential first District championship, and the ever-improving host Norsemen.
The Panthers are anxiously awaiting the Feb. 16 release of District pairings.
“It’s a tough District,” Looney noted. “We’re definitely going to have to come to play. That’s why we’re trying to work the kinks out, get on a roll and figure out what we have to do to win these tight games.”
Four of Frankfort’s losses were by six points or fewer, including two four-point setbacks to Benzie. The Panthers won one and lost one to Glen Lake. St. Mary topped Frankfort by 10. The other loss was a lopsided one courtesy of Division 2 Grand Rapids South Christian December after the Panthers had started 5-0.
“Our record doesn’t quite show what we really are,” Loney said. “We need to find a way to win those close games down the stretch.”
Kerby, who would trade his individual school record for another deep postseason run, hasn’t ruled out topping his 46-point effort. He’s had 43 in a game this year as well.
“I would love to go for more, and it feels great putting in the time and effort and seeing things come out of it,” said Kerby, who also reached 1,000 points for his career in late January. “But I just want us to get rolling and get in a good groove – I’d give anything up for that.”
Kerby scored 28 points in a 62-52 season-opening win over Suttons Bay after being cleared the night before. He hadn’t even seen the practice floor.
The injury happened as the Panthers were practicing a potential trick play prior to their football playoff opener. Kerby was hurt attempting to catch a pass. He had surgery two days later, on his birthday.
“The ball was just a little overthrown, and the ball hit me in the hands and hit the ground,” Kerby recalled. “I stepped on the ball and flipped, landing shoulder first.”
The Panthers faced Beal City, a familiar football postseason opponent, but without their starting QB. Beal City won that matchup 47-0 and went on win the Division 8 championship four weeks later.
Loney recalls getting the message his star shooter had been injured in football practice, and that his ability to play basketball this winter had become uncertain.
“It’s definitely not the text message I wanted to see the last week of football,” Loney said. “After surgery, we started sizing up when he would be back, and we were at peace with it.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Frankfort’s Carter Kerby throws down a dunk against Leland. (Middle) Kerby (24) launches a jump from the top of the key against Lake City. (Photos by Nick Cooper.)