Southfield Christian Takes Back D Title
March 24, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – After three seasons away, Southfield Christian returned to the Class D championship game Saturday.
And for the fourth time in seven seasons, the Eagles added their school to the list of MHSAA title winners as well, with a 64-54 clincher over Buckley at the Breslin Center.
The title was the program’s first since winning three straight from 2012-14, and after falling by a point in last season’s Semifinals to eventual champion Powers North Central.
“It just means a lot for us as a team,” said Eagles senior Bryce Washington, whose older brothers Blake and Brock both were part of past champions. “It puts us on the map. The last few years, people were like, ‘Whatever happened to Southfield Christian?’ We were still in the gym, still working, still a great team. It’s just great to be back here.”
Southfield Christian (23-4) showed all weekend it could get rolling in a hurry. Starting at the 5:57 mark of the first quarter Saturday, over the next 2:41 the Eagles went from a point down to 10 up. Junior Harlond Beverly scored 10 points, had a steal, two rebounds and a blocked shot. He made six of his first seven shots from the floor total in scoring his team’s first 11 points and 11 of the Eagles’ first 14.
“I didn’t even notice it was the first 11 points. I was just trying to play basketball and do what I do,” Beverly said. “The rim, it feels as big as the ocean. It was feeling good.”
Beverly finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, eight steals, six blocks and four assists.
“He brought a lot of energy, a lot of effort, and he can make great plays in transition and get us an easy one,” Southfield Christian coach Josh Baker said. “We struggled the rest of the game. His start, that was the game.”
The Eagles did have to fend off a second-half comeback attempt by Buckley, which returned to Breslin this weekend with the entire starting five that made it to last season’s championship game before falling 78-69 to North Central.
Southfield Christian pushed its lead to 22 on another Beverly basket with 4:27 to play in the second quarter, but the Bears came back with a 19-3 run over the next six minutes to cut the deficit to 38-32 two minutes into the third.
The Eagles pushed the lead back to 12 during the opening minute of the fourth quarter, and the Bears couldn’t get it back into single digits.
“We just never give up,” Buckley senior Denver Cade said. “We were in the same position last year, but it was a bigger margin. I just kept trying to pound that into (my teammates). I wasn’t having the best game myself, and I’ll probably regret that the rest of my life … but I tried to be a leader and put that motivation into them.”
Cade finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Joey Weber led with 26 points, eight rebounds and three steals, and senior forward Austin Harris added 15 points and seven rebounds. All three were four-year varsity players and 1,000-point career scorers. “I’m missing them already,” Buckley coach Blair Moss said.
“We’re a little disappointed; the kids played their hearts out,” Moss added. “That’s a quality team out there. There’s not much to say. The kids worked their butts off, and they’ve been doing it for the last 10 years to get here. … We don’t see teams like that up north; let’s face it. They play in a Detroit league, they play up, and that’s why we try to play up to match that.”
Buckley (21-6) shared the Northwest Conference title this season with Frankfort and Maple City Glen Lake; the latter reached Saturday’s Class C championship game.
Southfield Christian won the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue and also played a nonleague schedule loaded with Class A and B opponents, including Class B semifinalist River Rouge, plus Class C finalist Detroit Edison.
“Part of the deal with our program and our mentality as a coaching staff is how do we get our guys better with every opportunity,” Baker said. “We want to play the best competition whenever we can.”
Junior guard Caleb Hunter added 13 points including four 3-pointers for Southfield Christian. Washington had 12 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore guard Da’Jion Humphrey had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Buckley finished 74-25 over the last four seasons, including 47-7 over the last two.
“Last year we said we have another crack at it, and now we don’t, of course,” Harris said. “But I wouldn’t want to trade these guys for anything. They worked hard and they helped me work hard and build my character up.
“A lot of people dream of losing their last high school game at the Breslin, and I got to share in that.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Southfield Christian’s Harlond Beverly works to get past Buckley’s Brock Beeman during the Class D championship game. (Middle) The Bears’ Joey Weber goes up for a shot at the Breslin Center.
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.)