Powerful Voice for High School Sports
December 19, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Paul Carey was home from the U.S. Army only a few months and just shy of 25 years old when Beal City embarked on its first trip deep into the MHSAA boys basketball tournament.
On the call for local radio station WCEN from gyms at Saginaw Arthur Hill and Lansing Sexton, Carey served as the voice of the previously “laughable” Aggies as they reached the Class D Semifinals before falling just six points short of playing for the title.
“All of Beal City emptied out. They’d never had anything before,” Carey recalled during his annual Thanksgiving weekend visit to the MHSAA Football Finals at Ford Field. “When I got home, within the next two weeks I got a letter from every citizen of Beal City thanking me for broadcasting their games. That’s the kind of appreciation that meant so much.”
During 42 years on the airwaves, Carey was best known as a voice of the Detroit Tigers bounding out of transistor radios all over Michigan, thanks to WJR’s powerful signal.
But for the state’s high school sports community, his legacy is similarly memorable as the voice of the longtime football and basketball scoreboard show and a voter for various all-state teams and wire polls over the decades.
Now 86 and retired since 1991, Carey remains a regular during the first day of the Football Finals, taking in games he broadcast for the MHSAA during the late 1970s and that continue to hold his eye as they have for more than a half-century.
“It was a passion of mine. High school sports always has been,” Carey said. “I think because my dad was a high school coach, and teacher initially, and my brother was a high school coach and teacher, I just grew up in families that appreciated coaching and athletics. I was not a great athlete, but it kept my hand in following sports that way.”
Now, the scores
Carey partnered with Ernie Harwell for Tigers radio broadcasts from 1973-91, including during the march to the 1984 World Series championship. He was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year six times and to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
But Carey’s early career included sitting on top of a car, plugged into a phone pole, for a Sacred Heart football game at old Fancher Field just a few blocks from his family’s Mount Pleasant home. Among many more accolades are a Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan High School Coaches Association and a place in the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame.
In fact, the start of his weekly announcing of statewide football and basketball scores preceded his baseball career by 16 years and ended two months after he announced his final professional out.
The Michigan High School Scoreboard show was a staple of WJR’s late Friday nights from 1957-91. Carey would read every score he could collect from a variety of sources, often organized by league and with state rankings and context mixed in.
His idea came from something similar read by Len Colby for Kalamazoo’s WKZO. Carey’s brother Terry was coaching at Niles during the second half of the 1950s, and he and other coaches would get together to listen to the Friday night scores from the southwestern part of the state.
Carey, who left WKNX in Saginaw for WJR in 1956, explained to then-sports director Bob Reynolds that the station’s strong signal could provide for a truly statewide scoreboard experience.
Carey then connected with Edgar Hayes of the former Detroit Times, who gave the OK for Carey to call the paper on Friday nights to get scores from the Detroit metro area. For the rest, Carey relied on wire services – there were three at the time – who relied on newspapers from all over Michigan to call in scores over the course of an evening.
Before every Friday during high school football season – and later Tuesdays and Fridays during boys basketball season – Carey typed up lists of games based on schedules in the newspaper, with spaces to add scores. More than a few times, Carey raced down a back ramp at Tiger Stadium after a Friday night game, back to the WJR studio, with 15 minutes to prep for the show’s 11:30 p.m. start.
“If the Flint Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, the Traverse City paper didn’t call in scores to the AP, then I was out of luck too. And that happened all the time,” Carey said. “I would call back occasionally, say, ‘Did you get anything more?’ It was a rat race.”
The show originally was set for 10 minutes and then extended to 15. American Airlines sponsored a record show that followed, and Carey’s scoreboard show had a sponsor only once in 35 years. Finishing up on time was expected, even with more than 200 scores to read.
But Carey said he always went 20 minutes, sometimes 25.
“Because I wasn’t done. I just kept right on going,” Carey said. “Jay Roberts did the all-night show most of the time, and he was patient with me. He didn’t say too much on the air about ‘that guy ahead of me took all of my time.’”
Carey continued the “rat race” until his final scoreboard show, Dec. 20, 1991. He retired from WJR at the end of that calendar year. And it's important to note: Carey was never paid a dime extra for doing the program. .
“I think Paul is really just a sports fan, and that came across to the listener on his broadcasts,” MHSAA historian Ron Pesch said. “Paul would gather as much as possible off the wire. He'd interject if scores were missing from sections of the state. Press polls from the Free Press, News, AP and UPI were big, so he could point out close calls and upsets.
“He provided immediacy, or the closest thing to it in the days before cable TV and the Internet, and because of his scoreboard show, you could get the results before the morning paper. For listeners, he brought life to something as simple as game scores.”
First team all the way
Carey, who resides in Rochester, also served as the engineer on Tigers broadcasts for 16 years, through 1990. He broadcast Pistons games on the radio for six seasons and did the first broadcast of a Central Michigan University football game, in 1949.
Harry Atkins, covering Detroit’s teams while with The Associated Press for 29 years including the last 21 as its sports editor for Detroit, took note of his colleague's hard work – and especially that Carey was one of few broadcasters who was a journalist in addition to a voice.
That made Carey's other major role in high school sports a natural fit.
Atkins split The Associated Press all-state selection panels for football and basketball into 11 regions, and Carey represented the Detroit area for a number of years. He also was a longtime voter in those sports' weekly polls.
“Paul is just that kind of guy. He thought it was important and he made time in his busy schedule to do it,” Atkins said “And it had an impact on the other 10 voters on the All-State panels, too.
“Some of them were from small out-state newspapers or radio or TV stations. Yet every one of them knew who Paul Carey was. And when he spoke, of course, with what often is called "The Voice of God," those voters paid attention.”
And he still does, as well.
At the end of each fall, Carey still puts together a compilation of the three high school all-state football teams – Associated Press, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News – and files them with years of research and results.
“It’s important to me. Nobody sees it but me, but I get a certain kick,” Carey said. “Once in a while I’ll see a kid playing at Central, Western or (Michigan) State or Michigan, and they’ll say he came from Clawson. I’ll go into my all-state collections, say that would’ve been 2009 he played, and I find a name.”
In addition to the Football Finals on WJR, Carey was part of the Baseball Finals broadcasts into the early 1990s, continuing to contribute even after his retirement from his fulltime gig.
He spent high school games over the years sitting next to legends like the Free Press’ Hal Schram and remembers when current Free Press longtime scribe Mick McCabe was just a rookie. One of Carey's final broadcasts was a 1992 Baseball Final with his nephew Mike Carey, who continues to broadcast MHSAA championship games to this day.
“I am eternally grateful to Paul Carey. His contribution to high school sports in Michigan has been great and significant,” Atkins said.
“We are lucky to have him.”
PHOTO: Paul Carey (left) and nephew Mike Carey broadcast the MHSAA 1992 Class D Baseball Final between Hillman and Athens for PASS.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Finals Weekend Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 12, 2026
This weekend’s Boys Basketball Finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center are a lesson in playing the best competition to prepare for the most important games of the season.
Of 16 teams still contending for championships, 11 played schedules that ranked among the 25 most difficult in their respective divisions, based on their in-state opponents’ combined winning percentage. Rockford in Division 1, Freeland in Division 2 and Menominee in Division 3 played the strongest schedules in their respective divisions, using that metric, and the Division 2 field in particular includes three teams whose schedules ranked among the top five in opponents’ success this season.
That preparation has paid off so far. But there are other factors to consider. East Lansing in Division 1 and Wyoming Tri-unity Christian in Division 4 are returning champions, and the Trojans’ KJ Torbert is the newly-crowned Mr. Basketball Award winner. Romulus Summit Academy North in Division 2 and Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac in Division 3 also reached championship games last season and will attempt to take the final step this time.
Semifinals will be played Thursday and Friday, with all four championships games set for Saturday.
DIVISION 1 - Friday
Rockford (23-3) vs. Auburn Hills Avondale (26-1) - Noon
East Lansing (26-1) vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (22-5) - 2 p.m.
DIVISION 2 - Friday
Freeland (24-3) vs. Romulus Summit Academy North (26-1) - 5:30 p.m.
Detroit University Prep (17-9) vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian (24-3) - 7:30 p.m.
DIVISION 3 - Thursday
Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (18-3) vs. Menominee (23-4) - Noon
Flint Elite (21-4) vs. Pewamo-Westphalia (25-2) - 2 p.m.
DIVISION 4 - Thursday
Dollar Bay (24-2) vs. Detroit Douglass (20-7) - 5:30 p.m.
Concord (23-4) vs. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (25-1) - 7:30 p.m.
Finals - Saturday
Division 1 - 12:15 p.m.
Division 2 - 6:45 p.m.
Division 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Division 4 - 10 a.m.
Tickets for this weekend’s games are $14 for both Semifinals and Finals and available via the Breslin Center ticket office; please note the ticket office does not accept contactless/tap-to-pay payments such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, and it is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased in advance and added to mobile wallets prior to arrival at the Breslin Center. For ticket information and links visit the Boys Basketball page.
All Semifinals and Finals will be broadcast and viewable with subscription on the NFHS Network. Audio broadcasts of all Semifinals and Finals will be available free of charge from the MHSAA Network.
The Boys Basketball Semifinals & Finals are sponsored by Michigan Achievement Scholarship/MI Student Aid.
Here’s a look at the 16 semifinalists (with rankings by regular-season Michigan Power Ratings and statistics through Regional Finals):
Division 1
AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE
Record/MPR: 26-1, No. 7
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Aaron Fox, first season (26-1)
Championship history: Class B champion 2002.
Best wins: 57-43 (District Final), 58-44 and 43-38 over No. 28 Clarkston, 56-53 over No. 36 Hamtramck, 50-49 over No. 4 Grand Blanc, 72-28 over Division 2 No. 18 Detroit University Prep.
Players to watch: Jaidon Bourgeois, 5-11 sr. G (13.4 ppg); Maxwell Muhl, 5-10 sr. G (10.3 ppg, 69 3-pointers); Jakobe Liford, 6-4 sr. F (15.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.9 apg).
Outlook: Avondale is returning to the Semifinals for the first time since its championship season of 2002, and with its only loss this season to Freeland – which has advanced in Division 2. Fox took over the program this winter after five as an assistant and has emphasized a defensive effort that is giving up a mere 47.3 points per game while holding opponents to 38 or fewer in seven games. Senior 6-5 forward Noah Bonds stands tall averaging 7.3 rebounds and nearly a block per game, and he and the three starters listed above have all had games of at least 24 points this season.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/MPR: 22-5, No. 8
League finish: Tied for third in Catholic High School League Central
Coach: Rick Palmer, eighth season (132-51)
Championship history: Class A champion 1974, runner-up 1977.
Best wins: 88-59 over No. 15 Wayne Memorial in Quarterfinal, 59-29 over No. 23 Warren Fitzgerald in Regional Final, 87-56 over No. 25 Detroit Cass Tech in Regional Semifinal, 67-56 over No. 30 Bloomfield Hills in District Final, 88-53 over No. 5 Kalamazoo Central, 59-52 over No. 16 Grand Rapids Northview, 60-49 over No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central, 59-51 over Division 2 No. 13 Detroit Edison.
Players to watch: Greg Grays, 6-2 sr. G (14.9 ppg, 42 3-pointers); Jordan McDaniel, 5-10 fr. G (19.3 ppg, 39 3-pointers); Trevor Smith, 6-8 sr. F (7.4 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.7 bpg).
Outlook: Brother Rice is making its first trip to the Semifinals since 1984 and after winning its second Regional championship over the last three seasons. Two of the Warriors’ three in-state losses were to teams in this field – East Lansing and Rockford – and three losses overall this season were by three points or fewer. Grays made the all-state second team last winter and teams with McDaniel for an impressive scoring duo, and 6-5 senior forward Ivan Stojanovski chips in another 8.6 points per game. Grays also was a Mr. Basketball Award finalist this season and has signed with Detroit Mercy.
EAST LANSING
Record/MPR: 26-1, No. 3
League finish: First in Capital Area Activities Conference Blue
Coach: Ray Mitchell, eighth season (152-35)
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2025), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 72-60 over No. 17 Ann Arbor Pioneer in Quarterfinal, 68-39 over No. 5 Kalamazoo Central in Regional Final, 92-78 (District Final), 81-64 and 74-62 over No. 21 Lansing Waverly, 47-31 over No. 23 Warren Fitzgerald, 80-71 (OT) over No. 1 Rockford, 62-41 over No. 8 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 41-40 over No. 6 Detroit Martin Luther King, 73-58 over Division 2 No. 6 Lansing Sexton.
Players to watch: KJ Torbert, 6-3 sr. G (25 ppg, 54 3-pointers, 5.4 rpg); Kingston Thomas, 6-5 jr. G (13.6 ppg); Dequarius Stewart, 6-6 sr. G (9.1 ppg).
Outlook: The Trojans last year won their first Finals championship since 1958 and have been considered a favorite to repeat all winter with Torbert and Thomas returning starters and now Torbert being named the Mr. Basketball Award winner Monday. He also made the all-state first team last year and will continue at Bowling Green. East Lansing has lost only to Grand Rapids Northview and otherwise allowed only Rockford, King and Roseville within single digits. Mitchell has led the Trojans to a combined 78-5 record over the last three seasons.
ROCKFORD
Record/MPR: 23-3, No. 1
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Kyle Clough, 10th season (152-74)
Championship history: Class A champion 2003, runner-up 2012.
Best wins: 48-47 (Quarterfinal) and 48-45 over No. 16 Grand Rapids Northview, 58-39 over No. 10 Marquette in Regional Final, 83-70 over No. 12 Muskegon in District Final, 45-41 and 61-53 over No. 22 Grand Haven, 68-52 over No. 11 Hudsonville, 57-55 over No. 2 East Kentwood, 72-36 over No. 19 Traverse City West, 81-78 (2OT) over No. 8 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 55-45 over Division 2 No. 3 Hudsonville Unity Christian.
Players to watch: Jake Bascom, 6-6 sr. F (17.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg); Eli Wolfe, 6-3 soph. G (15.1 ppg, 3.4 apg); Josh Bascom, 6-4 soph. F (8.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg).
Outlook: Rockford is back at the Semifinals for the first time since 2012 but a combined 45-6 over the last two seasons and also in an intriguing spot for the future – the Rams will graduate Jake Bascom, a second-team all-stater last season, but have sophomores Josh Bascom and Wolfe plus a freshman in the starting lineup. The losses this winter came to East Lansing (in overtime) and in league splits against Hudsonville and East Kentwood, but Rockford also has impressed in close games with six victories by three points or fewer.
Division 2
DETROIT UNIVERSITY PREP
Record/MPR: 17-9, No 18
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Coach: Brandon Barrett, eighth season (96-89)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 56-53 over No. 25 Harper Woods Chandler Park in Regional Semifinal, 66-57 over No. 13 Detroit Edison in District Final, 63-49 over Division 1 No. 4 Grand Blanc, 56-50 over Division 4 No. 10 Detroit Douglass.
Players to watch: Chris Byrd, 6-5 sr. G (19.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg); Maurice Jackson, 6-5 sr. G (14.6 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 4.5 apg); Tony Dent, 5-11 sr. G (8.3 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.0 spg).
Outlook: After reaching the Quarterfinals for the second time over the last three seasons, University Prep will be making its first trip to the Semifinals – although Barrett has Breslin experience from his playing days on Southfield Lathrup’s Class A runner-up team in 1996. The Panthers started this season just 3-6 but bounced back in a big way and have won 10 of their last 11 games – with the only defeat during that time by one point in overtime to Detroit Loyola. Two more defeats came against teams also at Breslin this weekend.
FREELAND
Record/MPR: 24-3, No. 1
League finish: Second in Tri-Valley Conference Red
Coach: John Fattal, seventh season (130-33)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 69-53 over No. 11 Ludington in Quarterfinal, 69-51 over No. 24 Flint Hamady in Regional Final, 54-48 over No. 5 Frankenmuth, 65-60 over No. 3 Hudsonville Unity Christian, 70-56 over Division 1 No. 7 Auburn Hills Avondale, 65-58 over Division 1 No. 20 Saginaw Heritage, 61-39 over Division 3 No. 1 Menominee, 68-52 over Division 3 No. 4 Harbor Beach, 75-63 over Division 3 No. 10 North Muskegon
Players to watch: Tucker Hileman, 6-2 sr. G (9.5 ppg); Tristan Comer, 6-6 sr. C (14.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg); Wilson Huckeby, 6-4 sr. G (18.9 ppg, 81 3-pointers, 5.5 rpg).
Outlook: Freeland last reached the Semifinals in 2022 – when these seniors were in eighth grade – and just missed a year ago with a two-point Quarterfinal loss to Kingsford. But the Falcons couldn’t be more prepared – their opponents’ regular-season winning percentage of .651 (including postseason) is the highest in Division 2 and seventh overall. Huckeby will graduate as one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in MHSAA history; he has 326 for his career to rank fourth all-time. He made the all-state first team last season, and Comer earned an honorable mention.
HUDSONVILLE UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/MPR: 24-3, No. 3
League finish: First in O-K Black
Coach: Scott Soodsma, 34th season (565-247)
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2019, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 50-38 over No. 12 Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Quarterfinal, 61-47 (Regional Final), 66-39 and 51-41 over No. 20 Holland Christian, 70-30 (Regional Semifinal) and 57-43 over No. 15 Paw Paw, 60-39 (District Final) and 65-48 over No. 7 Grand Rapids South Christian, 68-58 over Division 1 No. 26 Macomb Dakota.
Players to watch: Brogan Sherd, 5-11 sr. G (12.2 ppg, 61 3-pointers); Kyler Berghuis, 6-2 sr. G (10.2 ppg); Owen VanderWaal, 6-6 sr. C (11.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg).
Outlook: Unity Christian is a combined 44-6 over the last two seasons as it makes it first trip to the Semifinals since its championship run of 2019. The Crusaders have won 10 straight games and all by double digits since taking their most recent loss, to Freeland – and the other defeats came to Division 1 Rockford and Hudsonville. Senior guard Kaden Bareman is another player to watch; he entered this week with 59 3-pointers and connecting on nearly 44 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
ROMULUS SUMMIT ACADEMY NORTH
Record/MPR: 26-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Charter School Conference Gold
Coach: Derek Clark, second season (50-5)
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up 2025.
Best wins: 56-44 over No. 16 Chelsea in Quarterfinal, 62-52 over No. 8 Dearborn Divine Child, 65-50 over No. 13 Detroit Edison, 35-33 and 48-44 over No. 25 Harper Woods Chandler Park, 58-50 over Division 1 No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central, 35-29 over Division 1 No. 23 Warren Fitzgerald, 71-57 and 63-44 over Division 3 No. 9 Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac.
Players to watch: Marquan White, 6-2 sr. G (13 ppg, 48 3-pointers); Codey Bush, 6-2 fr. G (11.4 ppg, 3.2 apg); Jordan Fuller, 6-0 sr. G (15.4 ppg, 48 3-pointers).
Outlook: Summit fell just shy of a first championship a year ago, losing to Warren Lincoln 58-51 in the Division 2 championship game. But the Dragons have been nearly unstoppable this season, losing only to Columbus Bishop Hartley, which ended its playoff run Tuesday in an Ohio regional semifinal. Fuller and 6-foot-3 senior forward Demetri Campbell (8.4 ppg) are the only returning starters from last season, although White was the top sub playing 18 minutes in the Final.
Division 3
ARTS & TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY of PONTIAC
Record/MPR: 18-3, No. 9
League finish: Second in Charter School Conference Gold
Coach: Orlando Lovejoy, second season (37-4)
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2005.
Best wins: 67-39 over No. 4 Harbor Beach in Quarterfinal, 83-59 over No. 7 Detroit Loyola in Regional Semifinal, 81-73 (OT) over Division 2 No. 13 Detroit Edison, 94-92 (OT) over Division 2 No. 25 Harper Woods Chandler Park, 65-53 over Division 2 No. 18 Detroit University Prep.
Players to watch: Lewis Lovejoy, 5-10 soph. G (26.5 ppg, 41 3-pointers, 7.6 apg, 6.5 rpg, 4.9 spg, 2.1 bpg); Devonte Grandison, 6-3 sr. F (14.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 4.4 spg, 3.4 bpg); Jaiden Price, 5-9 sr. G (11 ppg, 3.6 apg).
Outlook: Lewis Lovejoy and Grandison both started last season as well, and Grandison is the only senior starter this time – so big things could be ahead over the next few seasons as well. Lovejoy made the all-state first team last season and is averaging nearly six points and two steals more per game this winter while keeping his rebounds and assists consistent with a year ago. The only losses were a pair to Summit – playing for the Division 2 title this weekend – and by six points to Division 1 Hamtramck. The Lions have won their postseason games by an average of 39.2 ppg.
FLINT ELITE
Record/MPR: 21-4, No. 18
League finish: Second in Genesee Area Conference Blue
Coach: Greg McMath, fourth season (66-27)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 55-53 (OT) over No. 15 Onsted in Quarterfinal, 61-53 over No. 22 Springport in Regional Final, 58-54 over No. 12 Jackson Lumen Christi in Regional Semifinal, 73-63 over No. 19 International Academy of Flint, 55-51 over Division 2 No. 24 Flint Hamady.
Players to watch: Artie Smith Jr., 5-8 soph. G (12.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 7.2 apg, 6.5 spg); Jeffrey Turner, 6-2 sr. G (12 ppg); Razach Spillers, 6-3 sr. F (10.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg).
Outlook: Elite, a cooperative of New Standard Academy and Burton Madison Academy, has taken another step this season while building on last year’s run to the Quarterfinals. The Warriors entered the postseason off a championship in the GAC Tournament, during which they avenged two losses to Hamady and a third to IAF – and the fourth defeat this season came Avondale, playing in Division 1 this weekend. Smith and Turner earned all-state honorable mentions last season, and senior guard Dei’On Wright provides a scoring boost off the bench at 10.7 points per game.
MENOMINEE
Record/MPR: 23-4, No. 1
League finish: First in Great Northern Conference
Coach: Sam Larson, ninth season (120-87)
Championship history: Class B champion 1967, Division 3 runner-up 2022.
Best wins: 64-42 over No. 3 Beal City in Quarterfinal, 67-50 over No. 13 Elk Rapids in Regional Final, 59-46 over No. 5 Ishpeming Westwood in Regional Semifinal, 55-40 and 61-56 over Division 1 No. 10 Marquette, 54-50 over Division 2 No. 10 Kingsford, 84-52 over Division 4 No. 2 Crystal Falls Forest Park.
Players to watch: Tanner Theuerkauf, 6-3 sr. F (17.8 ppg, 49 3-pointers, 5.2 rpg); Darrent Butler, 6-2 sr. G (15.2 ppg); Talan Woods, 5-9 jr. G (9.5 ppg, 3.4 apg).
Outlook: Menominee improved from 13-12 a year ago to return to the Semifinals for the second time this decade after finishing Division 3 runner-up in 2022 – when these seniors were in eighth grade. Theuerkauf quarterbacked the Division 7 championship football team in the fall and made the all-state second team in basketball a year ago. The Maroons opened this season with a loss to Division 2 semifinalist Freeland, avenged later losses to Kingsford and Westwood, and the only other defeat was by two points to Division 1 Traverse City Central.
PEWAMO-WESTPHALIA
Record/MPR: 25-2, No. 6
League finish: First in Central Michigan Athletic Conference
Coach: Dominic Schneider, sixth season (123-24)
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2019, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 61-38 and 55-46 over Division 4 No. 4 Fowler, 61-30 and 58-40 over Division 4 No. 15 Portland St. Patrick, 70-46 over Division 2 No. 39 Detroit Country Day.
Players to watch: Grady Eklund, 6-3 sr. G (20.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.5 apg); Logan Farmer, 6-1 soph. F (9.8 ppg); Trent Piggott, 6-5 sr. C (10.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg).
Outlook: The Pirates will play at Breslin for the second-straight season and returning two starters and the top sub from last year’s Semifinal loss to Riverview Gabriel Richard. Eklund made the all-state first team last season and went over 2,000 career points this winter. P-W is holding opponents to only 36.4 points per game and kept teams under 30 points eight times. The lone losses came by two to Division 1 Grandville and four to Division 2 Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
Division 4
CONCORD
Record/MPR: 23-4, No. 9
League finish: Second in Big 8 Conference
Coach: Marcus Gill Sr., seventh season (102-56)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 49-41 over No. 22 Colon in Quarterfinal, 55-39 over No. 21 Petersburg Summerfield in Regional Final, 49-40 (Regional Semifinal) and 65-42 over No. 13 Hillsdale Academy, 67-57 over No. 26 Battle Creek St. Philip.
Players to watch: Connor Stevens, 6-5 sr. G (13.9 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg); Darrell Dean Jr., 6-1 jr. G (11.1 ppg); Jett Smith, 5-10 sr. G (19.9 ppg, 56 3-pointers, 3.2 apg).
Outlook: Concord will play in its first Semifinal since 1986, continuing a season that’s seen the Yellow Jackets win 11 of their last 12 games and both Stevens and Smith reach 1,000 career points. They’ll be prepared for top competition this weekend; Concord’s losses were once to Fowler, twice to Springport – which both lost in Regional Finals, Springport in Division 3 – and to Division 1 Brother Rice, mentioned above. Stevens earned an all-state honorable mention last season and he, Dean and Brady Garrett all have connected on more then 30 3-pointers, joining Smith and providing several perimeter options.
DETROIT DOUGLASS
Record/MPR: 20-7, No. 10
League finish: Tied for second in Detroit Public School League Blue
Coach: Pierre Brooks Sr., 12th season (191-74)
Championship history: Division 4 champion 2021.
Best wins: 73-37 over No. 17 Southfield Christian in Regional Final, 58-50 over No. 7 Allen Park Inter-City Baptist in Regional Semifinal, 59-52 over Division 2 No. 32 Detroit Denby, 52-50 over Division 2 No. 39 Detroit Country Day, 63-59 over Division 1 No. 43 Saginaw United, 64-55 over Division 1 No. 46 Detroit Renaissance.
Players to watch: Damani Oliver, 5-11 fr. G (22.5 ppg); Jeremiah Thurman, 5-10 sr. G (16.1 ppg); Jacodi Nathan, 5-8 jr. G (12.3 ppg).
Outlook: Detroit Douglass is also making its second Semifinal trip this decade, to go with its championship run in 2021, and has seen several much larger opponents playing in a league filled with them and filling its nonleague schedule with more. All seven losses came to Division 1 and 2 teams that finished with 16 or more victories this winter. Six players average at least nine points per game and seven players have had high games this season of at least 18 points. Sophomore 6-3 guard Dimauvion Smith-Powe (11.6 ppg) is another to watch from a starting lineup with no seniors.
DOLLAR BAY
Record/MPR: 24-2, No. 14
League finish: First in Copper Mountain Conference
Coach: Jesse Kentala, 19th season (177-201)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 55-46 over No. 3 Pickford in Semifinal, 62-46 over No. 11 Felch North Dickinson in Regional Final, 49-45 (OT) over No. 2 Crystal Falls Forest Park, 77-61 over No. 34 L’Anse.
Players to watch: Liam Tourtillott, 6-1 sr. F (20.2 ppg, 73 3-pointers, 6.7 rpg, 3.4 apg); Baron Colbert, 6-2 jr. G (16.9 ppg, 43 3-pointers); Caleb Kentala, 5-10 sr. G (6.1 ppg, 8.2 apg, 3.8 spg).
Outlook: Dollar Bay avenged its mid-February loss to Baraga in a District Final on the way to returning to the Semifinals this week for the first time since 2019, and the win over Pickford on Tuesday was Pickford’s lone loss this winter. The story of the Blue Bolts’ return is a great one – after a stretch of five seasons with a combined 100-17 record and two Semifinals appearances to end the last decade, they finished just below .500 the last three seasons before bouncing back in a big way. Freshmen guard Noah Tourtillott (10.7 ppg) and forward Tayler Jahnig (7.4) start and could help this become the start of a longer streak as well.
WYOMING TRI-UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/MPR: 25-1, No. 8
League finish: First in Alliance League
Coach: Brent Voorhees, first season (25-1)
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2025), six runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 55-44 over No. 4 Fowler in Regional Final, 61-44 over No. 32 Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central in Regional Semifinal, 59-57 (OT) over Division 2 No. 37 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian.
Players to watch: Cody Osbun, 6-3 jr. F/C (12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.2 apg); Caleb Hofmann, 6-3 jr. F (11.2 ppg); Brayden Nelson, 6-1 sr. G/F (11.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg).
Outlook: Tri-unity is seeking a third-straight Division 4 title and fourth in five seasons. That said, the Defenders return to Breslin this week minus two graduated all-staters and the retired third-winningest coach in MHSAA boys basketball history. No matter. Voorhees was a Tri-unity all-stater as a senior in 2000 and assisted coach Mark Keeler the last five seasons. Osbun is the lone returning starter from last season’s Final but Nelson and senior Clayton Rowlader (9.8 ppg) played the most minutes off the bench.
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PHOTOS (Top) Menominee’s Tanner Theuerkauf (3) claps during his team’s Division 3 Quarterfinal win over Beal City on Tuesday. (Middle) Avondale’s Jaidon Bourgeois goes to the basket during a District Final win over Clarkston. (Below) Dollar Bay's Baron Colbert (2) guards Spencer Kramer during the Blue Bolts’ Regional Final win over Felch North Dickinson. (Menominee photo by Brandon Kish/kishba media. Avondale/Clarkston photo by Terry Lyons. Dollar Bay/North Dickinson photo by Cara Kamps.)