Beecher Adds Another to Title Collection
March 26, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING — Monte Morris of Flint Beecher made a pact with freshman teammate Aquavius Burks after winning Michigan's 2013 Mr. Basketball Award.
"At practice before the Quarterfinal game when he got his Mr. Basketball trophy, he told me he's going to pass it down to me," Burks recalls. "I said, 'I accept it.'"
As it turns out, Burks wasn't among the candidates for the top individual award in the Michigan high school ranks, but he has absolutely no complaints with the way his career at Beecher played out.
Of all the great players who have built and maintained the tradition of Beecher basketball, only Burks can say he's played on three MHSAA championship teams. He put the finishing touch on a brilliant career by scoring 15 points and playing all 32 minutes in Beecher's 63-61 victory over Grandville Calvin Christian in the Class C title game Saturday at the Breslin Center.
It was the fourth Class C championship in the last five years for Beecher, which won Class B crowns in 1976, 1985 and 1987 prior to this run. Burks has started on the last three championship teams, scoring nine points as a freshman in 2013 as Beecher beat Laingsburg, 40-39, in the title game.
"All season long, coach Mike (Williams) preached to me about how I can make history," Burks said. "Back-to-back, that's history also, but three state championships has never been done. This was my chance to leave my legacy and be part of our history at Beecher."
And what about that Mr. Basketball conversation three years ago?
"I didn't win it, but he gave me the encouragement to know I'm able to move on and be great just like him," said Burks, who had a 99-7 record at Beecher. "That's what I really wanted to do was impress him."
Burks was immersed in the tradition of Beecher basketball before he ever entered high school. His brother, Antuan, played four years for the Buccaneers, winning the 2012 MHSAA Class C championship. Like a lot of little brothers, Aquavius tended to hang around with his older brother and his friends.
"We knew he would be ready for varsity as a freshman,” Williams said. “What were we going to get out of him? We didn't know."
By the end of Burks' freshman year, he earned enough trust from Williams to be put on the floor with the Class C championship on the line against Laingsburg. It took a steal with 2.4 seconds left to preserve the second of Beecher's four championships in five years.
It was with a feeling of deja vu that Burks prepared for one final push from Calvin Christian on Saturday.
Trailing 63-61 with 15.3 seconds left, the Squires called timeout to plan a game-tying or game-winning possession. They got off three shots, the first a 15-footer by Tony DeWitte from the right wing. Nate Knee got the rebound in the paint and put up a shot that was blocked by Levane Blake.
"At the end, I just knew I had to get the block for us to win," said Blake, who had three for the game. "But I was scared when I blocked it, because I thought the ref was going to call a foul, but I just knew I had to go for it. I didn't foul him, but they were calling fouls the whole game. I went for it — all ball."
For Williams, it was a fitting conclusion to another championship run by the Buccaneers.
"It was similar to our 2013 state championship where we had to get a stop to win, but that's the identity of our program," Williams said. "That's what we hang our hat on is our defense. Offense will fill up the stands. It will make the crowd jump up and down. But defense wins championships."
Beecher held two seven-point leads in the third quarter, the largest lead either team enjoyed, but the Squires fought back to take a 61-60 lead on a three-point play by DeWitte with 1:14 remaining in the game.
Malik Ellison, whose 3-pointer at the buzzer on Thursday put Beecher in the championship game, passed the ball down low to Blake for a basket and a foul with 55.8 seconds to go. Blake missed the free throw, leaving the Buccaneers with a 62-61 lead.
Calvin Christian's Braden Stevens was fouled and sent to the line for a one-and-one with 37.9 seconds left, but missed the shot. Beecher worked the clock down to 15.3 seconds when Blake was fouled. Blake missed the first shot and made the second, setting up the final possession by the Squires (21-5).
They wanted to get the ball into the hands of DeWitte, who had 31 points in the Semifinal and 15 against Beecher.
"We told him to try to create for somebody," Calvin Christian coach Ryan Stevens said. "He got a 15-footer, and he's made that shot a lot before. I'm proud that the rest of the guys didn't watch. They went and got a rebound. Nate Knee actually got a rebound and got a good shot up."
Although Beecher has dominated Class C in recent years, this was far from a romp through the postseason for the Buccaneers. They trailed in the second half in four games, including a 13-point third-quarter deficit to Southfield Christian in the Regional Finals. They were also down by two points to Flint Hamady in the final minute of the District opener. Then, of course, there was Ellison's epic 3-pointer that rescued the Buccaneers from elimination against Detroit Loyola in the Semifinal.
"It shows the poise and composure and resiliency of our team," Williams said. "These weren't just basketball games. These were life lessons the kids went through as far as getting knocked down and being able to get back up, going through adversity and understanding how to keep their poise and playing to the final buzzer. To come here and finish it off says the world about our kids, and not just our kids. We want to represent the Flint area and what we're going through. We're fighters in the end. We're going to come out with a win. We just want to make sure everybody knows it's not just about us winning; we want to represent our area and do the things young men are supposed to do to be successful."
One of the factors the Buccaneers had to overcome was the surprise 3-point-shooting performance of 6-foot-9 sophomore center Blake Verbeek. Verbeek was 5 for 6 from 3-point range, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Verbeek had only 11 3-pointers coming into the game.
"It was mostly my teammates giving me the ball when I was hot," Verbeek said. "They just went down tonight."
Beecher's only two losses in a 25-2 season came against the last two Class A champions, 2015 winner Detroit Western International and newly-crowned champion Detroit U-D Jesuit.
"These kids really deserve everything they got," Williams said. "Regardless of class, this is one of the top teams in the state."
There were three ties and five lead changes in the first quarter until the Buccaneers closed the period with a 6-0 run to take a 17-11 lead after eight minutes.
After going scoreless over the final 3:34 of the first quarter, Calvin Christian would charge right back by scoring the first 10 points of the second quarter. The run was punctuated by a 3-pointer from DeWitte with 4:51 left in the second quarter, giving the Squires a 21-17 lead.
The next run belonged to Beecher, which responded with eight straight points to go ahead 25-21 on a basket by Jermaine Shumpert with 1:59 left in the first half. The teams went into halftime tied, 26-26, as Jake Bouma closed the first-half scoring by hitting a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left in the second quarter.
Ellison finished with 21 points for Beecher. Jordan Roland had 12.
The Boys Basketball Finals are presented by Sparrow Health System.
PHOTOS: (Top) Flint Beecher’s Malik Ellison (10) lets out a shout of joy as his teammates celebrate another Class C championship. (Middle) Beecher’s Aquavius Burks (23) works to get into the lane as Calvin Christian’s Nate Knee (30) attempts to slow him.
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 11
February 24, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Sunday was historic as for the first time, Boys Basketball District brackets were released with the top two teams separated to opposite sides, according to rankings produced by the Michigan Power Ratings formula.
While that was just another preliminary step for teams hoping to be Breslin Bound over the next month, more are to come this week as the state’s best finish off league titles or prepare to make their memories when the tournament begins in 14 days.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. River Rouge 58, Benton Harbor 52 – The Panthers (17-1) further cemented themselves among Division 1 championship favorites with a close win against one of the best in Division 2 in the Tigers (16-2).
3. Howell 75, Canton 71 (3OT) – The Highlanders locked up their first Kensington Lakes Activities Association West title since 2017 by outlasting co-runner-up Canton – a good thing because Howell fell three days later to also-second-place Northville.
3. Erie Mason 62, Blissfield 58 – The Eagles (13-3) avenged their lone league loss, by two to Blissfield (15-2) on Jan. 21 – to take over first place in the Lenawee County Athletic Association.
4. Coldwater 56, Battle Creek Pennfield 52 – After being upset by Jackson Northwest three days before, league leader Coldwater (11-6) hung on against one of three other teams in Pennfield (11-5) sitting within a game of first place in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference.
5. Ypsilanti Lincoln 108, Chelsea 102 (2OT) – This didn’t have bearing on a league title – Lincoln (15-2) had already clinched the Southeastern Conference White and Chelsea (11-6) is fourth – but it was the first time since 1998 that two teams in Michigan combined to score at least 210 points.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Muskegon (15-2) The Big Reds locked up their seventh Ottawa-Kent Conference Black title last week and have won 77 of their last 78 league games. Their only instate loss this season was 54-51 to Grand Blanc (15-3) – with the other defeat by 10 to Chicago Curie in December. They’ve been otherwise successful during an impressive nonleague slate that’s included wins over Ferndale (8-9 against the state’s ninth-strongest schedule), Saginaw (10-7) and Belleville (15-3) and with Kalamazoo Central (13-4) coming up next week.
River Rouge (17-1) Saturday’s win over Benton Harbor goes well with other nonleague victories over Ypsilanti Lincoln (15-2), Detroit Martin Luther King (13-5) and North Farmington (12-5) – and with Romulus (14-3) and Southfield Christian (13-3) coming up. Rouge’s only loss was 63-60 in overtime to Grand Rapids Catholic Central – the top-ranked team by MPR in Division 2. The Panthers also won their fifth-straight league title, going undefeated in the Michigan Metro Athletic Conference Blue thanks in part to sweeps of Hamtramck (14-3) and Ecorse (10-6).
DIVISION 2
Frankenmuth (14-2) – Two Tri-Valley Conference East teams are ranked among the top eight in Division 2 by MPR, Frankenmuth at No. 8 following No. 3 Bridgeport. The Eagles beat the Bearcats on Feb. 7 and trail in the standings by a game with two left. Frankenmuth also boasts solid wins over Jack Pine Conference co-leader Sanford Meridian (14-3) and Freeland (10-7) twice, and with room for a boost with Flint Southwestern (13-3) and Alma (12-6) coming up this week.
Otsego (17-1) The Bulldogs have won 15 straight and clinched the Wolverine Conference North championship, their third straight, and they can move to 24-0 in league play over those three seasons with a win over Allegan on Friday. The only loss was by 17 to Grand Rapids Catholic Central (see above) on Dec. 14. Only one team since – Battle Creek Lakeview – has come within nine points. Otsego also has an 11-point win over Edwardsburg, which it could see in next week’s conference crossover.
DIVISION 3
Iron Mountain (16-0) Returning a pair of stars from last season’s Division 3 runner-up run, Iron Mountain predictably has been dominant. The Mountaineers can clinch a share of the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East title Tuesday and own a 69-51 win over second-place Negaunee (15-2) in from their first meeting Jan. 28 – they meet again March 5 to likely decide the title outright. Gladstone, with a 15-point loss Jan. 6, has come the closest to Iron Mountain so far.
Maple City Glen Lake (14-2) A 75-67 win over Frankfort on Friday finished a season sweep of the second-place Panthers (12-4) and clinched for Glen Lake the Northwest Conference title. The Lakers have won three straight league championships, including the last two outright, and are looking to make a run at a third-straight 20-win season as well. Their only losses were to Charlevoix (14-3) and Division 1 Traverse City West, and they beat Division 1 Saginaw Heritage (9-7) on Jan. 20 at Saginaw Valley State.
DIVISION 4
Hale (15-3) The Eagles have locked up the North Star League Little Dipper championship – their third consecutive – and despite losing two of their last three league games to second-place Posen (by one) and then Friday in a crossover that counts in the standings against Big Dipper champion Oscoda (by five). Those two and an earlier defeat to Oscoda (17-0) are the only losses this winter, and Hale did win its first meeting with Posen (12-4) by 16. The Eagles also have nice wins over Rogers City (11-7) and Mio (11-5).
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (11-5) The Defenders are 10-2 after a 1-3 start and sit tied for first in the Alliance League with Wyoming Potter’s House Christian (11-6), which they face Friday. Tri-unity always loads its nonleague schedule with bigger opponents, and all five losses have come to Division 3 teams with 11 or more victories. Tri-unity also is one of five teams in its league with 11 or more wins, making its place at the top even more impressive. The Defenders take on four teams with double-digit wins over the next two weeks.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Detroit U-D Jesuit (11-6) vs. Detroit Loyola (13-2) at Bloomfield Hills Marian – This winner faces Wednesday’s Orchard Lake St. Mary’s/Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice winner for the Detroit Catholic League Bishop championship.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids Northview (12-6) at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (14-4) – After handing Forest Hills Central its only O-K White loss Friday, Northern must beat third-place Northview to keep in the mix for a shared league title and then root for Northview to beat Central on Friday so it can claim the outright championship.
Friday – Mount Pleasant (16-0) at Grand Blanc (15-3) – The Saginaw Valley League Blue champion hosts the winner from the Red in a matchup of top Division 1 teams statewide.
Friday – Ann Arbor Huron (16-1) at Kalamazoo Central (13-4) – The Maroon Giants start off the week hosting Stevensville Lakeshore (14-3) and finish with another of the best from Division 1.
Friday – Traverse City St. Francis (15-2) at Charlevoix (14-3) – St Francis will likely clinch the Lake Michigan Conference title Tuesday, but second-place Charlevoix still will enjoy a chance to avenge its earlier 42-33 loss to the Gladiators.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as 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.
PHOTO: Menominee's Keagan Monroe drives to the basket while being surrounded by Ishpeming defenders Ben Pruett (23), Breck Bell (22) and Griffin Argall (34) and teammate Keaton Uecke. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)