Breslin Bound: Boys District Preview
March 6, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
In less than three weeks, 16 boys basketball teams will converge on Michigan State University’s Breslin Center to determine four MHSAA titles.
Today, more than 700 teams remain in the hunt.
Our final winter tournament begins tonight as boys hoops Districts tip off all over the state. Switching up the format a bit for our Breslin Bound reports – powered by MI Student Aid – we look below as usual at some of the most eye-catching results from last week, but also three Districts in each class shaping up as the most attention-grabbing heading into our first round.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. New Haven 108, Flint Beecher 104 (3 OT) – It would be hard to find a more exciting regular-season finale than this one between Class B and C favorites; Beecher’s Malik Ellison scored 63 points in trying to reverse the eventual outcome.
2. Grand Rapids Christian 72, Wyoming Godwin Heights 58 – As it’s often said, someone had to lose, and Christian moved on to eventually finish 20-0 while dealing Godwin Heights its only loss this season. The Eagles got their scare Thursday with an overtime two-point win over Kalamazoo Central.
3. Wayne Memorial 47, Walled Lake Central 44 – Wayne closed a nail-biting Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament run with this championship game win, its second in three playoff games by three points.
4. Dollar Bay 54, Painesdale-Jeffers 46 – With a loss to the second-place Jets, Dollar Bay still would’ve clinched the Copper Mountain Conference Copper Country title, reportedly its first championship since 1994, but this capped a perfect league run.
5. Morley Stanwood, 59, Big Rapids 56 – The champions of the Central State Activities Association Silver and Gold faced off, with the Silver title winner emerging victorious in this unofficial league final.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:
CLASS A
Grosse Pointe South
Detroit Cass Tech (16-4), Detroit East English (13-5), Detroit Martin Luther King (15-4), Detroit Western International (8-11), Grosse Pointe South (10-10), Hamtramck (13-5).
This could be a remix of the Detroit Public School League Tournament, where Cass Tech beat East English in the semifinal 73-71 and then King in the championship game 59-47. That came after Cass Tech split with Western during the league regular season – and King and East English split this winter as well.
Lansing Everett (at Don Johnson Fieldhouse)
DeWitt (11-9), East Lansing (20-0), Grand Ledge (7-13), Lansing Everett (12-8), Lansing Waverly (13-7).
East Lansing would look to be the strong favorite, and rightfully so especially coming out of the same league as Grand Ledge and Everett. But the Trojans also were undefeated heading into the postseason last winter and were upset in the Regional by Everett, which went on to make the Class A Semifinals.
Walled Lake Western
Milford (12-8), Walled Lake Central (14-6), Walled Lake Northern (14-6), Walled Lake Western (14-6), White Lake Lakeland (7-13).
Similar to above in the PSL, this could be a redo of the KLAA North race, won by Western by a game over co-runners-up Central and Northern, which both split with Western in league play. Central ended up winning the Lakes tournament championship with a five-point win over Western, which had beaten Northern by one in the semifinals.
CLASS B
Bridgeport
Birch Run (7-13), Bridgeport (18-2), Carrollton (10-10), Frankenmuth (18-2), Saginaw Swan Valley (14-6).
The Tri-Valley East championship was split by the host Bearcats and Frankenmuth, with Bridgeport winning their first meeting by 10 and the Eagles winning the second also by 10. Frankenmuth lost only once more over its final 19 regular-season games – in fact, both TVC East champs also lost to Flint Hamady. Swan Valley and Carrollton were third and fourth, respectively, in the TVC Central, and the winner of their opener should provide a challenge.
Marysville
Algonac (2-18), Armada (9-11), Marine City (3-15), Marysville (14-6), New Haven (19-1), Richmond (16-4), St. Clair (14-6).
New Haven won the Macomb Area Conference Blue title and lost this season only to 2016 Class A semifinalist Macomb Dakota, by six in December. Richmond also is formidable after finishing second in the Blue Water Area Conference but with two painful losses by a combined three points at the end of February that cost the Blue Devils the league title. Marysville was co-league champion in the MAC Silver and runner-up in the MAC Silver-Bronze Tournament.
Onsted
Adrian (9-11), Brooklyn Columbia Central (10-10), Chelsea (13-7), Hillsdale (20-0), Onsted (15-5), Tecumseh (2-18).
Hillsdale won the Lenawee County Athletic Association with a sweep of Onsted, the first victory in double overtime and the second by only two points. The Wildcats were District champs a year ago. Chelsea finished only fourth in the Southeastern Conference White, but four of six teams in that league won at least 11 games during the regular season, and the Bulldogs are 9-4 since Jan. 7.
CLASS C
Bloomingdale
Bangor (0-20), Bloomingdale (14-6), Gobles (14-6), Hartford (9-11), Kalamazoo Christian (13-7), Kalamazoo Hackett (19-1).
Rivals Hackett and Christian would meet in a District Semifinal after Hackett swept the series with three and six-point (in overtime) wins on the way to a shared Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title. Hackett reached the Quarterfinals a year ago. The host Cardinals won the SAC Central after going only 2-18 last season. And Gobles enters as the fourth-place finisher out of the strong SAC Lakeshore.
Flint Hamady
Burton Atherton (13-7), Burton Bendle (14-6), Burton Bentley (9-11), Flint Beecher (15-5), Flint Hamady (14-6), Montrose (11-9), New Lothrop (13-7).
Considering Flint Beecher has won back-to-back Class C championships and four of the last five, it’s easy to lean toward the Buccaneers heavy this week. But this District is stacked with successful teams – as noted above, Hamady handed Class B hopefuls Bridgeport and Frankenmuth losses and fell to Beecher by only four in their second meeting Feb. 3. All of Beecher’s defeats this season came against Class A or B opponents.
Napoleon
Concord (15-5), East Jackson (7-13), Hanover-Horton (17-3), Jackson Lumen Christi (3-17), Michigan Center (20-0), Napoleon (15-5), Vandercook Lake (12-8).
Hanover-Horton has won 15 straight District titles, the longest streak in Michigan, but will have plenty of challenges beginning tonight against Vandercook Lake. Michigan Center is perfect for the regular season reportedly for the first time – and beat Hanover-Horton by 19 and 13 this winter. Even then, Michigan Center would have to get through whichever wins between Napoleon and Concord just to reach the championship game.
CLASS D
Baraga
Baraga (0-20), Chassell (11-9), Dollar Bay (16-4), Lake Linden-Hubbell (6-14), Ontonagon (12-8), Painesdale-Jeffers (16-4)
With two-time reigning Class D champ Powers North Central roaming a similarly-stacked District at Stephenson, this might be the most competitive in the Upper Peninsula this week. Dollar Bay and Painesdale-Jeffers would meet in a Semifinal – as noted above, Dollar Bay won the Copper Country title this season with victories of seven and eight over the Jets. The Bays did lose to Ontonagon at the start of January (and win the rematch in February), and play them first in an opener tonight.
Brethren
Bear Lake (14-6), Brethren (11-9), Buckley (20-0), Fife Lake Forest Area (11-9), Mesick (1-18), Onekama (9-11).
Buckley, of course, would be considered the favorite and won a District title a year ago. But Bear Lake, Brethren and Forest Area all have winning records and are on the other side of the bracket, and will try to take advantage of any possible letdown. Bear Lake finished second in the West Michigan D League.
Byron Center Zion Christian
Byron Center Zion Christian (12-8), Holland Calvary (14-6), Wyoming Potter’s House Christian (13-6), Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (12-8)
The Alliance League title was shared by Calvary and Potter’s House, with Zion Christian a close third only a game back – but Tri-unity Christian plays in the league only for girls basketball, not boys. The Defenders own an 11-point win over Potter’s House from the start of the season and a 10-pointer over Calvary two weeks ago, and took most of its losses from schools in the other three classes. They made the Class D Semifinals in 2016.
PHOTO: A Flint Beecher player deflects a Corunna shot during their matchup earlier this season. (Click to see more from Varsity Monthly.)
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 2
December 10, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Pre-New Year’s Day basketball is generally a getting-to-know-you time across Michigan.
Every week we’re learning a few more things about possible contenders while watching to see if all the preseason hype is panning out.
It’s hard to say we know much after two weeks – and yet, some surprises already are beginning to emerge. We give a glance at a few of those below.
Breslin Bound is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. To offer corrections or fill in scores we’re missing, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Renaissance 73, Detroit Edison 60 – The Phoenix bounced back from a three-point opening loss to Flint Beecher to win by double digits over the reigning Class C champion Pioneers.
2. Pontiac 63, Clarkston 58 – This win over the reigning Class A champion should boost a Pontiac turnaround effort detailed a little more below.
3. Pewamo-Westphalia 63, Dansville 45 – The Aggies had taken over as mid-Michigan’s best contender among Class C/Division 3 schools after beating the Pirates by a point in last year’s Regional Semifinal, but that status likely shifted back to the Pirates after this big win.
4. Alma 52, Frankenmuth 48 (OT) – The Panthers lost by 21 when these Tri-Valley Conference contenders met in a crossover Jan. 29, but avenging the defeat last week kept Alma perfect at 4-0.
5. Belleville 63, Romulus 43 – Now in different leagues, these longtime rivals are set to meet for sure just this once – and the Tigers extended their winning streak in the series to three straight.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
• Hudsonville (2-0) – Coming off a 10-12 finish a season ago, Hudsonville has a lot to be excited about right away. The Eagles opened with a 43-37 win over East Grand Rapids and then beat Wyoming Godwin Heights on Friday 75-64 to avenge last year’s 17-point loss.
• Wayne Memorial (2-0) – The Zebras are following up last season’s 17-8 record and run to the Regional Finals with a nice start. Last week’s win was 61-56 over Ann Arbor Skyline, which is coming off a 23-1 finish in 2017-18.
DIVISION 2
• Pontiac (3-0) – The Phoenix are rising after going 5-15 last season and winning just three games the season before that. Of course the Clarkston win noted above sticks out, but Pontiac also downed Clawson by 25 to end the week.
• St. Clair (4-0) – The Saints will start work on a second straight Macomb Area Conference Gold title coming off a pair of close wins, 54-49 over Marysville and 65-64 in double overtime over Marine City.
DIVISION 3
• Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (4-0) – A 5-1 start last season turned into a 12-9 finish, and the Lakers are enjoying the early-going again. They’ve avenged three of last season’s losses, including last week with a 46-42 overtime win over Ubly and 58-43 victory over Brown City.
• Vandercook Lake (4-0) – The Jayhawks already have doubled up last season’s two wins, coming off Friday’s 86-74 overtime victory over Manchester. Junior Tyler Horky is averaging 30.5 points per game and scored 47 against the Flying Dutchmen, including 34 over the second half and overtime.
DIVISION 4
• Central Lake (4-0) – The Trojans have built from two to four to seven to 11 to 13 wins over the last five seasons – and might be in store for more. Last week’s 54-39 win over Bellaire and 84-75 defeat of Onaway both came against teams that beat Central Lake at least once last winter.
• Gaylord St. Mary (2-1) – The Snowbirds finished 9-14 last winter but closed with four wins over their final six games. After losing to Rogers City in the opener two weeks ago, St. Mary earned close wins last week over Mancelona (53-52) and Fife Lake Forest Area (54-50) – after going a combined 1-3 against the pair last season.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Grand Blanc (1-1) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (2-1) – These are both Division 1 hopefuls which despite an early loss apiece could play deep into this winter.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids Christian (3-0) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (1-0) – Both have notable early wins, Christian over Wyoming Godwin Heights and GRCC opening with a victory over Holland West Ottawa.
Friday – Saginaw (2-1) at Saginaw Arthur Hill (1-1) – One of the state’s best rivalries rolls again after the Trojans won last season’s games by eight and four points.
Friday – Belleville (1-0) at Ann Arbor Skyline (2-1) – Skyline’s 23-1 run last season included a 14-point win over Belleville, which ended up reaching the Class A Quarterfinals.
Saturday – Detroit Henry Ford (0-1) vs. Benton Harbor (3-0) at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills – This is likely the premier game of the Battle of I-96 Classic, pitting the reigning Class B champion Tigers against the 2016 title winner in that class.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau 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, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: After opening with a two-point loss to Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Detroit Cass Tech bounced back last week with a 74-50 win over West Bloomfield. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)