Breslin Bound: Boys Report Post-Break
January 8, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Holiday break and all that comes with it – no school, but plenty of "classics" and "showcases" – has come to an end. But in its wake, we see a little better how some of the state's best stack up heading into league play that will dominate the next two months.
Here are 10 teams that made some of the biggest waves over the last few weeks. Records and scores are based on those submitted to the MHSAA.com Score Center.
1. Saginaw Arthur Hill (7-0) – This is shaping up as the Lumberjacks’ season among powers in the Saginaw Valley Association. Its best win of break definitely came Friday, 75-54 over rival and reigning Class A champion Saginaw High.
2. East Kentwood (6-0) – The Falcons’ run at the Muskegon Hall of Fame Classic was the most impressive among those that played in a holiday event. East Kentwood beat two teams considered elite – Grand Rapids Christian 52-48 and then Muskegon 85-77.
3. Ann Arbor Pioneer (5-2) – The Pioneers have played a nicely-loaded schedule and opened with losses to Detroit Country Day and Holt. But a 62-60 win over Detroit Southeastern highlights a 5-0 run since that also has included two more victories by four points or fewer.
4. Wayland (7-1) – The Wildcats’ turnaround this winter has been a speedy one. They won only six games all of 2011-12 – but have fallen this season only to Wyoming Godwin Heights and by just a point, 72-71.
5. Harbor Beach (6-1) – The bounce-back after winning the Division 8 football title might’ve been too quick for the Pirates, who fell on opening night. But they haven’t lost since, and handed previously-perfect Reese a 58-44 defeat on Thursday.
6. Detroit U-D Jesuit (5-1) – The Cubs appear to be a contender in the Detroit Catholic League Central after beating Warren DeLaSalle 73-62 on Friday. Jesuit’s only loss was by three to Cleveland St. Ignatius earlier last week.
7. Ypsilanti (4-1) – After opening this season with a one-point loss to Wyandotte Roosevelt, the Phoenix have been tough. Best wins were by two in overtime over a solid Saline team and by seven over emerging Detroit Denby.
8. Decatur (7-0) – The Raiders ended last season losing four of their final five games. But they've rebounded nicely, and handed Eau Claire its first loss, 57-54.
9. Hemlock (5-1) – The Huskies look to be back in the hunt in the Tri-Valley Conference Central despite an early loss to Shepherd. Friday’s 49-44 win over Saginaw Nouvel avenged one of their few during last season’s 19-5 run.
10. Sparta (5-2) – The Spartans are riding a four-game winning streak that included one-point wins over Grand Rapids Creston and Muskegon Oakridge. The latter is Oakridge’s lone loss this winter.
PHOTO: Saginaw Arthur Hill's Jalen Adams (14) finishes a powerful slam in his team's win over rival Saginaw High on Friday. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
D3 Preview: Challengers Lined Up as Beecher Seeks to Complete Repeat Run
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 23, 2022
Flint Beecher is one of three 2021 champions returning to the Boys Basketball Finals this weekend, and the Bucs are among the most frequent visitors to Breslin Center with Thursday’s to be their eighth Semifinal appearance over the last 13 years.
That’s a pretty imposing opener for describing any bracket. But this one could be especially loaded with Schoolcraft also making a return trip and Menominee and Ecorse showing strong credentials all season long.
DIVISON 3 Semifinals – Thursday
Menominee (22-3) vs. Ecorse (9-12), Noon
Schoolcraft (23-2) vs. Flint Beecher (22-2), 2 p.m.
FINAL – Saturday – 4:30 p.m.
Tickets for this weekend’s games are $12 for both Semifinals and Finals and are available via the Breslin Center ticket office. All Semifinals will be broadcast and viewable with subscription to MHSAA.tv, and all four Finals will air live Saturday on Bally Sports Detroit, with the Division 4 and 1 games on BSD EXTRA and the Division 3 and 2 games on BSD’s primary channel. All four will be broadcast live as well as on the BSD website and app. Audio broadcasts of all Semifinals and Finals will be available free of charge from the MHSAA Network.
Here’s a look at the four Division 3 semifinals (with rankings by MPR at the end of the regular season, and statistics through Regional Finals):
ECORSE
Record/rank: 9-12, No. 148
League finish: Fourth in Michigan Metro Athletic Conference Black
Coach: Gerrod Abram, third season (39-20)
Championship history: Class B runner-up 1978, Class B Lower Peninsula runner-up 1942.
Best wins: 49-47 over Erie Mason in Regional Final, 73-71 over Riverview Gabriel Richard in District Semifinal.
Players to watch: Malik Olafioye, 6-2 jr. G; Kenneth Morrast Jr., 6-1 jr. G. (Statistics not provided.)
Outlook: Ecorse is headed to the Semifinals for the first time since 1980. It’s important to note the team’s MPR would have been much higher without 10 forfeits over the first two months of the regular season; the Raiders instead would be 16-5. And they’ve appeared to be Division 3 contenders from the start, with since-forfeited wins over Division 1 Brownstown Woodhaven (19-5) and Division 2 River Rouge (17-4). The District win over Gabriel Richard was the Pioneers’ only loss of the season. This group should continue to be strong; only one senior starts and there are only two seniors total on a roster that includes four sophomores and a freshman.
FLINT BEECHER
Record/rank: 22-2, No. 2
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference Red
Coach: Marquise Gray, first season (22-2)
Championship history: Nine MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 72-41 over No. 5 Reese in District Final, 84-68 over Division 2 No. 12 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 75-69 over Division 2 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 63-60 over Flint Carman-Ainsworth.
Players to watch: Carmelo Harris, 6-0 sr. G; James Cummings II, 6-3 sr. F. (Statistics not provided.)
Outlook: The Bucs returned to win last season’s championship, their first since 2017, and have lost only to Division 1 Grand Blanc (20-5) and Detroit Martin Luther King (19-3) this winter while handing reigning Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Catholic Central (24-1) its lone defeat. Gray memorably starred at Beecher and Michigan State and played overseas before returning and serving as an assistant coach in advance of taking over the program. Harris and Cummings started on last season’s team, and 6-3 junior Robert Lee II was the only sub who saw more than two minutes of time in last year’s Final. Harris also is a returning all-state first-teamer.
MENOMINEE
Record/rank: 22-3, No. 1
League finish: First in Great Northern Conference
Coach: Sam Larson, fifth season (48-51)
Championship history: Class B champion 1967
Best wins: 60-56 (2OT) over No. 19 Benzie Central in Regional Final, 74-57 over Ishpeming Westwood in Regional Semifinal, 83-45 over Iron Mountain in District Final, 77-44 and 65-62 over Division 2 No. 1 Escanaba, 51-26 and 72-40 over Division 4 No. 4 Powers North Central.
Players to watch: Aidan Bellisle, 6-2 sr. G (15.4 ppg, 4.8 apg); Cooper Conway, 6-4 sr. F (12.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg); Brady Schultz, 6-6 sr. F (12 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg).
Outlook: The Maroons have improved from 4-17 just three seasons ago to making the Semifinals for the first time since 2008. The only two in-state losses this winter came over the last five weeks, to Escanaba in the teams’ third meeting of the season (after Menominee won the first two, and by a point to Division 4 semifinalist Ewen-Trout Creek. Five seniors start, with three sophomores playing the most prominent roles off the bench. Larson was a sophomore on the 2008 team that lost to Lansing Catholic in Class B at Breslin.
SCHOOLCRAFT
Record/rank: 23-2, No. 6
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Coach: Randy Small, 17th season (329-67)
Championship history: Class C champion 2011, runner-up 2009.
Best wins: 60-57 (Quarterfinal) and 61-32 over No. 17 Pewamo-Westphalia, 45-31 over No. 14 Watervliet in Regional Final, 59-31 (District Final), 51-40 and 54-41 over No. 18 Kalamazoo Christian, 49-45 over Division 2 No. 5 Parchment.
Players to watch: Tyler DeGroote, 6-7 sr. F (16.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg); Shane Rykse, 6-3 soph. G (13.1 ppg, 53 3-pointers); Ty Rykse, 6-7 sr. F (12.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 4.3 apg).
Outlook: Schoolcraft is making a repeat appearance at Breslin and fell by just four in overtime in last season’s Semifinal against Iron Mountain. The Golden Eagles are a combined 63-4 over the last three seasons. DeGroote and Shane Rykse were main contributors last season as well – DeGroote earned an all-state honorable mention – and Ty Rykse also started in the Semifinal. The defeats this season came to Division 1 Hudsonville and Parchment, and Schoolcraft avenged the latter. Senior point guard Asher Puhalski adds another 7.2 points, four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
PHOTO Flint Beecher’s Keyonta Menifield goes to the basket during Tuesday’s Quarterfinal win over New Haven. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)