Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 1
December 17, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first month of boys basketball season always is stock-piled with invitationals, showcases and match-ups pitting the predicted best in the state.
Most of those games will take place of the next three weeks and give us a better idea of what to expect once league play heats up in January. But it took only a few days for a number of teams to indicate their winters could be special.
As with last season’s "Breslin Bound" reports, what’s below isn’t a top 10 of any sort – just a list of 10 teams that stuck out last week among the hundreds of results that rolled in to the MHSAA.com Score Center.
1. Walled Lake Western (1-0, Class A) – Arguably the most intriguing result of the season’s first week was Western’s 73-69 win over reigning Class B champion Detroit Country Day, which beat Western by four a year ago.
2. South Haven (2-0, Class B) – The Rams’ 20-win season in 2013-14 ended with a Regional Final loss to Stevensville Lakeshore, but they started last week by beating Lakeshore 70-65.
3. Howell (1-0, Class A) – The Highlanders were a solid 13-10 last season, and jump to this list this week after beating reigning Class C champion Flint Beecher 58-53.
4. Powers North Central (2-0, Class D) – The Jets have hardly slowed after making the Class D Semifinals last season; they opened with wins of 47 and 45 points.
5. Taylor Kennedy (2-0, Class A) – The Eagles are coming off a 10-13 finish, but kicked off December by avenging last season’s 26-point loss to Detroit Catholic Central with a three-point win.
6. Reed City (2-0, Class B) – Reed City looks good to move up from its middle-of-the-league finish last season in the Central State Activities Association, if an opening-night 76-75 win over Cadillac is an indication.
7. Saginaw Valley Lutheran (1-0, Class C) – The Chargers did win 20 games last season after opening with a 24-point loss to Bridgeport; last week the Chargers opened with a 69-60 win over the Bearcats.
8. Coopersville (1-0, Class B) – The Broncos won one game in 2012-13 and lost twice to Spring Lake by an average of 26 points per; they opened this season by beating Spring Lake 55-52.
9. New Lothrop (2-0, Class C) – The Hornets finished 2012-13 with a disappointing exit in their first playoff game, but opened this winter with a 61-49 victory over reigning Class D runner-up Lansing Christian.
10. Dansville (2-0, Class C) – The Aggies’ four-win 2012-13 included a 43-point loss to Lansing Christian; Dansville is halfway to that win total already and beat the Pilgrims 47-44 on Friday.
PHOTO: Portland (white jerseys) kicked off 2013-14 with a 60-50 win at Alma on Tuesday. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Douglass Takes Next Step in Earning 1st Finals Trip
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
April 8, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS – Despite playing an undermanned opponent in Thursday's Division 4 Semifinal at Van Andel Arena, Detroit Douglass still couldn't afford to look at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart as anything but dangerous.
Which is why the Hurricanes will be playing in Saturday's Final after outlasting the Irish 60-41 in a strange matchup.
Sacred Heart had only five healthy players after three tested positive for COVID. While the numbers should have given Douglass a distinct advantage, Hurricanes coach Pierre Brooks Sr. said his players couldn't afford a mental letdown.
"We knew they only had five players (and) I've been there before," Brooks said. "They were somewhat desperate, they knew they had nothing to lose and played with a chip on their shoulder. You can't underestimate the five players who are playing."
Sacred Heart first-year coach Justin Sherlock, whose team saw its 12-game winning streak snapped, said the program played most of the season with eight players, not counting two who were brought up from the junior varsity. The Irish lost the three players to testing earlier this week, with the only good news being the remaining players constituted much of the normal starting lineup.
The result, as least early in the contest, was surprising as the Irish jumped to an early 9-8 lead with a minute and a half left in the opening quarter. But the Hurricanes' defense took over from there in allowing only three second-quarter points as Douglass built a 25-12 halftime lead.
"We played as hard as we could for 32 minutes and did all we could do," Sherlock said. "I felt like we were clicking. We've got two excellent seniors who have played a lot of basketball. We said if we could stay healthy, we could make a run."
The win sends Douglass (16-5) into Saturday's 10 a.m. championship game against Wyoming Tri-unity Christian at the Breslin Center. The Irish finished 20-2.
Douglass senior guard Pierre Brooks II, who finished Thursday with 30 points and 10 rebounds, said the difference in beating a shorthanded Irish team came down to defense.
"We stepped up in the second quarter," he said. "We locked them down and made sure we made our shots around the basket."
The Irish got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Javantae Randle. Damonn Tiggs had six points, six rebounds and two assists. Tiggs said defense will again be a priority in the Final against Tri-unity, which will be playing in its ninth championship game.
"We need to build on our defense," he said. "Saturday is for everything, everything will be on the line. We need to play our hearts out."
Sacred Heart got 15 points, four assists, three steals and four rebounds from senior guard Zach Wentworth. Senior Luke Predum had 13 points, and freshman Aidan Halliday 11 points.
Brooks Sr. said Sacred Heart deserves credit for sticking around for much of the game.
"They played hard and never gave up," he said. "I told our guys toward the end they'd have a spark. But I was proud of our guys."
PHOTOS: (Top) Pierre Brooks II (1) works to get into the lane during Thursday's Division 4 Semifinal against Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, with Zach Wentworth (5) defending. (Middle) The Hurricanes' Damonn Tiggs looks to the post. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)