Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 1
December 4, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Boys basketball is back and a bit earlier than usual this winter.
But the trails to Breslin Center already are being blazed as we head into first full week of December and second week of this season.
We’ll again begin every week with a “Breslin Bound” look at the most significant results from the week that was, a look at a pair of teams in every division that are making noise and then a quick glance at games to watch in the week to come. (Changes to keep in mind this season – in addition to the boys season starting and ending a week before the girls, the tournament is now organized by Divisions, 1-4, instead of the traditional Class A-B-C-D.)
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. Benton Harbor 67, Dowagiac 66 – The reigning Class B champion held on in a rematch of last season’s Regional Final, which saw Dowagiac’s season end at 17-6.
2. Detroit Martin Luther King 54, River Rouge 51 – Hopes are high for both of these programs, as River Rouge made the Class B Semifinals a year ago and King was a Regional finalist in Class A; they now play in Divisions 2 and 1, respectively.
3. Grand Rapids Christian 60, Wyoming Godwin Heights 59 – These two likely will be ranked among the best in Division 2 when Associated Press polls begin, and the Eagles own the upper hand after avenging last season’s four-point loss.
4. Sterling Heights Stevenson 59, Clarkston 53 – The Wolves graduated a ton and saw one of the state’s winningest coaches retire after back-to-back MHSAA titles, but beating the reigning Class A champion to start the season still had to be huge for the Titans.
5. Ypsilanti Lincoln 80, Ann Arbor Huron 69 – Last season, Lincoln lost by 20 to Huron, which finished 16-6. But the Railsplitters enjoyed the upper hand this time in the high school debut of freshman sensation Emoni Bates.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
• Marquette (2-0) – The Redmen started the season with a statement, downing Brighton 63-58 in overtime on the first day of the Petoskey Tip-Off Classic and then coming back the next day to beat the host 53-31. Marquette was 15-6 a year ago after opening with a 17-point loss to the Northmen, who went on to finish 19-3.
• Portage Northern (2-0) – The Huskies finished 6-16 last season, with a pair of regular-season losses to Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West champion St. Joseph. Perhaps an upset of the Bears in the District opener was a sign of things to come; Northern downed Coloma (18-3 last season) in its opener 71-66 and then St. Joseph 61-48.
DIVISION 2
• Clare (2-0) – The reigning Jack Pine Conference runner-up looks to chase Sanford Meridian again after opening with a 58-56 win over Beal City and then taking a league win 53-48 over Roscommon. Clare reached its District Final last season, when it finished 19-4.
• Essexville Garber (2-0) – After closing last season with five defeats in their final seven games to finish 11-11, the Dukes are roaring into this winter. They started by avenging last winter’s loss to Saginaw Nouvel with a 61-53 win and then outlasted neighbor Bay City John Glenn 44-42.
DIVISION 3
• Ironwood (2-0) – The Red Devils, coming off a 12-9 finish last winter, edged Bessemer 54-52 in the opener and won more comfortably against Bayfield (Wis.), 71-58, to close the week. Both games had notable highlights – the first was won on a halfcourt shot, while the second saw Griffen Revoyr score 45 points (as reported by The Upbeat).
• Sanford Meridian – The reigning Jack Pine Conference champion opened with a 58-49 win over Division 1 Saginaw Heritage, and then started league play with an 81-21 victory over Gladwin. The Mustangs were 21-4 a year ago and reached the Class C Quarterfinals.
DIVISION 4
• Brimley (2-0) – The Bays are rallying right away after last season’s 20-4 finish and run to the Class D Regional Finals. They started last week by avenging that Regional championship game loss with a 71-49 win over Cedarville, and continued with an 81-49 victory over DeTour. That first win could make Brimley the team to beat in the Eastern U.P. Athletic Conference after finishing second to Cedarville a year ago.
• Engadine (2-0) – The Eagles have improved from two to 12 to 15 wins over the last three seasons, and they’re off to the right start as they try to build on last winter’s 15-6 finish. Engadine scored big in a couple of opening week wins, beating Rock Mid-Peninsula 89-50 and Newberry 91-73. The Eagles also play in the EUPAC.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Friday – Dansville (1-0) at Pewamo-Westphalia (0-0) – The Central Michigan Athletic Conference is loaded with small-school contenders, and Dansville is a popular pick to go far in Division 3 – and beat the Pirates by a point in a Class Regional Semifinal when these two last met.
Friday – Iron Mountain (2-0) at Calumet (2-0) – These two both were league champions last season and are off to fast starts again; when they last met nine months ago the Mountaineers emerged with a 56-44 win and Class C Regional title.
Friday – St. Joseph (1-1) at Stevensville Lakeshore (2-0) – These two finished first and second, respectively, in the SMAC West last season with the Bears winning their games by five and 13.
Friday – River Rouge (1-1) at West Bloomfield (1-0) – The Lakers stumbled to finish last winter but could be back in the mix and show it by avenging last season’s two-point overtime loss to the Panthers.
Saturday – Holland West Ottawa (1-0) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (0-0) – Last season’s Class A runner-up faces the runner-up from Class B in the 7 p.m. game of GRCC’s Winter Breakout.
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: Lansing Everett and Shamar Howard (0) kicked off this season with a big road win last week at Grand Blanc. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys Report Week 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 11, 2023
We're always on the lookout, especially at the start of a season, for teams on the rise – maybe they are bouncing back from a tough run last year or continuing to build on recent success and attempting to take the next step.
We spotted a few more as we looked back on the second week of this boys basketball season, and others are sure to emerge as we continue looking forward to more early-season big-time matchups and the showcase events that fill the December calendar.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Grand Ledge 64, Saginaw 55 The Comets are off to a 4-1 start, and this win over Saginaw (3-1) – a Division 2 semifinalist last season – was the headliner from the Moneyball Classic at Holt.
2. Grand Rapids Northview 70, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 67 Northview (2-0) reaffirmed its spot among teams to watch in West Michigan with this early win over the Cougars (1-1) at The Invite at Calvin University.
3. Detroit Cass Tech 58, Holt 51 The host Rams gave the reigning Division 1 champion Technicians one of their closer regular-season games of the last two seasons at the Moneyball Classic, but Cass Tech hung on to move to 30-1 since the start of 2022-23.
4. Ferndale 60, River Rouge 57 Since losing its opener last week to Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Ferndale (2-1) has downed Davison by eight and handed River Rouge (2-1) this first loss of the season.
5. Grandville 59, Hudsonville Unity Christian 56 Grandville (2-0) may not be known as much for boys basketball, but could be soon. Defeating a Division 2 quarterfinalist from last season in Unity (3-2) at The Invite certainly deserves some attention.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (2-0) The Rockets have improved from nine to 13 to 15 wins over the last three seasons, respectively, and a 38-34 victory over Grand Haven on Friday avenged one of the 10 losses from last winter. Reeths-Puffer previously opened with a 74-67 victory over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, still FHC’s lone loss.
Saline (3-0) Sophomore Jonathan Sanderson has opened this season scoring 40, 30 and 51 points, the 51 to lead Saline past Canton 74-72 in overtime last week. The Hornets were a solid 16-7 last season and tied with two others for second in the Southeastern Conference Red, but might be on the verge of more.
DIVISION 2
Freeland (4-0) The Falcons are the lone team to hand Grand Ledge a loss (see above), doing so to win the Petoskey Invitational before taking a major early step in the Tri-Valley Conference Red on Friday with a 54-49 win over rival Frankenmuth. After reaching the Division 2 Semifinals in 2022, Freeland finished 17-7 last season.
Grand Rapids Christian (3-0) A 60-50 win over Hudsonville on Saturday as part of The Invite at Calvin University topped off a nice run of three victories over five days for Grand Rapids Christian. The Eagles also defeated Wyoming 58-53 and Grand Rapids South Christian 58-48 as they work to build on last season’s 20-6 finish.
DIVISION 3
Laingsburg (3-0) The Wolfpack finished 25-1 last season, its only loss in a Division 3 Quarterfinal as Daniel Morrill finished his run as coach. New leader Tim Beebe has Laingsburg continuing to roll, with a 59-55 overtime win over Pewamo-Westphalia on Wednesday especially notable as P-W had won the last four Central Michigan Athletic Conference titles before the Wolfpack prevailed last winter.
McBain (3-0) After a rare down season in 2021-22, the Ramblers bounced back to go 20-6 last winter and have already avenged one of those defeats with a 63-56 win over Boyne City last week; Boyne also won 20 games last season. McBain opened Highland Conference play with an 80-49 victory over Manton as it looks to repeat as league champion.
DIVISION 4
Britton Deerfield (4-0) The Patriots have shown they can win the close ones already this winter, with Friday’s 42-41 win over Petersburg Summerfield adding to a 60-58 edging of Adrian Madison during opening week. The Summerfield win avenged last winter’s season-ending District loss to the Bulldogs as Britton Deerfield finished 9-14. B-D also has wins over Pittsford and Concord, both avenging close losses from last December.
Fruitport Calvary Christian (4-0) The Eagles earned three wins last week, perhaps most notably their 62-57 victory over Fruitport High that was reportedly the program’s first over their neighbor and avenged a 73-36 loss from opening night a year ago. Calvary also has early wins over Holton, Grand Rapids Sacred Heart and Kent City after finishing 14-10 in 2022-23.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Friday – Detroit U-D Jesuit (3-0) at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (5-0) – The matchup is circled every season. Brother Rice won all three last winter to clinch the Catholic League Central title, with Jesuit placing second.
Friday – Iron Mountain (3-0) at Norway (3-0) – The Knights have handed reigning Division 4 champion Munising its first loss this season and will attempt to do the same for a Mountaineers team that finished 21-2 last winter.
Saturday – East Kentwood (1-1) at Saginaw (3-1) – Michael Thomas brought East Kentwood an 18-7 record in his first season as coach last winter, and this should tell some more about how much the Falcons are progressing.
Saturday – Zeeland West (2-0) vs. North Farmington (2-0) at Northville – After improving to 17 wins last season, Zeeland West has lined up an early-season matchup with one of the top teams of the last few at the Northville Winter Shootout.
Saturday – Ann Arbor Huron (0-0) vs. Detroit Edison (1-1) at Northville – After finishing 23-3 last winter, Huron will cap its first week of games this season with this 8 p.m. matchup at the Winter Shootout.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews 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.
PHOTOS (Top) Cadillac works to clog the lane during its 53-38 win over Mount Pleasant. (Middle) Goodrich and Clio face off Friday, with the Martians going on to a 71-34 victory. (Top photo by High School Sports Scene. Middle photo by Terry Lyons.)