Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 2
December 18, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
It's difficult to draw much from the first two weeks of a four-month basketball season.
But it doesn't take long to sense a turnaround coming (see Detroit Mumford below) or a new championship contender on the rise (hello Grand Rapids Catholic Central?). This week's installment includes a few more teams that quickly have made an impression, to carry us through the end of 2017.
Breslin Bound is powered by MI Student Aid, and will return during the first week of January. These reports are based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com – to offer corrections, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 73, Grand Rapids Christian 49 – The Cougars reversed a 39-point loss suffered last season to the eventual Class A runner-up.
2. Hazel Park 74, Detroit U-D Jesuit 63 – Last week a win over Detroit East English got Hazel Park on this list, and this time it’s a double-digit victory over the Cubs (20-4 last season).
3. Dansville 42, Pewamo-Westphalia 34 – The Aggies followed a win over Class B Detroit Osborn with this one over reigning Central Michigan Athletic Conference champion P-W, which beat Dansville by 18 and two points in their meetings last season.
4. Saginaw 69, Saginaw Arthur Hill 61 – The Trojans bounced back from an early-week loss to Detroit Renaissance to beat the rival Lumberjacks for the seventh straight time since falling to them during the 2014-15 postseason.
5. Warren DeLaSalle 77, West Bloomfield 67 – The Pilots have played two of their first three games against teams that made at least the MHSAA Semifinals last season, winning this one over the Class A Lakers.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Mount Pleasant (3-0) – The Oilers improved to post upper-division finishes in the formerly two-division Saginaw Valley League the last two seasons, going 15-9 overall last winter. All of the SVL will play in one division this winter, and Mount Pleasant is off to a nice start with three double-digit wins including a 22-pointer over a Midland Dow team it split with last season.
Troy (3-0) – The Colts play in a tough Oakland Activities Association Red that includes Clarkston, West Bloomfield and Hazel Park among others, but they could be in the mix after reaching the Quarterfinals (and falling there to West Bloomfield) last winter. Troy finished last week by handing rival Athens its first loss, 66-58.
CLASS B
Detroit Mumford (4-0) – With one more win, Mumford will be halfway to bettering last season’s 9-12 finish. The Mustangs have three straight double-digit wins after beating St. Clair Shores South Lake, Oak Park and Warren Michigan Collegiate on successive days over the weekend.
Spring Lake (3-0) – Back-to-back overtime wins over Class A teams has Spring Lake riding high. The Lakers got past Rockford 48-46 and Grand Haven 69-66 last week as they prepped for the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue season and powerhouse Grand Rapids Catholic Central – which Spring Lake eliminated in last year’s Regional Final after finishing third to the Cougars in league play.
CLASS C
Houghton Lake (2-0) – They are only two games win, but a 35-28 overtime win over Beaverton on Thursday should have the Bobcats’ spirits high. The Beavers were runners-up in the Jack Pine Conference last season and Houghton Lake came in fifth after losing to Beaverton by 29 and 23.
Iron Mountain (4-0) – The Mountaineers might be the favorites in the Mid-Peninsula Conference after finishing third last winter despite going 2-1 (including a District win) over co-champion Norway. The Knights left the league this year, but Iron Mountain surely still enjoyed taking a 48-40 win from them Friday.
CLASS D
Bear Lake (3-0) – Only two weeks into the season, the Lakers are making some noise in the West Michigan D. They sit atop the conference after opening with a 12-point win over reigning champion Baldwin, and that’s been by far Bear Lake’s closest game. The Lakers finished 15-7 overall and tied for third in the league last season.
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (4-0) – As usual, Tri-unity will play a wide variety of opponents including many larger to prepare for the postseason, a strategy that frequently pays off. One of the losses it took last year on the way to the Quarterfinals was against Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, and Tri-unity avenged with a 49-41 win Friday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Flint Hamady (3-0) at Flint Beecher (3-1) – The reigning Class C champion Buccaneers took three from their rivals last season, but one meeting by only four points.
Tuesday – McBain (2-0) at Buckley (1-1) – Although the Bears took a four-point loss on opening night two weeks ago, both of these teams were perfect for the regular season last winter and Buckley is the reigning Class D runner-up.
Wednesday – Grand Rapids Catholic Central (3-0) at Wyoming Godwin Heights (2-0) – By early returns, these are looking like two of the best teams from Grand Rapids and two of the state’s best in Class B as well.
Dec. 26 – Detroit Martin Luther King (2-0) vs. Southfield Christian (2-1) at Cass Tech – Southfield Christian was a last-second basket from playing for the Class D title last season and can see how it stacks up against the Class A Crusaders.
Dec. 29 – Saginaw (1-1) vs. Detroit Cass Tech (2-0) at Detroit Renaissance – There are high expectations for the Technicians, making this matchup with an annual power arguably the most intriguing at the Motor City Roundball Classic.
PHOTO: Spring Lake got past Grand Haven in overtime last week to stay undefeated. (Photo by Tim Reilly)
Dunn Reaches MHSAA Record Book Among Quincy's All-Time Greats
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 12, 2022
William Dunn finished his career in 2020 among the best to play at Quincy, having made career MHSAA record book lists in three categories.
Dunn, now a 6-foot-8 forward at Youngstown State, ended his prep career with record entries for 788 rebounds, 203 blocked shots and 336 free throws made in 503 attempts over 90 games and four seasons. He played in 25 games and started 13 as a sophomore this past winter for the Penguins.
See below for more recent record book entries for boys basketball.
Boys Basketball
Additionally for Quincy, 2016-17 teammate Nathan Karney was added to the MHSAA records for scoring 22 of his 37 points against Jonesville on March 6, 2017, during the second quarter.
Painesdale Jeffers, despite playing only 20 games during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, made 223 3-pointers, good for eighth-most in one season. The Jets made the single-game 3-pointers list four times, with a high of 22 in a March 11, 2021, game against Lake Linden-Hubbell. Then-junior John Schutz was part of the surge, and his 11 3-pointers in that game are tied for 11th-most on the individual single-game list. Freshman Levi Frahm was added for scoring 21 points during the second quarter of a Feb. 23, 2021, game against Watersmeet.
More than 40 years after concluding his career at Cadillac, Harold Falan has been added to the career rebounding list for grabbing 756 over 64 games and three seasons from 1974-76. The 6-foot-4 Falan reportedly was the second player in Cadillac history to score 1,000 points, and made the Class B all-state team as a senior, according to the Ludington Daily News report March 24, 1976.
Another standout has been recognized more than 40 years after his accomplishment. Cass City senior Clare Trischler scored 22 points during the first quarter of his team’s 102-58 win over Marlette on Dec. 8, 1978. He made the individual single-quarter scoring list, and Cass City made the team list with 42 points total that first period.
Concord’s Jan. 22 win over Springport saw both teams enter the record book among 3-pointer entries. Concord made 20 of 41 attempts from beyond the arc, tying for the eighth-most made 3-pointers in a game. Adding in Springport’s six 3-pointers, the teams’ combined 26 tied for third-most by two teams in a game.
Similarly, Bridgman made the record book with 18 3-pointers (in 27 attempts) against St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran on Feb. 4. Adding in Michigan Lutheran’s three 3-pointers, the teams together made the combined list for one game with 21 total.
Onaway broke a 56-year-old record Feb. 3 when it scored 49 points during the first quarter of a win over Fife Lake Forest Area. The previous record had been 48 scored by Engadine during a game in 1966.
Roscommon senior Joel Ewald scored 33 points Feb. 16 against Evart, all of them coming on 11 3-pointers. He tied for 11th-most 3-pointers made in one game. Additionally, 2009 graduate Mike Alden was added for 3-point achievements twice – for 82 over 22 games as a senior in 2008-09, and 199 over three seasons and 53 games. Ewald will continue at Eureka College in Illinois, and Alden played at Alpena Community College.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice was among the state’s elite throughout the 2021-22 season, and shooting skill was a big contributor. The Warriors made the single-season 3-pointers list with 178 (on 491 attempts over 22 games) and with a single-game high of 15. They also made the consecutive free throws list as a team with 33 consecutive over three games from Feb. 5-11. Junior Xavier Thomas made the single-game consecutive free throws record list connecting on all 18 attempts in an opening-night win over eventual Division 1 runner-up Grand Blanc. Thomas is tied for fifth on that list.
Buckley’s 80-64 win over the Traverse City Homeschoolers on Feb. 12 included long-distance shooting that earned two record book entries. Buckley made 16 3-pointers to make the single-game list for one team, and with Traverse City’s six added in also made the listing for most 3-pointers (22) by two teams during one matchup.
PHOTO Quincy’s William Dunn throws down a dunk during a Dec. 9, 2018, game against Jonesville. (Photo by Expressions Photography Design.)