Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 6
January 15, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Undefeated teams quickly are becoming few as boys basketball season heads into mid-January.
But this week's list of teams making noise includes a handful that remain perfect – although a few more will face their toughest challenges soon.
Records and scores below are based on those submitted to the MHSAA.com Score Center.
1. New Haven (6-0) – Coming off 21 wins last season, the Rockets had high expectations – and made great on a good start with a 101-98 double-overtime win over Mount Clemens on Friday; Mount Clemens hadn’t lost.
2. Detroit Pershing (9-0) – The Doughboys just keep proving their status as Detroit's best, downing Detroit Martin Luther King 78-64 and then Detroit Douglass 73-67 in overtime last week.
3. Stevensville Lakeshore (7-0) – A Class B Semifinalist a year ago, Lakeshore is surging again with only one win by fewer than 11 points this season – and that was against South Bend St. Joseph of Indiana.
4. Holt (10-1) – The Rams further cemented themselves as the class of Greater Lansing this season by beating reigning Class B champion Lansing Sexton 50-46 on Friday.
5. Frankenmuth (8-0) – This week’s “Battle of the Fans” contestant will need all the support against rival and top Tri-Valley Conference East competitor Bridgeport on Friday, but the Eagles survived a 50-46 win over Essexville Garber a week ago.
6. Climax-Scotts (8-0) – The Panthers got their first test this season in a 51-42 win over Bellevue on Friday, but no other opponent has come within 14 points.
7. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (7-3) – After opening 1-3, the Warriors have won six straight and handed Spring Lake its first loss, 49-47, on Saturday.
8. Ithaca (7-0) – The Yellowjackets know how to play football, but they’ve long had a strong hoops program as well and have an early lead in the TVC West.
9. Lake Linden-Hubbell (7-0) – The Lakes had to survive overtime against Hancock and then three more against Calumet in December, but have won four straight by at least 18 points.
10. DeWitt (6-2) – A relative newcomer to Class A, the Panthers shocked the local competition with a 56-54 win last week over Okemos, and also own a five-point victory over improved Grand Ledge.
PHOTO: Ithaca's Markes Gadlen (14) pushes the ball upcourt against Carson City-Crystal this season. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Ewen-Trout Creek Starts Fast, Holds On to Reach 1st Final Since 1982
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 24, 2022
EAST LANSING – What began playing out early like a certain blowout turned into quite a thriller to begin Thursday’s Division 4 Boys Basketball Semifinals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
Making its first Semifinals trip since since finishing Class D runner-up 1982, Ewen-Trout Creek was in full control in the first Division 4 matchup of the night with a double-digit lead for the majority of the game.
But appearing in its first-ever Semifinal, Lake Leelanau St. Mary pulled off a furious comeback, tying the game with just over two minutes remaining.
Ultimately, Ewen-Trout Creek made more plays from there, holding off St. Mary to earn a 62-56 win and advance to its first championship game since it won the Class D title in 1972.
“Wow,” Ewen-Trout Creek coach Brad Besonen said. “That was fantastic. High school sports at its finest. Two small schools on the big stage at Breslin Center. These guys have dreamed about being here forever. They’ve played together since second grade.”
After trailing 48-31 with 1:55 remaining in the third quarter, St. Mary began its rally, mainly because it finally found some rhythm offensively.
St. Mary scored the final six points of the third quarter to make it 48-37, but Ewen-Trout Creek restored its lead to 12 at 54-42 with 6:13 remaining.
Then, the Eagles made their big move.
St. Mary went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:11 to tie the game at 56-56 with 2:02 remaining.
The comeback wasn’t anything new to the Eagles, who trailed by 18 in the second half of their District Final against Buckley and by 12 points in the final five minutes of their Regional Final against McBain Northern Michigan Christian before rallying to win both games.
“They just have no quit in them,” St. Mary coach Matt Barnowski said.
But down the stretch, Ewen-Trout Creek regained its composure.
Senior Jaden Borseth gave the Panthers a 58-56 lead with 1:46 remaining, and after St. Mary had 3-point shots rim out on back-to-back possessions, Ewen-Trout Creek took a lead with 33.8 seconds left on two free throws by senior Kelsey Jilek.
Following another missed 3-pointer by St. Mary, Borseth made two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining to make it 62-56 Panthers.
Jilek led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Borseth scored 18 points and senior Eric Abramson added 15 points for Ewen-Trout Creek (23-3), which had its eye on this year the minute last season ended with a loss to Bessemer in the District round.
“We were in the gym the day after we lost,” Jilek said. “We wanted more than anything to make a run last year. We put everything we had into it, and here we are.”
St. Mary junior Shawn Bramer led all scorers with 25 points to go along with eight rebounds, and Schaub added 14 points to lead St. Mary (21-5).
The Eagles started the season 2-3, then went 19-2 the rest of the way to make school history.
“That was a fun game,” Barnowski said. “Everybody got their money’s worth, there’s no doubt about that. I’m proud of these kids.”
Ewen-Trout Creek got off to a good start offensively, making nine of its first 15 shots and taking a 20-14 lead after the first quarter.
Leading 24-18 in the second quarter, the Panthers started to separate, going on an 11-2 run to take a 35-20 advantage with 1:08 remaining before halftime.
The Panthers eventually took a 37-22 lead into the break.
PHOTOS (Top) Ewen-Trout Creek's Eric Abramson lays up a shot during his team's Division 4 Semifinal win Thursday. (Middle) St. Mary's Shawn Bramer (32) works to split the defense of Kelsey Jilek (24) and Brendan Polkky (44). (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)