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.)

McKenney Grows Legend in Leading St. Mary's to 1st Title since 2000

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

March 16, 2024

EAST LANSING — At one point early in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Boys Basketball Division 1 Final, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s junior Trey McKenney had scored as many points as North Farmington had as a team.

That pretty much tells the story of who the man of the day — and arguably the season — was for 2023-24. 

McKenney showed why he is one of the most highly-regarded juniors in the entire country, finishing with 32 points to lead St. Mary’s to a 63-52 win over North Farmington and its first Finals title in Division 1 or Class A, the predecessor division for the state’s largest schools. 

“We’ve been going at it every day,” McKenney said. “Just being consistent. I don’t think it’s really sunk in, winning a state championship. It’s kind of crazy.”

The Eaglets’ Trey McKenney (1) gets to the basket for two points.McKenney finished 8 of 11 from the field overall and made all 14 of his free-throw attempts. He added 10 rebounds.

After the game, North Farmington head coach Todd Negoshian could only ask, “Can he graduate early?”

“He’s tough. He does a lot of things. He’s got the NBA style game right now with floaters and fadeaways. He’s so strong,” Negoshian added.

St. Mary’s (27-1) won its fifth Finals title and first since earning the Class B crown in 2000. 

Ranked No. 1 for most of the year, the Eaglets navigated through that high expectation and all the way to the top of Division 1 after losing in a Semifinal last year. 

“We’ve been dreaming about this a long time,” St. Mary’s head coach Todd Covert said. “This is a dream come true. It means everything.”

St. Mary’s was in control throughout, until late in the game when North Farmington made things interesting. 

Trailing 46-26 with 6:27 remaining, North Farmington amped up its full-court pressure, created turnovers and did something it struggled to do prior to that point – make shots.

The Raiders cut their deficit to 59-50 with 1:46 remaining after a free throw by senior Landon Williams, making up much of the margin despite leading scorer Tyler Spratt fouling out with 3:27 left when St. Mary’s was up 55-39.

But that was as close as the Raiders could get, as McKenney essentially wrapped up the game by hitting two free throws with 12.9 seconds remaining to give the Eaglets a 63-52 lead. 

St. Mary’s made 17 of 18 shots from the free-throw line during the fourth quarter. 

St. Mary’s Sharod Barnes (0) gets a shot up with Dylan Smith (13) defending.“That was the longest fourth quarter of my life,” Covert said. “It seemed like there was seven guys out there. But we weathered the storm, and that is what it’s all about.”

Spratt finished with 17 points, and Williams had 16 to lead the Raiders (24-3). 

Saturday was North Farmington’s second championship game appearance after the Raiders faced a similarly elite player in Cassius Winston with Detroit U-D Jesuit in 2016.

“I thought we wore them down a little bit to where they ended up turning the ball over,” Negoshian said. “I thought we struggled to score at times. I think we got it to where we wanted to with them turning it over and keeping us right where we needed to be within striking distance. But we just couldn’t score at times offensively, and I think that was our downfall tonight.”

Trailing 25-19 at halftime, North Farmington cut the St. Mary’s lead to 25-22 with 6:56 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Rob Smith.

But McKenney answered by scoring the next seven points, and then senior Andrew Smith drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Eaglets a 35-22 lead with 3:17 remaining in the third. McKenney then hit a jumper from the baseline to finish off a 12-0 run and push the lead to 15.

Click for the full box score. 

PHOTOS (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s coach Todd Covert presents the Division 1 championship trophy to his players Saturday at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Eaglets’ Trey McKenney (1) gets to the basket for two points. (Below) St. Mary’s Sharod Barnes (0) gets a shot up with Dylan Smith (13) defending. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)