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Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 9
February 10, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first week of February saw the final boys basketball showcase events of 2014-15 and the first league tournament of this winter, with the Detroit Public School League beginning its countdown to Calihan Hall.
The following teams were among those that impressed as the final month of the MHSAA regular season got underway.
CLASS A
Macomb Dakota (11-2) – The Cougars sit atop the Macomb Area Conference Red standings and are coming off their best week. Dakota beat second-place Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 75-67 on Thursday and then edged Ypsilanti Community 69-65 on Saturday at the Lumberjack Classic at Delta College.
Salem (11-3) – The Rocks have finished third three straight seasons since their last league title in 2011-12, but they’re tied with Novi for first this winter in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Central. Next up? Novi tonight, with sixth place South Lyon to finish out the league schedule Friday.
Sterling Heights Stevenson (10-3) – The Titans are 7-0 in the MAC White, two games ahead of the field with a loss to Dakota its only defeat of 2015. Stevenson finished third in its division last season and second in 2012-13.
West Bloomfield (12-1) – The switch from Blue to the White division of the Oakland Activities Association has been a nice change; West Bloomfield was seventh in the Blue last season but sits atop the White standings with three of four league wins by 14 or more points.
CLASS B
Detroit Communication Media Arts (13-3) – Despite its first loss since Dec. 18, to Detroit Osborn, CMA finished its run to a Detroit PSL division crown and then doubled up Class A Detroit Southeastern 40-20 in the first round of the league tournament.
Detroit Osborn (11-5) – The Knights claimed their second straight Detroit PSL division title and continued a nine-game winning streak by beating CMA in overtime and then Detroit Cody in the first round of the league tournament.
Edwardsburg (10-3) – The Eddies’ aspirations of repeating as Wolverine Conference West champs took a blow with a two-point loss to first-place Dowagiac on Jan. 26. But they’ll travel to Dowagiac on Friday with a chance to create a three-way tie at the top.
Imlay City (12-2) – The Spartans pulled within half a win of the Blue Water Area Conference lead by handing Yale its first defeat this season, 49-42, on Feb. 3. Imlay City's lone league loss came by a point Jan. 20 to Richmond, the league leader and opponent Wednesday.
CLASS C
Burton Atherton (10-5) – The Wolverines posted a 3-0 week, avenging a previous loss to Flint Hamady with a 65-60 win Friday and then beating Bridgeport in the Lumberjack Classic. Atherton is third in the Genesee Area Conference Blue.
Cassopolis (9-6) – The overall record isn’t stunning thanks in part to a tough schedule featuring a number of larger schools, but that experience gained is paying off in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph East. The Rangers sit in first place and beat a solid BCS West team in Buchanan 61-52 on Thursday.
Muskegon Heights (8-4) – The Tigers again are playing a variety of schools of all sizes and are 5-1 after a 3-3 start. Wins against Baldwin and Muskegon Catholic Central are impressive, but so are losses to Rockford, Lansing Sexton, Bridgman and Benton Harbor.
Shelby (14-0) – These Tigers can clinch their second straight West Michigan Conference championship tonight against second-place North Muskegon, which they beat 48-45 on Jan. 27. North Muskegon and Whitehall are the only opponents to come within single digits of Shelby this season.
CLASS D
Cedarville (9-0) – With much the same cast as last season’s MHSAA semifinalist – and the key players from the fall’s 8-player football runner-up – Cedarville sits atop the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference and has won at least 41 straight league games dating to the 2009-10 season (which is as far back as MHSAA regular-season archives go).
Frankfort (12-1) – The Panthers boys are matching the powerhouse girls team this winter, sitting tied for first in the Northwest Conference with Maple City Glen Lake. Frankfort plays Glen Lake again Friday after falling to Lakers 45-44 on Jan. 13.
Holland Calvary (13-1) – The Crusaders have clinched a share of their fourth straight league title and can make it an outright Alliance League North championship by beating second-place Kent City Algoma Christian on Friday for the second time in two weeks.
Powers North Central (12-0) – The Jets are preparing to land their third straight league title with a three-win lead atop the Skyline Central Conference West. An MHSAA quarterfinalist last season, North Central hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2012-13 and got a big win, 46-41, over second-place Crystal Falls Forest Park on Friday.
PHOTO: Macomb Dakota edged Ypsilanti Community 69-65 on Saturday at Delta College. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
![North Branch earned its best win this season Tuesday, 65-63 over Millington.](/sites/default/files/2023-02/230220_BBB_2H.png)
Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Boys Report Week 11
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 20, 2023
We’re less than a week from taking thousands of results from this season and crunching the numbers to seed the top two teams in 128 MHSAA Boys Basketball Districts. Those will be published Sunday.
But if you think everything is wrapped up for the regular season, just check out our list of “Can’t-Miss Contests” below.
Those five games top what might end up one of the most exciting weeks of boys hoops this entire winter, and that’s without including Friday’s Detroit Catholic League Cardinal championship game as the top four placers from one of the state’s most competitive leagues will contend over two rounds this week.
“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. Detroit Cass Tech 74, Detroit Martin Luther King 70 (OT) The Technicians (21-0) followed up a 57-55 win over King (10-7) on Jan. 20 to clinch the Detroit Public School League Tournament title.
2. Grand Blanc 70, Muskegon 62 (OT) Grand Blanc (17-2) is No. 3 in Division 1 MPR and Muskegon (17-2) is No. 4, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them meet again with much more on the line next month.
3. Flint Beecher 48, Flint Hamady 43 The Bucs (15-3) clinched the Genesee Area Conference Red title outright, finishing a regular-season sweep of the rival Hawks (16-4).
4. Escanaba 72, Painesdale Jeffers 68 (OT) After falling to Painesdale Jeffers in their Jan. 20 meeting 74-71, the Eskymos (10-6) handed the Jets (17-1) their only defeat.
5. Redford Union 57, Romulus 55 The Panthers (14-5) added this to an overtime win over Romulus (14-5) from Jan. 20 to clinch the Western Wayne Athletic Conference title.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Lansing Waverly (14-5) The Warriors may have just enjoyed their best week of what’s guaranteed to be their winningest season since 2013-14. They took a one-game lead in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue by avenging a Jan. 23 loss to Okemos with a 72-53 win Feb. 13, then outlasted Grand Ledge 68-64 in overtime and edged Benton Harbor 76-71 on Saturday. Of 14 victories, 11 have come against teams with winning records – with the losses to Okemos (14-3) and East Lansing (9-8) in league and Detroit Renaissance (12-7), River Rouge (14-5) and Davison (14-6) nonconference.
Oak Park (10-5) In an Oakland Activities Association Red where all five teams have double-digit wins led North Farmington (17-1) and Ferndale (10-6) at the top, Oak Park might not be getting the attention it would otherwise. But the Knights are No. 9 in statewide Division 1 MPR, with four of those losses coming to North Farmington (twice), Ferndale or Clarkston – and with the Clarkston and Ferndale rematches next week. Oak Park would be the second seed in a similarly-strong District if brackets were drawn today.
DIVISION 2
Croswell-Lexington (15-3) The Pioneers took a major step toward retaining a share of the Blue Water Area Conference title with a 54-45 win Thursday over Richmond (15-2) after falling to the Blue Devils on Jan. 19. Croswell-Lexington and Richmond both have one league loss (to each other), but the Pioneers have one more win and their final three games against the bottom three teams in the BWAC standings. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (13-3) tonight should provide another solid test.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (14-5) The reigning Division 2 runner-up Cougars have bounced back from an 0-3 start with 14 wins over their last 16 games as they’ve moved to the top of the O-K Gold. They can clinch the championship outright Tuesday against second-place Grand Rapids South Christian (16-3), which GRCC defeated 71-67 on Jan. 24. Nine of those 14 wins have come against teams with records .500 or better, paying off in the Cougars also topping their District in MPR.
DIVISION 3
Brown City (18-1) The Green Devils can clinch the Greater Thumb Conference East title outright Tuesday against second-place Sandusky (12-6), which they defeated 42-37 in their first matchup Jan. 25. Brown City’s only loss came to Laker, 64-61 in its second game this season, and the Green Devils are coming off finishing a regular-season sweep of Ubly after placing second to the Bearcats in the league standings a year ago.
Cass City (16-1) As noted here, more than one-third of Cass City’s wins have come with go-ahead points during the final seconds – and the halfcourt shot to down Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port 43-42 on Jan. 27 has Cass City sitting a game ahead of Laker in the GTC West standings with the rematch set for Friday. Cass City’s only loss was 50-41 to Bad Axe on Jan. 6, avenged with a 46-45 win Feb. 1. The Red Hawks presently also sit atop a District bracket that includes both Bad Axe and Laker.
DIVISION 4
Eau Claire (15-4) The Fighting Beavers have clinched a share of the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference championship after finishing second last season and winning only five games total during the abbreviated 2020-21. They are 11-1 since the start of the calendar year, losing only to Benton Harbor Countryside Academy and avenging that loss Friday to gain the league title share. An 84-68 win over Galesburg-Augusta (15-4) jumps out – and they play again Wednesday – but so too does Eau Claire’s nine games scoring at least 80 points.
Kingston (15-3) After finishing 10-11 and fifth in the North Central Thumb Conference Stars a year ago, Kingston has changed lanes and clinched the championship outright with a 47-39 win over Peck on Friday. A 61-60 double-overtime victory over second-place Dryden three days earlier was more key, and the Cardinals sit No. 10 in statewide Division 4 MPR with all three losses to Division 2 or 3 teams, including Brown City (see above).
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Jackson (15-4) at Chelsea (16-2) – This will decide if Chelsea wins the Southeastern Conference White title outright or shares with the Vikings, who won the Jan. 31 matchup 76-69.
Tuesday – Ovid-Elsie (15-2) at Chesaning (15-3) – They enter tied for first in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference and will both have one league game remaining. Ovid-Elsie won the Jan. 16 meeting 55-51 in overtime.
Tuesday – Boyne City (17-2) at Traverse City St. Francis (15-3) – The Ramblers have a one-game lead on St. Francis in the Lake Michigan Conference with two games to play, and after winning their first meeting 50-44 on Jan. 24.
Friday – Hudsonville (14-5) at East Kentwood (14-5) – These two have risen to the top of a tightly-packed O-K Red race and could decide the championship outright if they both also win Tuesday. Hudsonville won 54-45 when they met Jan. 27.
Friday – Ferndale (10-6) at North Farmington (17-1) – North Farmington is No. 1 in Division 1 MPR, Ferndale is No. 1 in Division 2, and the Raiders lead the Eagles by a game in the OAA Red. North Farmington won 50-48 on Jan. 31.
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.
PHOTO North Branch earned its best win this season Tuesday, 65-63 over Millington. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)