Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 9
January 29, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Temperatures across the state may fall below zero Wednesday and Thursday, but things are expected to warm up significantly by this weekend – and Michigan high school boys basketball will follow.
Conference champions are starting to be crowned, the Detroit Public School League Tournament begins this week and Saturday offers another major showcase of MHSAA title hopefuls facing off.
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. Detroit U-D Jesuit 70, Flint Beecher 69 – Division 1 Jesuit handed the second loss this season to Division 3 Beecher in a matchup of teams that could both end this season hoisting MHSAA Finals trophies.
2. Detroit Edison 77, Benton Harbor 68 – The reigning Class C champ and another Division 3 contender, Edison, handed reigning Class B champ and Division 2 power Benton Harbor its first defeat.
3. Wyoming Potter’s House Christian 85, Marcellus Howardsville Christian 69 – Potter’s House also is earning attention in Division 3, in this one handing Division 4 contender Howardsville Christian its first loss.
4. Saginaw Swan Valley 61, Alma 60 (OT) – Swan Valley moved into a tie with Alma for first in the Tri-Valley Conference Central by handing the Panthers their first loss in league and overall.
5. Hudsonville 45, Rockford 39 – The Eagles, 10-12 a season ago, moved into first place alone in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red by sending the Rams into second.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
• Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (14-0) – After back-to-back seasons of finishing 16-8 and winning District titles, Forest Hills Northern may be on the verge of a few more steps up. A 64-53 win over Grand Rapids Northview on Friday put the Huskies in first alone in the O-K White, and they also have wins over O-K Red leader Hudsonville (by 23) and O-K Green second-place Holland Christian (by 12).
• Mount Pleasant (12-0) – The Oilers followed their Class A Semifinal appearance in 2014 with a sub-.500 record the following season, but have upped their win total every season since and are closing in on surpassing last year’s 18 victories. They sit atop the Saginaw Valley League Red and posted an impressive 56-44 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s last week at Saginaw Valley State.
DIVISION 2
• Marine City (10-2) – Marine City has clinched outright the Macomb Area Conference Bronze championship, its first league title in 34 years. All but one of its wins have been by double digits – and the losses were in overtime by a point to St. Clair in early December and two weeks ago to Blue Water Area Conference leader and one-loss Richmond.
• New Haven (13-1) – The Rockets, Class B semifinalists last season and the champions in 2017, have taken the first step on another run by clinching the MAC White championship with Friday’s 64-37 win over second-place Warren Mott. An opening-night victory over U-D Jesuit remains impressive, and New Haven’s lone loss – by five to Roseville on Dec. 4 – keeps looking better as the Panthers are 13-1.
DIVISION 3
• Saginaw Valley Lutheran (12-1) – Valley Lutheran this week can guarantee surpassing last season’s 13-8 record, and has been climbing in a big way. Ten wins are by double digits – including a 48-38 overtime victory over Ithaca two weeks ago that put the Chargers in first alone in the TVC West. The lone defeat came against TVC Central co-leader Swan Valley.
• Wyoming Potter’s House Christian (12-1) – The Pumas have won outright or shared six straight league championships, and they hold a half-game lead in the Alliance League again after beginning last week by handing Tri-unity Christian its first conference loss, 54-53. As noted above, Potter’s House followed with a big win over Howardsville, which entered last week unbeaten and outscoring opponents by 42 points per game.
DIVISION 4
• Big Rapids Crossroads (12-1) – A 53-47 win Thursday over then co-leader Manistee Catholic Central put Crossroads in first alone in the West Michigan D League and avenged an earlier 10-point defeat to MCC. Crossroads finished 7-15 just a year ago, but has eight wins this season by double digits.
• Martin (8-1) – The Clippers are one of three teams tied for first in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore, with Division 3 Fennville and Division 2 Coloma, and after falling to Fennville on Jan. 11. Martin’s next win will give this team just as many as when it finished 9-13 a year ago, and seven of the first eight this winter have been by double figures.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Walled Lake Northern (14-0) at Milford (10-3) – The Mavericks can’t climb into first place by beating Lakes Valley Conference leader Northern, but second-place Waterford Mott could slip into a tie for the top spot in that scenario.
Wednesday – Traverse City St. Francis (7-2) at Elk Rapids (8-2) – St. Francis leads the Lake Michigan Conference by a game over the Elks, with this the first of two meetings scheduled.
Saturday – Muskegon (9-3) vs. Grand Blanc (9-4) at Grand Rapids Union – This Redhawk Showcase game pits the SVL Blue-leading Bobcats against a Big Reds team on a five-game winning streak.
Saturday – Kalamazoo Central (9-1) vs. Grand Rapids Christian (10-2) at Grand Rapids Union – The Maroon Giants lead the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East, and the Eagles are tied for first in the O-K Gold.
Saturday – Benton Harbor (14-1) vs. Ypsilanti Lincoln (10-1) at Grand Rapids Union – The 6 p.m. Redhawk Classic game might be the best featuring the reigning Class B champ and a Division 1 title hopeful led by one of the nation’s top freshman.
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: Goodrich downed Lake Fenton 57-48 on Jan. 18 and remains a game off the lead in the Genesee Area Conference Red. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
Team-First Comets Charting Perfect Path
By
Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com
February 6, 2018
When Coloma varsity boys basketball coach Paul Marfia was asked to dissect the Comets’ undefeated season up to this point, he said the bruises his players consider badges of honor tell most of the story.
The Comets, who are tied for 9th in The Associated Press’ Class B state rankings, may not be the most athletic or talented team on the west side of the state. But their tenacity, toughness, heart and unselfishness have propelled them to a 13-0 overall record and 8-0 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Lakeshore division.
The program hasn’t won a conference championship since 2004 and now is positioned end that drought, having already pulled off confidence-fortifying wins over SAC Valley powers Kalamazoo Christian (12-1) and Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (12-2) after trailing the latter by as many as 16 in the third quarter.
This winter has been the culmination of five years of Marfia preaching that, in the words of Aristotle, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Of course, junior point guard Zach Goodline, who’s averaging 27 points per game this year and adding to the program’s career points record with every bucket, plays a particularly big part for the Comets.
“We know if we don’t play the way we should play, we can take a loss,” Goodline said. “But it’s nice finally winning a bunch of games.”
As do a host of others, including a core group of seven seniors, some of whom were on varsity in 2015-16 and experienced a five-win season. They endured some hard knocks.
“It’s a process; I’m an Italian and I grew up as a farmer. I know things take time, and it’s not done in a day,” said Marfia, who experienced a 13-9 first campaign at Coloma in 2013-14 with a solid senior class, though he started from scratch in Year 2. “I was actually finding kids in the hallway. ‘Hey, I heard you used to play in the seventh grade. Why don’t you be my power forward?’
“There wasn’t a culture there. In the past it was there. But it’s been a long time since then. There was a big dip because of the culture and understanding what it means to play basketball the right way and understanding what that commitment is. It’s starting to go in the right direction, and this group of seniors are the ones that are committed to that.”
It was only a couple years ago the Comets were hopelessly lost on the defensive end, sometimes showing as many as six different looks in a game in a desperate effort to find something effective.
Now Coloma sticks mostly to man-to-man and the basic principles of “attitude and effort,” holding opponents under 47 points per game.
Four-year varsity player Levi Wilkens is certainly committed, and he’s going to make sure everyone in a Coloma jersey is as well. Wilkens was asked to shoot less last year and focus on leading the team defensively. It took him a while to accept that role, he said, and now he revels in it.
“I think I’ve matured a lot more,” Wilkens said. “We’re going chapter by chapter. We’re on chapter 13. We don’t look ahead, and we focus on each team.”
“It’s awesome to see,” Marfia said. “Here’s a kid who was all-conference and only averaged 2.5 points per game. Levi is a kid who’s been a captain, a point guard and a defensive kid. I’ve never seen a kid score zero points in a game and yet control a game as much as he does.”
Just a few hours after being interviewed for this story, Wilkens left Monday’s game at Niles Brandywine in the first quarter with a broken nose and a gash that required 16 stitches.
“He’s a tough kid,” Marfia said of Wilkens after the Comets held on for a 73-65 victory. “He had a face for radio anyways. He’ll be back tougher and uglier than ever. He understands that’s what separates us from the other team.”
Seven players have scored in double figures this year for Coloma, proving they’re just as unrelenting on the offensive end of the floor. Goodline fouled out with a minute left against Brandywine after scoring 19 points. Junior forward Phillip Caldwell shouldered a bigger load and finished with a career-high 27. Prior to the contest, Caldwell was averaging eight points per game.
Sophomore forward Michael Dancer worked his way into the starting rotation and produced 72 rebounds, 15 blocks and 5.5 points per game prior to the matchup with Brandywine. Senior Robbie Schroeder is the team’s center and is averaging just a hair under 10 points per game with a disruptive presence on the defensive side.
“We’re focusing on the big goal and working toward one thing,” Schroeder said. “We’re not all good scorers like Zach, so we realize if we want to win, we have to do our part on the defensive end. That’s what we believe in.”
Senior Chris Brown has been an invaluable sixth man for the Comets, and fellow classmates Tevon Blazier, Brendan Lute, Willie Donald and Adam Hearn have helped reshape the culture.
“It’s been a long journey,” Hearn said. “I’ve been playing with some of these kids since third or fourth grade and have seen everybody grow. Coming together as one and being a solid team is amazing.”
“You have to have kids that understand what it means to be part of a team,” Marfia said. “I see that in these kids. They play the way you want them to.”
Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Coloma's Robbie Schroeder puts up a shot in the post against Watervliet. (Middle) Leading scorer Zach Goodline elevates for a jumper for the Comets. (Photos courtesy of the Coloma athletic department.)