Class C: Reaching Higher
March 22, 2012
EAST LANSING – After falling in the first week of the MHSAA tournament last season, there was no way Traverse City St. Francis was going to look ahead to the end of March this winter.
But riding the bus to Breslin Center on Thursday, the reality of this weekend hit senior Sean Sheldon.
The Gladiators were 32 minutes from reaching their first MHSAA boys basketball Final. And now, they’re only 32 more from winning their first championship.
St. Francis earned that opportunity with 63-54 win over No. 8 Shelby in the second Class C Semifinal. The Gladiators will face Flint Beecher in the noon championship game Saturday.
“Last year, we got out of tournament pretty early. It was a big disappointment for us,” Sheldon said. “We looked ahead a little bit, kinda at what we could do. … Now we’re in the Finals, and now 32 minutes from holding up the first ever state title for our school.”
This was St. Francis’ third Semifinal appearance. The Gladiators (25-2) had never before advanced, losing in their last appearance, in 2006, by 29 points to Saginaw Buena Vista.
St. Francis had high hopes last season. But Elk Rapids ended those abruptly in the District Final.
This time, the Gladiators beat all three of their District opponents by at least 31 points, and two more after that by at least 11 before coming up against Shelby – which was making its first Semifinal appearance since 1972, when Tigers’ longtime coach Rick Zoulek was in middle school.
“In the back of my mind, I was always thinking that was a goal of mine,” said Shelby’s David Beckman, Jr., who with Jeremiah James was a four-year varsity player. “It just happened to be the 50-year anniversary, and we actually made that happen. We had 13 guys make that happen.”
And they nearly advanced to their first Final since that same season.
No matter how much St. Francis surged, Shelby hung around – and took a 45-44 lead with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. The Gladiators held just a one-point lead with 5:58 to play.
“You could feel the momentum coming back our way, and we had a few breaks go against us. A couple mistakes. We missed a couple of shots, a turnover here and there,” Zoulek said. “It was really close. It makes you realize how close you really are to being in that final game. Just a couple of plays.”
Some of them came from Sheldon, who scored six of his 16 points over the final six minutes. The Tigers also made just 4 of 11 shots during that time and had three turnovers. They did well breaking St. Francis’ fullcourt press, but struggled to finish at the other end.
Beckman finished with 17 points and James had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Shelby (24-3).
Three others scored in double figures for St. Francis – senior guard Devin Sheehy led with 18 points (and seven assists), while senior center Michael Jenkins added 14 points and sophomore guard Byron Bullough had 11. Sheldon, who has signed with William & Mary, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
While the basketball championship game is new ground for St. Francis, winning at this level is not—the Gladiators have won six MHSAA football championships over the last 21 seasons.
It’s definitely a football school by reputation. And that success was a big reason basketball coach Keith Haske took the hoops job before 2010-11 after leading multiple Charlevoix teams to Breslin.
“One of the reasons I was excited about going there was because of football. The kids have the mentality they can be state champions,” Haske said. “When I walked in the first day of practice, I had a group of kids who said that because of football, we can be state champs here. That’s a huge factor, and I don’t think people realize that. Because not only do that believe that, but they put the work into it.”
Click for box score or to watch the game and press conferences at MHSAA.tv.
PHOTO: Traverse City St. Francis' Sean Sheldon had 16 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's Semifinal win. (Photo courtesy of Terry McNamara Photography.
Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 11
February 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
High school basketball season in Michigan lasts roughly four months, making it risky to write off a talented team because of a slow start.
As we draw toward the close of the regular season, we’re seeing some of those teams we thought might be around at the end making their way back – and just in time.
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 Edison 82, Detroit Pershing 45 – The Pioneers’ surprise run to the Detroit Public School League tournament title included closer wins over Cass Tech and Renaissance before this impressive finale.
2. Belleville 70, Romulus 65 – The Tigers almost were forgotten after a 1-3 start, but with this win clinched the Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue title.
3. Bridgeport 60, Frankenmuth 53 – The Bearcats finished a sweep of the rival Eagles to take a commanding lead in the Tri-Valley Conference East after the teams split the title last season.
4. Kent City 48, Morley Stanwood 45 (OT) – Kent City kept its perfect record intact and clinched the Central State Activities Association Silver title by outlasting the second-place Mohawks.
5. Southfield Christian 68, River Rouge 45 – The Eagles are the likely Class D favorites, even more so after handing Class B contender River Rouge its first defeat.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Clarkston (14-1) – The reigning Class A champion Wolves have dominated since falling by nine to Detroit East English on Dec. 28. Clarkston has downed Hazel Park (15-1) and Troy (12-4) over the last three weeks to take control in the Oakland Activities Association Red.
East Lansing (14-2) – The Trojans retained their share of first place in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue with a 74-67 overtime win over Grand Ledge last week, avenging the first of their two losses this season. East Lansing is looking to finish the comeback by locking up a third straight league title.
CLASS B
Benton Harbor (17-1) – The Tigers have bounced back from their lone loss to Class A Hazel Park on Feb. 3 with three more victories, handing Coloma (16-1) its lone defeat last week. Dowagiac (12-4) and Mattawan (13-3) are among others Benton Harbor has beaten impressively.
Olivet (16-0) – The Eagles have clinched the Greater Lansing Activities Conference championship, with only two of 11 league games so far decided by fewer than 10 points. In fact, 13 wins overall have come by double digits.
CLASS C
McBain (15-1) – A five-point loss to Frankfort (15-1) two weeks ago looks more and more impressive, and McBain will look to clinch the Highland Conference title by finishing a sweep of Manton (13-3) on Wednesday. The Ramblers also have an early win over reigning Class D runner-up Buckley.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (16-0) – The Falcons have clinched the Huron League title outright with two league games to play, with only one single-digit conference win and just two victories overall of fewer than 10 points. St. Mary has won 40 straight league games over the last three seasons.
CLASS D
Peck (14-3) – The Pirates have rattled off five straight wins after a brief midseason stumble and have earned a share of the title in the North Central Thumb League Stripes division. Peck has won all of its league games by at least 15 points.
Wolverine (15-1) – The Wildcats have clinched a share of the Northern Lakes Conference and won 15 straight since falling to second-place Ellsworth in the season opener. Wolverine has improved from seven to nine to 13 to 15 wins and counting over the last three seasons.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Bridgeport (14-1) at Flint Hamady (13-3) – Both are working to finish off league titles and give the I-75 corridor more interesting postseason possibilities.
Wednesday – Frankfort (15-1) at Maple City Glen Lake (14-2) – A Glen Lake win could create a three-way tie atop the Northwest Conference, and the Lakers won the first meeting by nine.
Friday – East Lansing (14-2) at Okemos (13-4) – They are tied for first in the CAAC Blue, and the Chiefs won the first meeting while Trojans star Brandon Johns missed with an injury.
Saturday – Belleville (12-4) at Muskegon (13-3) – Both of these annual Class A contenders have caught stride during the season’s second half to push aspirations high again.
Sunday – Detroit Catholic League A-B Final at Detroit Mercy – U-D Jesuit (14-3), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (11-6), Warren DeLaSalle (12-5) and Detroit Catholic Central (11-5) play Tuesday semifinals to determine the championship game pairing.
PHOTO: Flint Carman-Ainsworth and Davison squared off in Saginaw Valley League play Thursday, with the first-place Cavaliers coming out on top 59-55. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)