Class D: Follow the Blue and Yellow Road
March 22, 2012
EAST LANSING – The blue and yellow brick road was paved with character and hard work.
So read T-shirts worn by Climax-Scotts basketball players making their first appearance at the MHSAA Semifinals on Thursday.
How excited is the school much better known for its nine straight football playoff appearances? The rest of those shirts sold out to the student body in less than a day.
And that yellow haze swallowed up the Panthers as they celebrated a 52-44 win over Carney-Nadeau that earned Climax-Scotts its first berth in an MHSAA hoops championship game.
“It means the world to do something nobody in the history of our school has done before. The feeling’s pretty much indescribable,” Climax-Scotts senior guard Brandon Eshuis said. “Our student body probably wanted this just as bad as we did. … We had a huge crowd and a huge support group, and it really helped us.”
The No. 5 Panthers (26-1) will face No. 7 Southfield Christian in the Final at 10 a.m. Saturday.
They advanced by taking advantage of a few big ones.
Carney-Nadeau’s tallest player was just 6-foot-1, good news for Climax-Scotts’ 6-7 junior Aaron Cook (12 points, 14 rebounds) and 6-7 all-state senior Malachi Satterlee (12 points, nine rebounds). Total, the Panthers outscored Carney-Nadeau 28-6 in the paint.
The Wolves also have relied almost solely on five players for the last two weeks and never subbed in the Semifinal. Climax-Scotts looked a little worn at the end Thursday night – but went on a 9-3 run over two minutes to turn a three-point lead into a 49-40 advantage with 1:08 to play.
What Carney-Nadeau (23-3) does best is shoot from outside, and "3-pointer" became the buzzward among the Panthers over the two days leading up to the game. Climax-Scotts’ second stringers were given green lights to shoot from NBA 3-point range at practice Wednesday in an attempt to imitate what the team would see.
“We had anticipated shooters, and they were just amazing when we got here,” Panthers coach Steve Critchlow said.
Wolves junior Wade Schetter scored 15 points, with three 3-pointers, while senior Keenan Lampinen added 12 points and senior Lucas Moreau scored 13. All three took at least 15 shots from the floor. But as a whole, the team made only 29 percent.
“This has been a long two weeks for us, with tough games night in and night out,” Carney-Nadeau coach Jason Polfus said. “Maybe the kids were worn out a little bit. But they stuck it out today. They kept fighting today, and I can’t say enough about that.”
Click for box score or to watch the game and press conferences at MHSAA.tv.
PHOTO: Climax-Scott's Aaron Cook attempts to block a shot by Carney-Nadeau's Lucas Moreau on Thursday. Cook blocked two shots in the game. (Photo courtesy of Terry McNamara Photography.)
St. Mary's Sharp in Breslin Return, Rides Strong Shooting to Semifinals Win
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 15, 2024
EAST LANSING – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s is within a step of finishing off a year-long mission.
With Friday's impressive 82-42 Division 1 Semifinal win over Ann Arbor Huron, the Eaglets find themselves on the doorstep of wiping out last year's disappointment at the Breslin Center.
It's a disappointment that none of the returning players has forgotten, junior Trey McKenney said.
"We've been on a mission all year," McKenney said of playing in Saturday's 12:15 p.m. championship game. "We've taken it one day at a time all year. The last time we were on the biggest stage, we were hurt. Now we just want to get the job done."
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (26-1) fell to Muskegon 65-42 in last year's Semifinal, a game in which the Eaglets shot only 26 percent from the field. It was a complete reversal Friday as they hit 52.7 percent (29 of 55) from the floor, including nine of 18 3-point attempts.
St. Mary’s, which upped its winning streak to 23 games, was in little jeopardy against Huron (22-5). The Eaglets scored 14 of the game's first 17 points, increased their lead to 39-17 at the half and 57-29 at the end of three quarters.
St. Mary’s junior Jayden Savoury said taking last year's playoff run two steps further has been on players' minds all season.
"It's something that's been preached all season," he said. "We came up short last year, and all the accolades and awards don't mean anything because what you remember is a state championship."
McKenney led the team Friday with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Senior guard Daniel Smythe had 18 points and Savoury 14 points and eight rebounds.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s coach Todd Covert said the quick start was key. Whereas the team made just six field goals in the first half against Muskegon a year ago, the Eaglets shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half against Huron, with seven 3-pointers.
"We tried to get out as fast as we could," Covert said. "We executed well and got the ball into (McKenney and Smythe’s) hands early. We had to be physical to get through their screens on defense. I thought we had a solid effort defensively; we tried to get in the gaps and eliminate space.”
After making the Semifinals a year ago, Eaglets players say they've been aware of having a target on their backs. The team hasn't lost since a 60-55 decision against Detroit U-D Jesuit in the fourth game of the season.
The fact they have typically battled opponents' best showings has actually worked for the team, McKenney said.
"There is a target because of last year's run," he said. "But we don't care. You don't win without having the best players in the state. We embrace pressure."
"We've been No. 1 all year, and people bring their best against us," Savoury said. "We think we have the best team, now we just have to prove it."
Huron coach Mohammad Kasham, whose team had won its MHSAA Tournament games by an average of three points per, said there is little doubt the Eaglets are a power. The game plan included playing a zone defense to offset St. Mary’s perimeter shooters.
"We ran into a buzzsaw," he said. "We picked the worst day of the year to have our worst shooting night. We missed a lot of shots we've made all season. We could never get on a run. We were outplayed and outcoached.
"Give them a lot of credit; they made the shots. We tried to be the best version of ourselves, and we didn't."
Macari Moore had 11 points for Huron.
PHOTOS (Top) Sharod Barnes (0) makes a move into the lane during Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Semifinal win Friday at Breslin Center. (Middle) St. Mary’s Trey McKenney (1) gets up a shot as Huron’s Macari Moore defends. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)