D3 Preview: Challengers Lined Up as Beecher Seeks to Complete Repeat Run

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

March 23, 2022

Flint Beecher is one of three 2021 champions returning to the Boys Basketball Finals this weekend, and the Bucs are among the most frequent visitors to Breslin Center with Thursday’s to be their eighth Semifinal appearance over the last 13 years.

That’s a pretty imposing opener for describing any bracket. But this one could be especially loaded with Schoolcraft also making a return trip and Menominee and Ecorse showing strong credentials all season long.

DIVISON 3 Semifinals – Thursday
Menominee (22-3) vs. Ecorse (9-12), Noon
Schoolcraft (23-2) vs. Flint Beecher (22-2), 2 p.m.
FINAL  Saturday – 4:30 p.m.

Tickets for this weekend’s games are $12 for both Semifinals and Finals and are available via the Breslin Center ticket office. All Semifinals will be broadcast and viewable with subscription to MHSAA.tv, and all four Finals will air live Saturday on Bally Sports Detroit, with the Division 4 and 1 games on BSD EXTRA and the Division 3 and 2 games on BSD’s primary channel. All four will be broadcast live as well as on the BSD website and app. Audio broadcasts of all Semifinals and Finals will be available free of charge from the MHSAA Network.

Here’s a look at the four Division 3 semifinals (with rankings by MPR at the end of the regular season, and statistics through Regional Finals):

ECORSE
Record/rank: 9-12, No. 148
League finish: Fourth in Michigan Metro Athletic Conference Black
Coach: Gerrod Abram, third season (39-20)
Championship history: Class B runner-up 1978, Class B Lower Peninsula runner-up 1942.
Best wins: 49-47 over Erie Mason in Regional Final, 73-71 over Riverview Gabriel Richard in District Semifinal.
Players to watch: Malik Olafioye, 6-2 jr. G; Kenneth Morrast Jr., 6-1 jr. G. (Statistics not provided.)
Outlook: Ecorse is headed to the Semifinals for the first time since 1980. It’s important to note the team’s MPR would have been much higher without 10 forfeits over the first two months of the regular season; the Raiders instead would be 16-5. And they’ve appeared to be Division 3 contenders from the start, with since-forfeited wins over Division 1 Brownstown Woodhaven (19-5) and Division 2 River Rouge (17-4). The District win over Gabriel Richard was the Pioneers’ only loss of the season. This group should continue to be strong; only one senior starts and there are only two seniors total on a roster that includes four sophomores and a freshman.

FLINT BEECHER
Record/rank: 22-2, No. 2
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference Red
Coach: Marquise Gray, first season (22-2)
Championship history: Nine MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 72-41 over No. 5 Reese in District Final, 84-68 over Division 2 No. 12 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 75-69 over Division 2 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 63-60 over Flint Carman-Ainsworth.
Players to watch: Carmelo Harris, 6-0 sr. G; James Cummings II, 6-3 sr. F. (Statistics not provided.)
Outlook: The Bucs returned to win last season’s championship, their first since 2017, and have lost only to Division 1 Grand Blanc (20-5) and Detroit Martin Luther King (19-3) this winter while handing reigning Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Catholic Central (24-1) its lone defeat. Gray memorably starred at Beecher and Michigan State and played overseas before returning and serving as an assistant coach in advance of taking over the program. Harris and Cummings started on last season’s team, and 6-3 junior Robert Lee II was the only sub who saw more than two minutes of time in last year’s Final. Harris also is a returning all-state first-teamer.

MENOMINEE
Record/rank: 22-3, No. 1
League finish: First in Great Northern Conference
Coach: Sam Larson, fifth season (48-51)
Championship history: Class B champion 1967
Best wins: 60-56 (2OT) over No. 19 Benzie Central in Regional Final, 74-57 over Ishpeming Westwood in Regional Semifinal, 83-45 over Iron Mountain in District Final, 77-44 and 65-62 over Division 2 No. 1 Escanaba, 51-26 and 72-40 over Division 4 No. 4 Powers North Central.
Players to watch: Aidan Bellisle, 6-2 sr. G (15.4 ppg, 4.8 apg); Cooper Conway, 6-4 sr. F (12.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg); Brady Schultz, 6-6 sr. F (12 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg).
Outlook: The Maroons have improved from 4-17 just three seasons ago to making the Semifinals for the first time since 2008. The only two in-state losses this winter came over the last five weeks, to Escanaba in the teams’ third meeting of the season (after Menominee won the first two, and by a point to Division 4 semifinalist Ewen-Trout Creek. Five seniors start, with three sophomores playing the most prominent roles off the bench. Larson was a sophomore on the 2008 team that lost to Lansing Catholic in Class B at Breslin.

SCHOOLCRAFT
Record/rank: 23-2, No. 6
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Coach: Randy Small, 17th season (329-67)
Championship history: Class C champion 2011, runner-up 2009.
Best wins: 60-57 (Quarterfinal) and 61-32 over No. 17 Pewamo-Westphalia, 45-31 over No. 14 Watervliet in Regional Final, 59-31 (District Final), 51-40 and 54-41 over No. 18 Kalamazoo Christian, 49-45 over Division 2 No. 5 Parchment.
Players to watch: Tyler DeGroote, 6-7 sr. F (16.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg); Shane Rykse, 6-3 soph. G (13.1 ppg, 53 3-pointers); Ty Rykse, 6-7 sr. F (12.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 4.3 apg).
Outlook: Schoolcraft is making a repeat appearance at Breslin and fell by just four in overtime in last season’s Semifinal against Iron Mountain. The Golden Eagles are a combined 63-4 over the last three seasons. DeGroote and Shane Rykse were main contributors last season as well – DeGroote earned an all-state honorable mention – and Ty Rykse also started in the Semifinal. The defeats this season came to Division 1 Hudsonville and Parchment, and Schoolcraft avenged the latter. Senior point guard Asher Puhalski adds another 7.2 points, four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

PHOTO Flint Beecher’s Keyonta Menifield goes to the basket during Tuesday’s Quarterfinal win over New Haven. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)

Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys District Preview

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 26, 2024

Being “Breslin Bound” takes on a whole new meaning starting tonight for more than 700 boys basketball teams across Michigan.

MI Student AidDistrict play begins this evening, and two weeks from Thursday we’ll be tipping off our first Semifinals at Michigan State University.

We always switch up our “Breslin Bound” format just a bit once the MHSAA Tournament starts, as last week’s most intriguing results below are followed this time by glances at three District brackets of note in each division. Host sites are bolded, and teams playing in those brackets are listed in order of how they stack up by Michigan Power Rating (MPR), with the top seeds listed first.

Everything you could want to know this week about tickets, brackets and more can be found on the Boys Basketball page. To watch any of several games online, visit the NFHS Network.

“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:

2. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 73, Detroit Cass Tech 41 If this Operation Friendship win for the Eaglets (20-1) over reigning Division 1 champion Cass Tech (20-2) is an indication of its momentum heading into the postseason, watch out.

2. Saline 69, Ann Arbor Huron 60 The Hornets (18-4) finished Southeastern Conference Red play by downing then co-leader Huron (17-4) to clinch the league championship outright.

3. Dearborn 65, Canton 52 The Pioneers (22-0) claimed the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association title and finished a perfect regular season with a solid win over KLAA West champ Canton (18-4).

4. Saginaw Heritage 80, Flint Powers Catholic 40 The Hawks (18-3) clinched a share of their eventual outright Saginaw Valley League title, made more impressive as eight of the league’s 13 teams including Powers (17-5) finished above .500 for the regular season.

5. Mancelona 54, Bellaire 52 Although the Ironmen (17-5) lost their regular-season finale to Charlevoix two days later, this win was the one they needed as it secured a shared Ski Valley Conference title with Bellaire (18-4).

Laingsburg’s Zander Woodruff (23) puts up a shot during his team’s 90-27 win over Bath last week.

Districts at a Glance

These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:

DIVISION 1

Detroit Martin Luther King
No. 1 Detroit Cass Tech (20-2), No. 2 Grosse Pointe South (18-4), Detroit Martin Luther King (14-6), Detroit Western (10-10), Grosse Pointe North (9-12).

The reigning Division 1 champion Technicians have been mostly unstoppable again, with their only loss besides last week’s to St. Mary’s (see above) coming to Zeeland West (15-7) on Jan. 20 in East Kentwood. Cass Tech opens against GPN in a District Semifinal, and all three opponents on the other side of the bracket could make for a strong District Final matchup. GPS is coming off a league tournament championship and has won 13 of its last 14 games. The Blue Devils will see in their District Semifinal the King/Western winner; Western gave Cass Tech a four-point game earlier this season before losing the rematch 69-42, and King took Cass Tech to overtime in their Jan. 24 matchup.

Mason
No. 1 East Lansing (20-2), No. 2 Okemos (18-4), Mason (20-2), Holt (9-13), Lansing Everett (9-11).

East Lansing has been among the leaders in Division 1 MPR all season and entered second on the list only to St. Mary’s (see above), with its only losses to St. Mary’s and Warren Lincoln. Holt gave East Lansing a nine-point game in their second meeting Feb. 12, but otherwise the Trojans defeated the Rams and Everett by solid margins. But the District Final matchup against either Okemos or Mason – which face each other Wednesday – should be much more challenging. East Lansing did sweep the regular-season series with the Wolves, 66-54 and 68-55, but winning that third matchup often is tougher – and the home-team Bulldogs would bring some unfamiliarity if they advance instead.

Muskegon Mona Shores
No. 1 Muskegon (19-2), No. 2 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (19-3), Muskegon Mona Shores (14-8), Greenville (13-9), Cedar Springs (4-18).

The Muskegon High/Reeths-Puffer matchups were among the most followed this regular season, as Reeths-Puffer stunned the reigning Division 1 runner-up 63-45 on Jan. 30, but Muskegon came back to win the rematch 48-28 on Feb. 9. They ended up sharing the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green championship (with Mona Shores fourth) and would see each other again in Friday’s District Final. The Rockets face Mona Shores in a District Semifinal on one side of the bracket, while Muskegon may see Greenville – which finished fifth in an O-K White that was one of the deepest leagues in the state.

DIVISION 2

Detroit Pershing
No. 1 Warren Lincoln (17-4), No. 2 Ferndale (13-8), Detroit Pershing (11-8), Detroit Osborn (10-11), Hazel Park (7-15), Ferndale University (3-18).

Lincoln is the only team that’s been among the top two in Division 2 MPR to begin every week since the start of the calendar year, and its only losses were to Division 1 opponents who all won at least 15 games this season. But Ferndale is the reigning Division 2 champion and also has remained high on that MPR list in part because of its loaded schedule. The Eagles are 9-3 over their last 12, with all of their losses this season to Division 1 opponents – and seven of those defeats to teams that finished the regular season among the top 18 on the statewide D1 MPR list.

Hudsonville Unity Christian
No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian (20-2), No. 2 Hudsonville Unity Christian (18-4), Grand Rapids South Christian (17-5), Wyoming Godwin Heights (16-5), Kentwood Grand River Prep (13-6), Wyoming Kelloggsville (2-20).

Grand Rapids Christian has spent most of the season at the top of the statewide Division 2 MPR list, with its only losses to Warren Lincoln, by two Jan. 20, and then by six to Division 1 Byron Center on Feb. 6. The Eagles face one of the strongest Districts in any division this week, and have seen only one possible opponent – South Christian, who they defeated 58-48 on Dec. 5. South Christian, Godwin Heights and Unity all are on the other side of the bracket, and the Sailors defeated Unity 58-56 in their lone meeting Dec. 15. Godwin Heights faces South Christian tonight and has won 12 of its last 14.

Manistee
No. 1 Ludington (16-6), No. 2 Reed City (18-4), Big Rapids (16-6), Manistee (10-12), Hart (12-10), Mason County Central (9-13).

Ludington was the runner-up in the West Michigan Conference Lakes to undefeated Whitehall, and the Orioles have won 10 of their last 12 games with only defeats to Whitehall and Division 1 Cadillac (20-2) breaking up the string. They could be in for a tough matchup right away Wednesday; Manistee and Big Rapids face off tonight on that side of the bracket, and Big Rapids finished last week with a 48-46 win over Reed City in the Central State Activities Association Tournament final. The Coyotes also lost to Cadillac over the last two weeks, but already have a win over possible District Semifinal opponent Mason County Central and did defeat Big Rapids in their first meeting Dec. 8, 49-30. And don’t forget Hart, which went 23-1 just a year ago and has won nine of its last 12 after a slow start.

DIVISION 3

Charlevoix
No. 1 Charlevoix (17-5), No. 2 Harbor Springs (15-7), Mancelona (17-5), Elk Rapids (15-7), East Jordan (8-14), Johannesburg-Lewiston (6-16).

This District includes two league champions – but not the teams one might expect by the seeding. Elk Rapids won the Lake Michigan Conference with Charlevoix and Harbor Springs tied for second, and Mancelona (see above) was the co-champion in the Ski Valley Conference. The Elks have won 11 straight games and swept both Charlevoix and Harbor Springs, making a 1-6 start this winter a distant memory. They are on the same side of the bracket as Mancelona and Charlevoix and face Mancelona tonight; the Ironmen are coming off a 65-37 loss to Charlevoix last week but did open this season with a 50-41 win over Harbor Springs.

East Jackson
No. 1 Jackson Lumen Christi (18-4), 2. Michigan Center (19-3), Napoleon (19-3), Springport (15-7), East Jackson (8-14).

This District features three league champs, as Lumen Christi shared the Catholic High School League AA title, and Michigan Center and Napoleon were co-champions of the Cascades Conference East – with Napoleon then winning the crossover with West champ Hanover-Horton last week. Michigan Center claimed the first Napoleon matchup 50-38 on Dec. 21, while Napoleon won the second 50-44 on Jan. 25, and they wouldn’t see each other again until the District Final. To get there, Michigan Center will have to get through East Jackson and Lumen – and the Titans took a 72-65 win over the Cardinals on Dec. 28. Napoleon faces Springport in the other District Semifinal, the Spartans coming off a third-place finish in the Big 8 Conference.

Harbor Beach
No. 1 Cass City (21-1), No. 2 Harbor Beach (19-3), Caro (12-9), Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (13-9), Bad Axe (6-16), Unionville-Sebewaing (5-17).

This could see another colossal District Final matchup, as Cass City’s only loss this winter was 56-43 to Harbor Beach on Feb. 9. But both could run into obstacles on the way to Friday. Cass City faces the winner of Caro and USA in a District Semifinal, and while the Red Hawks swept both during the regular season, they defeated Caro only 62-60 in their second meeting Feb. 2. Harbor Beach won their single matchups with possible District Semifinal opponents Laker and Bad Axe, both by double digits – but both Laker and Bad Axe gave Cass City nail-biters only a few weeks ago.

DIVISION 4

Adrian Lenawee Christian
No. 1 Adrian Lenawee Christian (19-3), No. 2 Britton Deerfield (16-6), Petersburg Summerfield (18-4), Ann Arbor Central Academy (6-13), Morenci (1-20).

Lenawee Christian won the Tri-County Conference and Petersburg Summerfield finished tied for second, with Lenawee winning their matchups 69-62 on Jan. 16 and 56-53 on Feb. 9. They will meet in the second District Semifinal on Wednesday, with Britton Deerfield on the other side of the bracket. The Patriots finished fourth in the TCC and also were swept by Lenawee Christian, but they did split with Summerfield, winning the first meeting 42-41 on Dec. 8 as part of a 9-0 start and before the Bulldogs won the rematch 59-53 on Jan. 23.

Athens
No. 1 Marcellus Howardsville Christian (17-5), No. 2 Colon (13-8), Mendon (14-8), Burr Oak (13-9), Marcellus (9-11), Athens (0-22).

Howardsville Christian finished third in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference and has won eight straight and 10 of its last 11 games after a tough January stretch that included a 69-51 loss to Mendon on Jan. 20. Mendon isn’t seeded but did tie Colon for third in the Southern Central Athletic Association West (with Burr Oak fifth), defeating the Magi 55-50 in its season opener but then losing to Colon 65-50 in the Jan. 19 rematch. Mendon and Howardsville Christian could see each other again Wednesday, if the Hornets get by Burr Oak tonight, with Colon on the other side of the bracket.

Maple City Glen Lake
No. 1 Maple City Glen Lake (18-4), No. 2 Frankfort (15-7), Traverse City Christian (16-6), Suttons Bay (7-13), Lake Leelanau St. Mary (7-14), Leland (4-17), Grand Traverse Academy (2-20).

Glen Lake moved into Division 4 this season and enters the tournament 18-4 for the second straight and with victories over every team in this bracket except Grand Traverse, which the Lakers didn’t play. Glen Lake finished second in the Northwest Conference to Division 3 Benzie Central, but did sweep Frankfort along the way and also defeated Traverse City Christian 69-41 on Jan. 19. Another matchup with either would come in the District Final, and Frankfort and TC Christian face off tonight, at TC Christian, for the first time this season. Frankfort reached the Division 4 Semifinals a year ago and defeated a pair of league champions last week in Rudyard and Baldwin to tune up for another run.

MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 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.

PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Heritage’s Tyler Ode throws down a dunk during his team’s 80-40 win Thursday over Flint Powers Catholic. (Middle) Laingsburg’s Zander Woodruff (23) puts up a shot during his team’s 90-27 win over Bath last week. (Top photo by Terry Lyons, middle photo by Click by Christine McCallister.)