Highlight Reel: Boys Basketball Finals

March 28, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director 

The winter sports season concluded Saturday with the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University.

Below are highlight clips from every game plus links to watch them in full

Class A

Detroit Western International 62, Saginaw Arthur Hill 59 

Blackshear Six-Point Run - Gerald Blackshear of Detroit Western scored the first six points of the fourth quarter in the Class A Final against Saginaw Arthur Hill. He ended the game with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Leaping Lumberjacks - Saginaw Arthur Hill gets its first lead of the Class A Final against Detroit Western on this alley-oop from Eric Davis to Brian Bowen. Bowen finished with a game-high 21 points. 

Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here. 

Class B

Wyoming Godwin Heights 85, Detroit Henry Ford 68 

A Couple Of Statements - Wyoming Godwin Heights makes a statement with its flashy taste in shoes, and a great alley-oop play to its leading scorer in the Class B Final, Delaney Blaylock. The Wolverines had four players in double figures, led by Blaylock's 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Davis Drives For Two - Josh Davis led Detroit Henry Ford with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Here he scores on a drive in the second quarter in the Class B Final. 

Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here. 

Class C

Flint Beecher 78, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 52 

Moten Gets The Basket - Cedric Moten goes coast-to-coast for Flint Beecher against Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian for the old-fashioned three-point play. Moten led the Bucs with 24 points.

Nice Dunk By Nhial - Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian had a seven-point run in the third quarter topped off by Kual Nhial's dunk. Nhial had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. 

Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.

Class D 

Powers North Central 67, Morenci 47

Whitens For The Hoop & One - Jason Whitens led Powers North Central in the Class D Final against Morenci with 19 points, including this three-point play in the first quarter. 

Sharing The Rock - Bobby Black makes a nice feed to Torin Merillat for a first-quarter basket for Morenci.

Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.

PHOTO: Flint Beecher’s Malik Ellison looks to make a move while being defended by NorthPointe’s Andrew Holesinger.

Moment: Rouge Repeats with Late Surge

March 27, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

With 14 MHSAA Finals championships, River Rouge remains the historic standard for Michigan high school boys basketball. And until just a few seasons ago, legendary coach Lofton Greene topped the state’s all-time wins list in this sport.

Rouge again met Muskegon Heights in the 1972 Class B Final after defeating the Tigers 71-65 in the previous season’s championship game. This time, late-game heroics helped Rouge pull out a 65-64 win, earning the program its 12th championship and last under Greene’s guidance.

The Panthers trailed 64-57 with less than a minute to play. Ralph Perry scored with 45 seconds left to make the deficit five, and he also was fouled. He missed the ensuing free throw, but teammate Byron Wilson put back the offensive rebound to get their team to within 64-61. Leighton Moulton pulled them within a point on a jumper with 23 seconds left. After a Heights turnover, Moulton attempted to drive for the game winner but was fouled before he could get off a shot. With only two seconds left on the clock, and needing to make at least the first free throw to send the game to overtime, he connected on both to seal the win.

Click to read a look back from the MHSAA “Legends of the Games” archives, and see below for 27 minutes of film from the game that remains a classic in state hoops history.

PHOTO: River Rouge’s Leighton Moulton pulls up for a jumper during the 1972 Class B Final. (Photo courtesy of the Lofton Greene Family Archives.)