Hoops on Film: 1959 Class A Boys Final

August 17, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director

The legendary play know simply as “The Shot” by Bob Davis of Lansing Sexton in the 1959 Class A Boys Basketball Final is the highlight of this week’s edition of the MHSAA.TV’s Hoops On Film Series.

From the late 1940’s to the mid 1970’s the Michigan High School Athletic Association shot portions of the action at its boys and girls basketball finals on 16mm film. The films were loaned out, primarily to the participating schools, to help them relive the moments of playing in a championship game.

While many of the old films have wandered astray over time, about 60 games still exist in the MHSAA archives. Anyone in possession of such a film is encouraged to contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office ([email protected]) to discuss having the film converted to a digital format.

Some of the films only have portions of the second half and the post-game awards; some have most of the action. None of the films have sound. They range in length from 10 minutes to about an hour. A new film will be posted online each Monday through the week of August 17. DVD’s may be purchased directly from the MHSAA.tv Website – just click the Get DVD button below the player. 

Here’s a look at this week’s game, with recap courtesy of MHSAA historian Ron Pesch:

Lansing Sexton 80, Hamtramck 79 (OT) – 1959 Class A Boys Final - It has since become known as "The Shot." Described by "The Swami" Detroit Free Press prep writer Hal Schram as "a crazy heave that bounced twice on the rim before dropping through the laces," it was the "the windup to a wild finish that gave Lansing Sexton an 80-79 overtime win over Hamtramck." Many of the 12,120 fans that packed Jenison Field House for the Class A contest had left the arena early as the Cosmos opened up a 17-point lead, 43-26, at the half and controlled the contest 72-57 midway through the final period. However, much to everyone's amazement, Sexton notched the game's final 15 points in the last 3:15 of regulation, knotting the game at 72 and sending it to overtime. "The Shot" by Sexton's Bob Davis as time ran out in the extra period erased a 79-78 Hamtramck lead. The horn sounded while the shot was in the air, and according to those in attendance, the ball seemed to bounce on the rim for an eternity before finally falling in.

Previous releases:
1977 Class C Girls Final: DeWitt 51, Carrollton 36 - Watch
1970 Class D Boys Final: Flint Holy Redeemer 62, Kingsley 60 - Watch
1961 Class D Boys Final: Marquette Pierce 68, Freesoil 61 - Watch
1958 Class A Boys Final: Detroit Austin 71, Benton Harbor 68 - Watch
1976 Class D Girls Final: Lake City 58, Perkins 48 - Watch
1971 Class A Boys Final: Flint Northern 79, Detroit Kettering 78 - Watch
1954 Class A Boys Final: Muskegon Heights 43, Flint Northern 41 (OT) - Watch
1973 Class C Boys Final: Detroit East Catholic 50, Saginaw St. Stephen 49 - Watch

Boyd Finds Nothing but Net as Old Redford Earns Championship Day Debut

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

March 14, 2024

EAST LANSING — The day before his team’s Division 3 Semifinal against Riverview Gabriel Richard, Detroit Old Redford head coach Ray Reeves said he installed a new play for his team to run.

Lo and behold, Old Redford found itself running that play Thursday at its most important moment of the season.

The Ravens were trailing by a point with two seconds remaining in regulation and set to inbound the ball from underneath their basket. 

The play was called “one,” mainly because it was one of five new plays Reeves said were installed.

“I was watching Auburn play and I saw (head coach) Bruce Pearl run it,” Reeves said. “I took it from him.”

That play ended up earning Old Redford a chance to finish this season “one” in the state, as senior Justin Austin inbounded the ball into the near corner on the left side of the floor to junior Arkell Boyd, who drained a heavily-contested 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Ravens a 43-41 win over Gabriel Richard. 

Old Redford will meet Niles Brandywine at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in a matchup of teams making their first appearance in an MHSAA Final in this sport.

The Ravens’ Ja'Quan Stennis gets a hand up high as Gabriel Richard’s Nick Sobush (1) works to get off a shot. “When that particular play came at the end of the game, I knew what to do,” said Boyd, who was mobbed by teammates on the floor after the shot went in.

The win continued a magical journey for Old Redford, which earned a one-point win over 2023 champion Flint Beecher in the Quarterfinal and a two-point victory over Detroit Loyola in a Regional Final.

Expanding on his team’s run this season, Reeves said the pivotal moment came during a trip to Indiana earlier in the year that produced some roster attrition.

“We went to Indiana with 14 players and came back with nine,” Reeves said.

The roster cut came after what Reeves said were issues with overbearing parents, which he said produced a team meeting that lasted from 10 p.m. until roughly 7 a.m. the next morning in Indiana.

“We knew it had to change,” Reeves said. “You think as an adult it would sometimes get better because you are dealing with adults. But I realized it was getting worse and it was killing my team. We came together that night, and we haven’t looked back.”

Trailing 37-32 with 4:42 remaining, Gabriel Richard mounted a charge, going on a 7-0 run to take a 39-37 lead with 2:01 left following a 3-point play by junior Nick Sobush. 

Old Redford tied the game at 39-39 with 33.8 seconds remaining on a steal and layup by junior Kason Mayes, but Gabriel Richard regained the lead at 41-39 with 14.3 seconds left with a layup by junior Luke Westerdale. 

Following a timeout, Old Redford put the ball in the hands of Mayes, who was fouled on a layup attempt with 3.3 seconds to go. 

Mayes made the first free throw and missed the second to make it 41-40 Gabriel Richard. But Old Redford got the ball back when the rebound went off a Gabriel Richard player, which set up Boyd’s heroics. 

Mayes scored 16 points, and Boyd added 15 for Old Redford (21-7).

Junior Charles Kage had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Sobush added 13 points for Gabriel Richard (23-4). 

“It’s tough to swallow,” Gabriel Richard head coach Kris Daiek said. “I thought our kids played hard. But hey, it happens. It’s March Madness.”

The good news for Gabriel Richard is that all six players who saw minutes Thursday are expected back to help the program expand on what was its first Semifinal appearance since 1989. 

“This is an educational moment for my kids,” Daiek said. “It stinks now. I give credit to Old Redford. It was a great battle all the way down the stretch. This will build character and make us a little bit tougher.”

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Teammates pile onto Detroit Old Redford’s Arkell Boyd after his game-winning basket Thursday at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Ravens’ Ja'Quan Stennis gets a hand up high as Gabriel Richard’s Nick Sobush (1) works to get off a shot. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)