Hoops on Film: 1973 Class C Boys Final

June 22, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director

Straight out of the dusty tin canisters where they’ve sat for a long time, some of the classic basketball championship games of years past will be featured for 10 weeks this summer on 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 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 (john@mhsaa.com) to discuss having the film converted to a digital format.

Some of the films only have portions of the second half and the postgame 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 beginning June 22, through the week of August 17.

Click below for the first installment of the Hoops On Film series and to check out the game recap courtesy of MHSAA Historian Ron Pesch of Muskegon.

Detroit East Catholic 50, Saginaw St. Stephen 49 – 1973 Class C Boys Final - With four ticks remaining on the clock, Larry Merchant's 18-foot jumper from left of the key gave underdog Detroit East Catholic a 50-49 win over top-ranked Saginaw St. Stephen in Class C. Merchant, who scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half, gave the Chargers a 48-47 lead with just over a minute to play, but a pair of free throws by Elijah Coates pushed St. Stephen out front 49-48 with 45 seconds left.

Be the Referee: Block or Charge?

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

January 21, 2025

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Block or Charge? - Listen

In basketball – if you are attempting to take a charge, do you have to be stationary? Can a defender draw a charge while sliding his or her feet?

A defensive player does not need to be stationary in order to draw a charge.

Once a defender has established legal guarding position – which is when the defensive player has both feet on the floor and is facing the opponent, the defender can move laterally or obliquely to maintain that position. Even if it means having one – or both – feet off the floor when contact occurs with the offensive player.

In a block or charge situation, many fans like to say it’s a block because the defender was moving, but that’s not always the case. A defender can draw a charge while in motion.

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