Moment: Jets Advance on Buzzer Beater

March 23, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Seth Polfus couldn't believe it. Watching the clip four years later, it's easy to remember why.

Powers North Central's 2017 Class D Semifinal against Southfield Christian had stretched nearly 40 minutes. And when Polfus' shot fell with one-tenth of a second left on March 23, 2017, it gave the Jets an 84-83 win over Southfield Christian, sent them back to the Class D championship game and increased their nation-leading winning streak to 82 games. 

We're tipping off a string of daily "MHSAA Moments" with this incredible finish, described after by Polfus, in part: "I didn’t really know where I was. And then I saw the 6-4 kid coming at me, pump-faked him like I always do when I’m really scared. And then just launched it, and I saw it hit off the rim, thought it was an air ball, and then I just didn’t know what happened.”

Click to read Second Half's coverage  Jets' Streak Withstands Mightiest Challenge – and relive the shot below with coverage from the NFHS Network.

'Running' Raiders Pull Away with Scoring Bursts, Stifling Defense

By Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com

March 15, 2024

EAST LANSING – All it took for North Farmington to roll into the MHSAA Finals was staying calm.

Well, maybe it was also a puzzling defense and a handful of mini-runs on offense that contributed to Friday's 58-39 downing of Zeeland West in a Division 1 Semifinal at the Breslin Center.

Whatever it was, the win earned North Farmington (24-2) another crack at Oakland County rival Orchard Lake St. Mary's (26-1) in Saturday's 12:15 p.m. final. St. Mary's has ousted North Farmington from the last two MHSAA Tournaments.

While the Raiders did much right, it's easy to start with an offense which produced points in runs.

"We talk about runs all the time," said North Farmington coach Todd Negoshian, whose teams have won more than 200 games during his 13 seasons. "We want them to end other teams' runs and extend ours. We preach that it's a game of runs, which is important for us."

North Farmington scored the game's first seven points, and then when Zeeland West closed to within 13-11 early in the second quarter, the Raiders scored 12 of the next 18 points. They all but clinched the win with a 23-14 advantage in the third quarter.

North Farmington’s Landon Williams (10) gets a shot up over the outstretched arm of Zeeland West’s Trenten Bolhouse. At least some of those runs can be attributed to the team's demeanor, Negoshian said.

"At the start of the second quarter we calmed down and played within ourselves," he said. "We did a better job of calming down. It was very important in the second quarter that we kept our momentum going and stayed on the right track."

The other side of the coin was defense. North Farmington held Zeeland West (20-8) to just 30.8 percent (12 of 39) shooting from the floor, and only five 3-pointers in 21 attempts.

"Forty points is our benchmark," Raiders senior guard Landon Williams said. "Coach preaches that every day. Giving up 10 points a quarter is what we do. (Defense) is something we keep in perspective. We know that's what it takes to win games."

"We feel like we wear people out," Negoshian said of the defense. "Wearing people out is a big part of our success. It's a big key defensively."

Senior guard Tyler Spratt led North Farmington with 19 points and six rebounds. Williams had 14 points, five assists and three steals.

"We preach that basketball is a game of runs," Spratt said. "It's something we try to do every game – limit the other team's runs."

Zeeland West coach David Klyn said his team never did solve the Raiders' defense.

"They play a style of defense that is very difficult to go against – and they amped it up a level," he said. "They're hard to beat. You can credit that to chaos. It's the most difficult defense I've ever seen. When you get down against them, it's hard to come back."

"It's one of the most difficult defenses I've faced," said Dux Mr. Basketball Award finalist Merritt Alderink, who was held to nine points, four below his average. "It's hard to get anything going because they're all over the place."

Negoshian and his players are plenty familiar with their next opponent.

"They're four miles down the road, and the players know each other well," he said. "Trey (St. Mary’s star McKenney) is the best player in the state, and we know it's running the gauntlet to play them."

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) North Farmington’s Landon Williams (10) gets a shot up over the outstretched arm of Zeeland West’s Trenten Bolhouse. (Middle) The Raiders’ Rob Smith (1) finds an opening in the post. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)