Performance: Benton Harbor's Carlos Johnson
March 28, 2018
Carlos Johnson
Benton Harbor sophomore – Basketball
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 wing and power forward, finished an all-state season with what he called the biggest shot of his life, drilling the game winner as Benton Harbor claimed its first MHSAA boys basketball championship since 1965 with a 65-64 overtime victory over Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Saturday’s Class B Final. His 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play gave him 24 points total in earning the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
Johnson showed a statewide audience why he’s considered arguably the top sophomore in Michigan, making 10 of 20 shots in the championship game, including three 30-pointers, and grabbing 11 rebounds. He had nine points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots in Friday’s 60-49 Semifinal win over River Rouge, and finished this season averaging 17.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.2 blocks per game. Johnson also started as a freshman, averaging just over 14 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks per game in also leading the Tigers to the 2017 Class B Semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion New Haven.
Benton Harbor has one of the richest basketball traditions in the state – this championship was its fourth, coming in its 11th appearance in a title game. The Tigers finished 27-1 overall and are a combined 49-5 over Johnson’s first two seasons. The expectations surely will grow over his next two – he’ll eventually choose from a number of opportunities to play college basketball at the Division I level and also is a tremendous student, posting a 4.0 grade-point average last semester and carrying a 3.8 currently this spring.
Coach Corey Sterling said: “Carlos worked on his game. As a freshman at the Breslin last year, a 14-year-old, skinny kid, to now – he dedicated his offseason to work. He’s jumping better, he’s shooting well, he’s dribbling better, he’s getting tons of Division I offers and interest. He’s playing with a great AAU team. Carlos will be a pro. He’s our star. He’s our Division I player. And he’ll be better next year too. After this, we’re going to give it a week, and he’ll be right back in the gym.”
Performance Point: “Since (Friday) night I’ve been thinking about it,” Johnson said Saturday evening. “I came into the hotel room, took a shower and went to sleep. I woke up this morning around 7 o’clock. I was talking to one of my teammates, just talking about it all morning. It was a dream come true. It got my heart beating all day. Oh my gosh, we won. It just came true. … To bring one back to Benton Harbor, it’s been like 50-some years. When I was in sixth grade, all the way through eighth grade and as a freshman … we’ve had this goal since fourth grade. It’s a dream come true. It’s reality.”
If this was a year ago: “I probably wouldn’t have made (the winning shot). I worked on my jumpshot this summer. My IQ and my dribble moves (have improved), and more of my footwork came through in this game. Two years to go, (I’ll) just keep working hard and get college material and try to bring another one back.”
Win for all: “As we all know, Benton Harbor’s been going through deep depression-like, so for us to bring one back, it just brings light and enjoyment all the way back to the house.”
Ready for more: “Next year I’ll have to take a guard role. We have a lot of bigs coming in, but I’m going to get comfortable with that. I think I’m going to play a big role (in leading) the next season that’s coming up. The challenge is getting everybody on one page and everybody to work hard and stay focused the whole time.”
Everybody’s watching: “I’ve been handling it since last year. It’s been a lot of pressure. A lot of people are reaching out to me. But I’ve got good coaches and good family member and friends, and they just help me to stay calm.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
March 22: Shine Strickland-Gills, Saginaw Heritage basketball - Read
March 15: Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian swimming - Read
March 8: Dakota Greer, Howard City Tri-County wrestling - Read
March 1: Camree' Clegg, Wayne Memorial basketball - Read
February 23: Aliah Robertson, Sault Ste. Marie swimming - Read
February 16: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids wrestling - Read
February 9: Sophia Wiard, Muskegon Oakridge basketball - Read
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City Central golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Benton Harbor's Carlos Johnson launches the game-winning 3-pointer during overtime of Saturday's Class B Final. (Middle) Johnson (11) gets a hand up as a River Rouge player drives to the basket during Friday's Semifinal.
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys Report Week 11
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 12, 2024
Anticipation and prognostication are among themes this week all over Michigan, whether your favorite team is one of the best around or hasn’t had much success but is looking to finish this winter on a higher note.
Sunday morning, the MHSAA will announce this season’s District brackets. The formula for this season’s brackets has been released, making it possible to forecast throughout this week how teams will be placed based on Michigan Power Ratings.
But keep in mind, teams can still move up and down those ratings through their games Saturday night. And there are several notable matchups coming up, including finales to multiple league tournaments and more likely eventual championship deciders in conferences across the state.
“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:
1. West Bloomfield 60, North Farmington 58 Avenging a 61-46 loss to the Raiders (15-2) on Jan. 4, West Bloomfield joined reigning champ North Farmington as teams with only one loss in Oakland Activities Association Red play – and West Bloomfield (13-5) finishes its league schedule against the bottom three teams in the standings.
2. Muskegon 48, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 28 Just 10 days after Reeths-Puffer’s 63-45 win over the Big Reds gained statewide attention, Muskegon (13-2) took the rematch in a big way to create a tie with the Rockets (15-2) atop the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green.
3. Menominee 60, Iron Mountain 58 (OT) The Maroons (13-5) made their upcoming Division 3 District even more interesting by handing the Mountaineers (17-1) their only loss. Those two are Nos. 2 and 4 in statewide Division 3 MPR and will be expected to meet again in the District Final at West Iron County.
4. Saginaw Heritage 73, Saginaw 66 The Hawks (13-2) opened a close Saginaw Valley League race even more, downing the former solo leader to join the Trojans (12-6) and Davison as teams with only one conference loss.
5. Painesdale Jeffers 73, Lake Linden Hubbell 49 The Jets (18-1) remain undefeated in Copper Mountain Conference play after handing Lake Linden-Hubbell (15-3) its first league loss and as the overall CMC race draws to a conclusion.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Dearborn (18-0) The Pioneers steadily have climbed toward this run, and they head into this week a win from tying last year’s total (after finishing 19-7) and atop the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East standings after sharing the championship last season with Livonia Franklin. Dearborn is alone on top this time thanks in part to a 78-68 win over Belleville (14-4) on Jan. 19, and those two meet again Friday. An early win over Detroit Catholic Central (12-7) showed what was possible, and only the Shamrocks and Wayne Memorial (13-4) have gotten within single digits of catching the Pioneers.
East Lansing (16-2) The Trojans’ only losses have come to a pair of championship contenders – Division 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (17-1) and Division 2 Warren Lincoln (16-3) – and despite that 56-37 defeat to the Eaglets two weekends ago, East Lansing has moved into the top spot in statewide Division 1 MPR. A 57-53 win over Lansing Waverly (13-5) on Friday certainly helped, and the Trojans have maintained a half-game lead on Okemos (16-2) in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue with their rematch set for Feb. 23. East Lansing won the first meeting 66-54 and also has defeated East Kentwood, River Rouge, Detroit Martin Luther King, Saline and West Bloomfield among others.
DIVISION 2
Ferndale (11-7) The Eagles graduated all five starters and most of their top subs off last season’s Division 2 championship team, so a few defeats certainly could be expected this winter especially considering they continue to play one of the state’s toughest schedules. That slate has helped Ferndale reach No. 10 in statewide Division 2 MPR, and they’re on the move with a 7-2 record over their last nine games including an 84-62 win Saturday over Port Huron Northern (15-4) and with the two defeats during that time by four to West Bloomfield and five in overtime to North Farmington (see above). The other losses came to those two in their first meetings as well, plus Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (14-5), Muskegon (13-2) and Detroit U-D Jesuit (14-5).
Lansing Sexton (11-4) The J-Dubbs are another team surging, with a 75-54 win over Flint Beecher before holiday break starting a nine-game streak that has Sexton one win from tying last year’s total when it finished 12-10. A 2-4 start included four losses to Division 1 teams – Okemos and Lansing Waverly (see above), plus Holt and Kalamazoo Central. Sexton also is three games ahead of second-place Charlotte and Olivet in the CAAC White and one win from clinching a share of the league title after edging both by three points over the last 10 days.
DIVISION 3
Pewamo-Westphalia (15-2) The Pirates’ only losses this winter have come to undefeated rival Laingsburg (18-0), and while that likely will keep them from a piece of the Central Michigan Athletic Conference title, it also speaks well to P-W’s overall work. The Pirates opened with a 20-point win over Saginaw Nouvel (14-4) and have swept Fowler (12-7) and downed Division 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at the Cornerstone University Holiday Showcase. Another Division 3 contender, Sanford Meridian (15-2), comes to Westphalia on Friday, and a third meeting with Laingsburg is possible – it would be played at Breslin Center in the Division 3 championship game.
Schoolcraft (15-3) The Eagles have clinched a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title, their fourth-straight league championship, and can make it their first outright since 2020-21 with a win Friday against Parchment. Schoolcraft is only two seasons removed from winning the Division 3 championship and has built on last season’s 16-8 finish with a pair of big wins over Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep – which ended the Eagles’ season a year ago – and 12 straight victories after a .500 start that included losses to Division 2 Flint Powers Catholic (15-3), Hudsonville Unity Christian (14-4) and Olivet (13-5). Wins over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (13-4), Watervliet (14-4) and Centreville (13-2) have highlighted this run.
DIVISION 4
Crystal Falls Forest Park (15-2) After also winning 15 games last season (in finishing 15-9), the Trojans need just one more victory to guarantee their best season since 2015-16. They’ve also won nine straight, with the lone losses by five to Division 2 Kingsford (16-2) and one to reigning Division 4 champion Munising (14-4) back-to-back in early January. A 27-point win over second-place Powers North Central on Feb. 2 has Forest Park closing in on the Skyline Central Conference Small schools title, and a Feb. 21 trip to Lake Linden-Hubbell (15-3) will give the Trojans another nice test before the postseason.
Rudyard (12-4) The Bulldogs control their league title aspirations with a chance to earn at least shares of both. They avenged a 22-point loss to Pickford from Jan. 4 with a 62-52 win Friday to join the Pirates tied for first in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference with two league games to play. Rudyard also will face Straits Area Conference leader Sault Ste. Marie this Friday with a win potentially setting up a three-way tie atop that league with one game to go for that trio. Rudyard did lose its first matchup with the Blue Devils, 50-44 on Jan. 11, but has avenged a previous loss to SAC second-place St. Ignace. Rudyard is the reigning champ in the EUPC and finished third in the SAC a year ago.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Grand Rapids Christian (15-2) at Grand Rapids Northview (13-3) – After Christian’s 54-43 win over Northview on Friday, combined with the Eagles’ loss to Byron Center three days before, these two are tied atop the O-K White with five league games to play.
Thursday – Ithaca (11-6) at Saginaw Nouvel (14-4) – Ithaca pulled into a first-place tie with Nouvel in the Tri-Valley Conference White last week with a 43-41 victory, and the winner of the rematch will clinch a share of the championship.
Friday – Saginaw (12-6) vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill (12-4) at Dow Event Center – Barring a possible Regional rematch, this will be the final meeting in the 114-year rivalry between these longtime state powers, as the schools will merge this summer.
Saturday – Detroit Catholic High School League at Detroit Mercy – Warren De La Salle Collegiate (12-6) faces Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (17-1) and Detroit Catholic Central (12-7) takes on Brother Rice (14-5) in Tuesday’s semifinals to reach this Cardinal division championship tipping off at 7 p.m.
Sunday – Detroit Public School League Tournament at Wayne State – Detroit Cass Tech (17-1) faces Detroit Western (10-7) and Renaissance (14-4) takes on King (14-5) in Tuesday’s semifinals to reach this 5 p.m. championship game.
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) Detroit Catholic Central and Davison face off earlier this season. DCC will play in the Catholic High School League Bishop Tournament this week. (Middle) Detroit Renaissance takes on Flint Carman-Ainsworth, also earlier this winter. Renaissance is among contenders for the Detroit Public School League Tournament title. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)