Pressure? No problem as Our Lady Advances
March 24, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – The bright lights have worn off for Waterford Our Lady’s seniors.
And that might have made all the difference over the final minutes of what could’ve been their final high school basketball game.
Andrew Kline and brothers Clay and Devin Senerius brought the Lakers to the Class D Semifinals a year ago for the first time since 1993, and they just missed a football championship losing by seven points in the Division 8 Final this fall.
So when the score of Thursday’s first Class D Semifinal sat tied for the seventh time with 5:49 to play, the Our Lady seniors weren’t phased by the building Breslin Center pressure.
The Lakers closed on a 15-3 run to finally break away from Wyoming Tri-unity Christian and earn their first MHSAA championship game appearance with a 64-53 victory.
“Playing on the big stage, it’s not as hard as it used to be,” said Devin Senerius, who led four Our Lady players with 17 points. “At the beginning of last year, at the Semifinals we were all nervous. And then at the state finals (for football), we were a little nervous. Now we all just wanted to win instead of lose.”
They’ve got a chance to win one more time, and for the first time in program history on the final day of the season, when they face Powers North Central at 10 a.m. in Saturday’s Class D Final.
The Lakers (22-4) were ranked No. 3 at the end of the regular season, so this run was hardly a surprise. But they also lost the final two games before the District began, putting the senior leaders in a position to pull their team back on track.
Our Lady responded by winning four of seven tournament games by at least 10 points.
“First off, it’s their personality. They want to win, and that’s vital,” Our Lady coach Paul Robak said. “It doesn’t matter if it is basketball, football, whatever; they want to win. That’s the most important part of the culture, teaching that not only to others in their class but the younger classes.
“We took a step backward toward the end of the year, and we got a little sloppy. But to their credit, we went back to being more competitive on the practice floor. And it starts with these three guys.”
Still, the final score Thursday was not indicative of how close the game stayed until the final six minutes.
To that point, neither team built a lead of more than six points. From 2:25 to play in the second quarter until 1:17 remained, neither team got ahead by more than four. There were 14 lead changes, seven in the third quarter and five during the fourth.
There would be only one run – and it would belong to Our Lady.
Kline scored nine of his 15 points during the final go-ahead drive, while Tri-unity Christian made only 1 of 9 shots from the floor during the final six minutes.
“Coach told us it’s crunch time,” Kline said. “We’ve got to buckle down. We knew we were the better team.”
Freshman Noah Robak added 12 points and Clay Senerius had 11 for Our Lady. Devin had 12 rebounds and Clay added 10 and six assists as the Lakers outrebounded the Defenders 37-15.
Senior guard Collin Rosendall led Tri-unity (20-6) with 17 points and four steals, and senior forward Javi Cuevas had 12 points and four assists.
Although the Defenders made a decent 44 percent of its shots from the floor, they connected on only 7 of 27 tries from 3-point range – struggling at what’s usually a strength.
“All year long we’ve done a good job of maintaining the bleeding on the boards,” Tri-unity coach Mark Keeler said. “Tonight we didn’t do a good job of that. They have good shooters and I think they knocked down key shots at the right time.
"They stayed in their zone, and I was happy they stayed in their zone because our 3-point shooting is normally good. But it failed us at the end.”
The Boys Basketball Finals are presented by Sparrow Health System.
PHOTOS: (Top) Our Lady’s Clay Senerius looks for an opening while Tri-unity’s Javi Cuevas defends. (Middle) The Defenders’ Collin Rosendall works to get past a Lakers player during the Class D Semifinal.
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys Report Week 9
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 29, 2024
It’s final four time for all 729 of Michigan’s boys basketball teams.
This one doesn’t have all the glitz and glam of March’s, of course. But only four weeks remain this regular season, and every team is involved as league titles are being decided, seeding scenarios are shifting, and even the hundreds not involved in either can build toward a fresh start when District play begins.
“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. Detroit Cass Tech 50, Detroit Martin Luther King 45 (OT) The Technicians (12-1) set themselves up to clinch a share of the Detroit Public School League Blue title two days later against Pershing, but like last season could see King (12-4) again in the PSL Tournament.
2. Warren Lincoln 62, East Lansing 54 The Abes (12-2) may have cemented themselves as midseason favorites in Division 2 by handing the Division 1 Trojans (13-1) their only loss, at Detroit Cass Tech’s Downtown Showdown.
3. Grand Rapids Northview 57, North Farmington 51 Northview (11-1) continued its Division 1 climb at the 2K24 Showcase at Aquinas College by handing North Farmington (13-1) its only defeat.
4. East Lansing 66, Okemos 54 While Saturday’s loss no doubt was disappointing, the Trojans (13-1) were coming off a massive win locally as Okemos (12-2) might be next up in the conversation for the Lansing area’s best.
5. Jackson Lumen Christi 62, Riverview Gabriel Richard 49 The Titans (12-1) took over first place alone in the Catholic High School League AA by handing Richard (12-2) its only league loss.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Ann Arbor Huron (10-2) Few teams statewide had a better week than Huron, which vaulted to the top of the Southeastern Conference Red standings by a half-game by handing the first league losses to Ypsilanti Lincoln (58-45) and Saline (65-52). The River Rats then downed Hamtramck 68-47 at Belleville’s Fast Break Invitational, adding to a growing resume as they look to build on last season’s Quarterfinal run.
Grand Rapids Northview (11-1) As noted above, Northview is coming off handing North Farmington its only loss, and they will face a similar challenge in Ann Arbor Huron (above) on Saturday as part of the second round of 2K24 Showcase games. The Wildcats’ only loss came to another Division 1 contender, Detroit King, 54-53 at East Kentwood two weekends ago. All of those matchups are great prep for the MHSAA Tournament, but in the meantime Northview is tied for first with Grand Rapids Christian in the Ottawa-Kent Conference White with their matchups coming up Feb. 9 and 14.
DIVISION 2
Hudsonville Unity Christian (10-4) Unity Christian is 6-0 for the 2024 calendar year, corresponding with a 6-0 start to the O-K Blue schedule that has included handing Coopersville (12-2) its only league defeat, 58-56. The early going saw nice wins over Grand Rapids Covenant Christian and Schoolcraft and also solid losses to Zeeland West, Grandville, Grand Rapids South Christian and Hudsonville High. The Crusaders’ biggest game left surely is the Coopersville rematch, Feb. 16 at home.
Onsted (9-4) The Wildcats trail only Dundee in the Lenawee County Athletic Association, and talk about good losses – Onsted’s defeats were to the Vikings (14-1), Stockbridge (11-4) and Freeland (12-1). Onsted also has notable wins over Michigan Center (11-3), Wayne Memorial (7-4) and Ida (10-4) among others and will host Dundee in the rematch Feb. 10 as the Wildcats look to keep their league title streak alive with at least a shared championship this time.
DIVISION 3
Benzie Central (11-2) After tying for second in the Northwest Conference and finishing 12-12 overall last season, Benzie took major steps last week toward regaining the title and eclipsing last season’s overall win total. A 60-51 victory over reigning champ Glen Lake left the Huskies as the only undefeated team in league play, and they capped the week with a 58-55 overtime win over Division 1 Bay City Western at the Jeff McDonald Memorial Showcase at Cadillac. December losses to Big Rapids (9-4) and Menominee (10-3) gave Benzie early looks at tough competition as well.
Sanford Meridian (10-2) The Mustangs have a two-game lead in a Jack Pine Conference where five of eight teams have eight or more wins, and after finishing runners-up in the league the last three seasons. They’ve earned all 10 of their wins by at least 13 points. The losses came to Division 2 Frankenmuth and Division 1 Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, both before the new calendar year began, and Meridian will test itself against likely its toughest regular season challenge Feb. 13 at Freeland.
DIVISION 4
Bellevue (10-1) The Broncos are a one-point December loss to Delton Kellogg from a perfect first half of the season, and they’ve won 39 straight league games (and eight straight championships) as they sit atop the Southern Central Athletic Association West standings. Bellevue also is halfway to a seventh 20-win season over the last eight, with the lone sub-20 season when it finished 13-4 in COVID-shortened 2020-21. Second-place Battle Creek St. Philip hosts the Broncos on Friday, and next week’s matchup with Hillsdale Academy is on the radar as well.
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (10-2) Last season’s Division 4 runner-up is revving for another run, having defeated Wyoming Godwin Heights and handed Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart its only loss while falling only to Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (10-5) by two and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (11-4) by four points. The Godwin win avenged a 2022-23 loss, and two dates to circle are Friday against Wyoming Lee and Feb. 22 against Potter’s House Christian. Both also defeated Tri-unity last season as Lee went on to win the Alliance League instead.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (12-1) at Muskegon (10-0) – Reeths-Puffer got within four points of the Big Reds in last season’s Division 1 District Final, and this time they meet tied for first in the O-K Green.
Tuesday – Benton Harbor (16-0) at Kalamazoo Central (8-3) – The Division 2 Tigers’ perfect season will be on the line when they visit the Division 1 Maroon Giants.
Friday – Traverse City West (11-4) at Cadillac (12-1) – The Vikings bounced back from their lone loss by defeating Dearborn Fordson in overtime Saturday, and they can take a sizable step toward wrapping up the Big North Conference title by finishing a season sweep of second-place West.
Saturday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (12-1) vs. East Lansing (13-1) at Aquinas College – The second round of this season’s 2K24 Showcase should end up one of the most exciting single days of hoops competition in the state this regular season, with this 6 p.m. tip offering arguably the premier matchup.
Saturday – Muskegon (10-0) vs. Grand Rapids Christian (11-1) at Aquinas College – 2K24 finishes with this 7:30 p.m. meeting of potential Breslin-Bound contenders in Divisions 1 and 2, respectively.
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) Muskegon’s M’Khi Guy (3) gets to the basket during his team’s 63-45 win over Ferndale on Jan. 6. (Middle) Beal City and LeRoy Pine River face off Jan. 22; the Aggies won 67-39. (Top photo by Tim Reilly; middle photo by High School Sports Scene.)