Southfield Christian Earns Return
March 21, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Damarco White was not part of Southfield Christian’s run to the Class D championship last season. But he got an earful from teammates Bakari Evelyn and Lindsey Hunter IV about what to expect Thursday at the Breslin Center.
Not that he didn't believe them. But it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-7 junior to truly understand what they meant.
The Eagles' physical and fast-paced Class D Semifinal against Lansing Christian featured 123 shots and 67 free-throw attempts, 15 tie scores and 17 lead changes. But over the final 2:15, Southfield Christian simply outlasted the Pilgrims in pulling away for a 75-68 win and another title game berth.
“They told me it wasn’t easy, and they were right,” White said. “I just tried to play my best. I try not to let my team lose every game I go out there.
“We’ve won 19 straight. We’re trying to make it 20.”
Southfield Christian (22-4), No. 3 at the end of the regular season, will face top-ranked Wyoming Tri-unity Christian at 10 a.m. Saturday to decide the title.
The Eagles no doubt will spend some of Friday resting up.
Only over the final two minutes – and after three Lansing Christian players fouled out – was Southfield Christian able to secure Thursday’s win. And those final two minutes followed six during which either the Pilgrims led or the score was tied.
“That’s what these guys have done all year. In tough games, tough situations, they hang in,” Eagles coach Josh Baker said.
“Our guys definitely picked up the intensity, picked up the ball pressure, sped up the pace. Part of it was (Lansing Chrstian) got into foul trouble and lost some guys. But I think we’re a little deeper. Hopefully we wore them down.”
Southfield Christian also took advantage of its ability to make free throws, connecting on 35 of 44 after entering the game on a streak of 23 straight makes. Sophomore guard Bakari Evelyn made 13 of 15 on the way to a team-high 22 points, and Hunter hit 8 of 9 in scoring 21 points total. White made 7 of 8 and finished with 19 points.
The game style and pace indeed took a toll on the Pilgrims, who played mostly their starting five through the first three quarters. Lansing Christian’s standouts showed lots of hustle and forced a number of the Eagles’ 24 turnovers. But only two starters were around for the final minutes.
“That’s how we’ve played all year long. We’ve got great kids on the bunch, but a lot of them are just getting their start in the game of basketball,” Lansing Christian coach Steve Ernst said. “Certainly, that was a different type of game than we’ve seen this year.”
Still, it took a final jolt to get the Eagles moving on. And Hunter delivered it during a timeout, when he told his teammates that “this is our stage” and they needed to play to that level.
White had six of his points and three of his seven blocks during the fourth quarter. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for the game. Evelyn had six steals and Hunter had five.
“We’ve been in that situation before, and we just had to stick with each other,” said Evelyn, a top sub on last season’s team.
“For some reason, we always play better defense in crunch time. I guess that’s our fault, but we noticed they got tired. I guess we turned up the heat.”
Senior Skylar Ross led Lansing Christian with 23 points. Senior Josh Whitney had 16 and eight rebounds, and senior Jay Noyola had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Junior Jordan Terry added 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Lansing Christian finished 22-4 and tied its longest postseason run. The Pilgrims also made the Semifinals in 1984.
“Certainly we appreciate being able to play on this big stage,” Ernst said, “and the tremendous group of seniors who helped transform this program in a short period of time. We’re proud of their effort, and we were excited to play a program like Southfield Christian.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Southfield Christian's Lindsey Hunter IV rises toward the basket during Thursday's Class D Semifinal at the Breslin Center. (Middle) Southfield Christian's Bakari Evelyn (22) works to get around Lansing Christian's Jay Noyola while Pilgrims coach Steve Ernst directs his players from the sideline. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Boys Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 30, 2023
There were so many games of note in Michigan high school boys basketball last week, the original list was 15 strong before we ended up highlighting the five under “Week in Review” below.
But here’s a quick glance at more:
In something of stunners, Ishpeming Westwood and Adrian Lenawee Christian handed Iron Mountain and Lake Leelanau St. Mary, respectively, their first losses, while Flint Carman-Ainsworth gave Detroit Loyola its first defeat and Kalamazoo Central delivered the same to Mattawan.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central downed South Christian, and Northview got past Grand Rapids Christian to establish leads in Ottawa-Kent Conference divisions, while Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice took the same step ahead in the Detroit Catholic League Central against U-D Jesuit. We highlight Wyoming Tri-unity Christian’s win over Schoolcraft below, but Potter’s House Christian may have shaken up the Alliance League by edging the Defenders three days later.
“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. Ann Arbor Huron 53, Port Huron Northern 50 This matchup of undefeated teams highlighted the Fast Break Invitational at Belleville, with Huron (11-0) earning its third three-point win of the season in sending Northern to 12-1.
2. Detroit Cass Tech 69, Flint Beecher 63 The Technicians (15-0) closed their Downtown Throw Down with the night’s premier matchup; the Bucs fell to 11-3, but all three of Beecher’s losses have come against elite larger opponents during showcase events.
3. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 51, Schoolcraft 46 Last season’s Division 4 champion Tri-unity (9-3) edged the reigning Division 3 title-winning Eagles (9-5).
4. Hudsonville 54, East Kentwood 45 The Eagles (10-4) have bounced back from an early deficit in the O-K Red standings to join a first-place tie with the Falcons (9-4) and Rockford.
5. Boyne City 50, Traverse City St. Francis 44 The Ramblers (12-1) broke an 11-game losing streak against the Gladiators (9-2) as the two met with first on the line in the Lake Michigan Conference.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (13-1) The Warriors and U-D Jesuit have risen to the top of another loaded CHSL Central, and Brother Rice’s 68-53 win over the Cubs made it the team to chase the rest of the way. The Warriors followed up with a 55-46 win over Warren De La Salle Collegiate avenging its lone loss of this winter from Jan. 6. Warren Lincoln, Grand Blanc, River Rouge and Kalamazoo Central all have double digit wins this season, but fell to Brother Rice – all but Warren Lincoln by double digits.
Grand Blanc (11-2) The Bobcats also fill their schedule with the state’s elite most weekends, and this one included a 53-50 win over O-K Red co-leader Rockford at the 2K23 Showcase at Aquinas College. Add that to impressive victories over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Flint Carman-Ainsworth and Saginaw among others – plus impressive defeats to Brother Rice (see above) and North Farmington (10-1). Grand Blanc and Davison are the only teams without a loss in Saginaw Valley League play, and they meet Friday.
DIVISION 2
Benton Harbor (11-2) Subtract their losses to the Tigers, and all but one of Benton Harbor’s opponents so far would be .500 or better as that program also lines up top competition all winter long. Benton Harbor’s defeats came to North Farmington (10-1) and Grand Rapids Union (9-3), while the Tigers handed the lone losses this season to Watervliet and Niles Brandywine and earned perhaps their best victory 64-62 over Beecher two weekends ago. Benton Harbor also leads the first-year Lakeland Conference with the rematch against second-place Brandywine on Feb. 17.
Ludington (13-0) The Orioles have averaged nearly 15 wins per season over the last five, so they’re no strangers to success. But they’ve nearly reached that win total already this winter with only a couple of nail-biters. Ludington is coming off a 76-74 overtime win over Traverse City Central, but nine victories have been by double digits including a 63-52 defeat of Whitehall (10-4) that has the Orioles alone atop their new West Michigan Conference Lakes standings.
DIVISION 3
Saginaw Nouvel (12-3) Few teams with multiple losses have been closer to perfection, as Nouvel’s three defeats were by a combined six points to opponents that are a combined 29-9. Nouvel also has its share of impressive wins, with its latest five-game streak including an 11-pointer over 13-win Chesaning and Saturday’s 77-75 overtime edging of 12-win Bridgeport. The Panthers have a one-game lead on Ithaca in the Tri-Valley Conference 10-2, with that rematch Feb. 24 – but in the meantime, keep an eye out for the Feb. 14 meeting with undefeated Standish-Sterling.
Watervliet (10-1) Aside from that 71-68 loss to Benton Harbor (see above), Watervliet has been almost unstoppable with only Buchanan (one point) and Bridgman (six) coming within single digits of catching the Panthers. They lead the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore by two games after sharing the title and finishing 19-4 overall last season. The next four games should say a lot as all four opponents have nine wins this season, including reigning Division 3 champion Schoolcraft.
DIVISION 4
Gaylord St. Mary (12-1) The Snowbirds have won 12 straight since opening with a loss to Hillman, and including a 72-71 overtime victory over Indian River Inland Lakes on Friday. St. Mary also has a 19-point win over Ellsworth and a 15-pointer over Onaway, and both those opponents have reached 10 wins this season. The Onaway win from Jan. 10 has St. Mary atop the Ski Valley Conference standings, with their second meeting Feb. 15 – and before that a nonleague matchup with Lake Leelanau St. Mary (11-1) coming up this Friday.
Hillman (10-1) That 61-40 win over Gaylord St. Mary kicked off a great first half for the Tigers, who are a 57-54 overtime loss to Division 1 Alpena from perfection. It’s been a strong follow-up after last season’s only loss was to Nouvel in a Regional Semifinal. Only Alcona and Ogemaw Heights have come within single digits of catching the Tigers this winter. Hillman has a one-game lead on Posen in the North Star League Little Dipper thanks to a 62-47 victory Jan. 5 – with the rematch Tuesday.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Powers North Central (9-1) at Iron Mountain (10-1) – Both are coming off their lone defeats this season, but this still features two of the strongest Division 4 and 3 contenders, respectively, in the Upper Peninsula.
Wednesday – Cass City (11-1) at Bad Axe (11-1) – Bad Axe won the first meeting 50-41 on Jan. 6, but winner in this one could take all eventually in the Greater Thumb Conference West as they sit tied atop the standings.
Saturday – North Farmington (10-1) vs. Muskegon (12-0) at Aquinas College – The 2K23 Showcase continues with a pair of contenders in Division 1 topping the ticket with a 5:15 p.m. tipoff.
Saturday – Benton Harbor (11-2) vs. Ann Arbor Huron (11-0) at Aquinas College – These two definitely could take some of the spotlight at Aquinas kicking things off at noon.
Saturday – Grand Blanc (11-2) vs. Cadillac (11-1) at Traverse City St. Francis – The Northern Michigan Showcase has some intriguing matchups as well, and Cadillac could make a major statement for the Big North Conference in arguably the event’s headliner.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as 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) Davison’s Teon Armstrong (2) pushes the pace against Flint Carman-Ainsworth during an 85-70 win Jan. 24. (Middle) Marshall defenders wall off an Otsego player driving to the basket during a 52-43 win Jan. 6. (Top photo by Terry Lyons; middle photo by Gary Shook.)