The second annual Derrick Coleman showcase held at Detroit Mumford saw four games of Chicago Public Schools square off against four Detroit area teams. Last year, Chicago went three and one on the day. This year however, the script was flipped, Michigan went 3-1. Here’s a look at the action from the victorious Detroit teams.
King Edges Out Harlan 55-54
Coach George Ward found himself in a tough one against Chicago Harlan in his Detroit King debut. Tied 52-52 with under thirty to go, Rakeem Beal made 1/2 free-throws to give King a one point lead. However, on the second, senior Armani Lee came away with one of his team high 10 rebounds to send teammate Jesse Scarber to the line for two more free-throws to put MLK up three. On Harlan’s ensuing procession, senior Michael Johnson was fouled and granted three shots. Johnson, the team’s leading scorer with 15 points made the first two, but missed the third.
Senior Armani Lee led King with 31 points and 11 rebounds, including ten in opening quarter of action.
Western Rolls Through Marshall Behind Neely and Tinsley
Detroit Western, the state’s pre-season number three ranked team in the state, had little trouble with Chicago Marshall. The Cowboys jumped out to a 31-12 half-time advantage, and coasted to the 64-36 victory.
Senior transfers Gerald Blackshear and Josh McFolley were ineligible to play for Western per MHSAA policy. Regardless, Western was still able to outplay a scrappy Marshall team that went 12-12 a year ago. Junior point guard Brailen Neely paced Western with 19 points (3 3s), four steals, and 3 assists. Fellow 11th grade backcourt mate Armani Tinsley chipped in with 14 points and 4 rebounds.. Tinsley was primarily a rotational player in 2013, but the added opportunity to start and play extensive minutes should bode well for the Cowboys depth as the season progresses.
U of D Makes Statement in Upset of Chicago Morgan Park
Morgan Park won last season at the very same Derrick Coleman Classic, 82-69 over Detroit Pershing. This year, the Mustangs returned with one of the top players in 2015 Marcus LoVett, whose youtube highlights have amassed millions of views. From the beginning of the contest, the Cubs went straight at LoVett holding him to only nine first half points, after coming into the day fresh off a 32 point performance.
The Cubs led from start to finish, and held a lead at one point in the fourth quarter as large as 18. U of D also has their own star with as much notoriety as LoVett, junior point guard Cassius Winston. Winston started the game strong with 11 points and five rebounds in the opening quarter, nearly 1/3 of his game high 32 points while adding 10 overall rebounds. Aside from Winston, senior guard Gary Collins added 10 points to go along with four steals, and was primarily assigned with the task to shadow LoVett throughout the majority of the game. While junior guard Obe Duru scored 11 points off the bench, sophomores Donatus Eke and Greg Eboigboden made their highly anticipated high school debuts. The two combined for nine points, and hauled down ten rebounds.
Charlie Moore paced Morgan Park with 26 points, while fellow junior Jamal Burton tallied 10 points. LoVett finished with 17 points and 4 assists.
Tags: King, U of D, Western
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