Post-season basketball is here. First up is district action, or team’s closest to one another. Some districts will see lopsided affairs on opening night, but here are five quality games to start the playoffs.
Stevensville-Lakeshore (18-2) @ Kalamazoo Central (19-1) Portage Northern
Outlook: A district championship worthy contest on the opening night of the playoffs, as the winner of this one will most like have reservations in regionals. Central has met little to no competition in Michigan, their lone loss came to Ohio’s ranked Lima Catholic Central. While Lakeshore’s two losses have come to Class B elites Otsego and Benton Harbor.
Belleville (12-8) vs. Romulus (14-5) @ Westland John Glenn
Outlook: Similar to Lakeshore and Central, the Glenn district could be decided on Monday. These two bitter rivals split meetings earlier in the year, both winning on home-courts. Romulus will be eager to make a return trip to the Class A quarterfinals after a disappointing performance at Calihan Hall a year ago, while the young Tigers could easily gain momentum if they win the overall season Battle for Hannan Road.
Flint Southwestern (13-7) @ Goodrich (18-2) Lake Fenton
Outlook: Aside from two losses at the hands of Class C top-ranked Flint Beecher, Goodrich has cruised through the regular-season. The Martians are motivated by coming just one game short of a trip to the Breslin Center last season. Their opponent, Southwestern, has been quite unpredictable. In spurts, Southwestern has looked like a Class B contender. Early in the season, the Knights won nine of ten games, to enter the playoffs, Southwestern lost three of their past five games.
Detroit Loyola (15-5) @ Detroit Edison (13-4) Detroit Edison
Outlook: Experience against youth. Loyola loses games the Bulldogs are heavily favored in, such as St. Mary’s and Divine Child. Perhaps playing a road-opener in the playoffs will bring an added sense of urgency for Loyola. Their opponent, Edison, relies heavily on freshman and sophomores both in the front and backcourt. The winner faces Allen Academy in the semi-final for all intensive purposes a district championship, and will be rewarded with a clear path to at least a regional final.
Fernale University (13-4) @ Madison Heights Madison (15-5) Madison
Outlook: This district is wide-open, as five of the six teams won double-digit games during the regular-season. As for this individual matchup, it isn’t the most talked about or hyped, but a very intriguing affair. Two of Madison’s five losses were at the hand’s of Class B number one New Haven. University plays seven seniors with hopes of advancing to the second week, for the past three years, the Eagles have lost in the district championship game.
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