Five State Quarterfinal Storylines

The final week of the season is here, so start it off right.

Premier Matchup of the Night

Muskegon meets Lansing Everett in a highly anticipated contest between Michigan’s two best senior forwards/centers, Deyonta Davis and Trevor Manuel.  Davis won Mr. Basketball just a day prior to the game, while Manuel placed third.  Davis is committed to Michigan State, and Manuel will continue his career at Oregon.

Will Arthur Hill Make the Breslin?

Eric Davis placed second in the Mr. Basketball voting, and while Deyonta has one Class A ring, Eric has never been to the Breslin Center before, let alone a district championship prior to this season.  Arthur Hill has cruised past opponents in both district and regional play.  The lone remainder in their way is Walled Lake Central, led by junior standout guard Walter Kelser.  The Vikings have managed to beat two state-ranked team along the way in the playoffs, rival Walled Lake Western, and then Holly for the regional championship in a defacto road game.

Your Point?

U of D Jesuit meets Clarkston in one of two quarterfinal games at Calihan Hall.  Jesuit’s Cassius Winston, is among one of the premier floor generals in the country for the junior class.  Winston has been to the Breslin Center before, while Clarkston floor general a year ago wasn’t even in high school.  Freshman point guard Foster Loyer plays with poise beyond his years for the Wolves, and is coming off an impressive 35 point performance in the team’s victory against Macomb Dakota.

Potential Upset

Ypsilanti exercised some demons, defeating Romulus in their regional round, the same Eagles team that ended the Grizzlies’ season last year.  Despite not carrying the amount of talent as in year’s  past, the Grizzlies are not to be taken lightly in March with the back-court duo of Corey Allen and Avery Williams.  Ypsilanti meets Western as heavy underdogs, however, it isn’t called March Magic for nothing.

Contrasting Rosters

Henry Ford has had to fight and crawl for three of their four games in the playoffs, and will need another one against New Haven for a trip to the Class B semi-finals.  Ford’s tallest player is 6’4″ Western Michigan bound Josh Davis.  However, Davis is not a center, Josh thrives on the perimeter will his silky smooth jump shot.  For the undefeated Rockets, four of their starters read 6’4,” 6’6.” “6’10,” and 6’10.”  New Haven struggled just to reach the quarters, the Rockets rallied from a seven point deficit with just 40 seconds remaining to force overtime and eventually defeat Detroit Osborn.  The very same Osborn team Ford handled relatively easily.