Archive | March, 2015

Renaissance Hangs On Against St. Mary’s 43-41

7 Mar

IMG_0211-2Renaissance junior standout Justin Turner did not score a single point in his team’s game against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s for the Operation Friendship consolation contest.

Fortunately for Turner and Renaissance, the Phoenix are not solely driven by Turner.  Senior point guard Darryl Smith led Renaissance with a game-high 17 points, including five threes.  While junior division one football recruit Alaric Jackson held down the paint for 15 points and 12 rebounds.

With 1:58 left in the fourth, Smith connected on a three to place Renaissance up four.  The Phoenix would still lead by two with less than a minute remaining.  Under thirty seconds now to play, Smith missed the front end of a one-and-one.  Boswell pushed the ball, but his lay-up was off the mark.  Sophomore point guard C.J. Wilson sneaked in for the rebound, and St. Mary’s called a timeout holding the ball with 16.5 seconds.  The Eaglets elected to go for the win, and Wilson’s three fell off the side of the rim.  A tussle for the ball killed the clock.  Renaissance victory.

Jason Boswell led St. Mary’s with 15 points, while Jalon Bailey came off the bench for 14 points.

Renaissance will play and host Detroit Mumford in first round of district play.  The Mustangs handed Renaissance one of their seven losses in early January.

The loss evens OLSM’S regular-season record to 10-10.  Next up for the Eaglets will be 19-1 Walled Lake Western in the first round of Walled Lake Central’s district.

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Five Great District Opening Round Games

7 Mar

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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Muskegon Muscles Past River Rouge 68-50

6 Mar

3L9A9520A strenuous day of studies at school, a 200 mile bus trip, and a visit to the famed River Rouge “jungle.”

All three were obstacles facing Muskegon in the Big Reds’ twentieth and and final game of the year.  However, the state’s number two and defending Class A champion  prevailed for a 68-50 against Class B contender River Rouge, improving their record to 19-1.

The game was truly decided in the opening eight minutes.  After a sluggish start for both teams, the Big Reds led 7-4 with 2:40 left in the first.  From then on, Muskegon used a 12-3 spurt to close the quarter and led 19-7, a lead that would not be cut to single digits the rest of the contest.

Senior leadership can assist in neutralizing a hostile crowd.   Fortunately, Muskegon has the combination of Joeviair Kennedy and Michigan State bound Deyonta Davis to do so.  Davis led Muskegon with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and seven blocks, while Kennedy contributed 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Kennedy scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half to set the tempo for Muskegon.

“First-half is always good for me,” Kennedy said following the game.  “I always start out with a lot of energy.”

Muskegon would stretch their lead as much as 18 in the first half, leading 36-18 in the first half.  The Big Red defense stifled the Panther attack the entire night.  River Rouge was forced to settle for contested three-point and mid-range jump shots throughout the first half.  The Panther field-goal percentage was 20 percent in the opening 16 minutes.

Not much changed for the Big Reds in the second half, the only challenge for Muskegon was playing without Davis roughly two minutes in the third quarter.  Head coach Keith Guy was unhappy with Davis’ on-court presence, and took the challenge to sit his star big man.

“He’s going to have to take the message I give him,” Guy said, “or he’s going to sit.”  “I’m harder on him than I am anybody.”

The trip to the bench fueled Davis once Guy decided to place him back in the game.  Deyonta scored seven of his team-high 20 points in the final quarter alone, including a few impressive alley-oops, some of which were from Kennedy.

“Best one-two pouch in the state,” Guy said of Kennedy and Davis, “their unselfish, play for one another, they feed of one another.”

According to Guy, the Kennedy-Davis relationship extends far-beyond basketball.  It’s a unique brotherhood the two have formed the past four years.

“If I’m giving away snacks after practice, and one of them is not around, they’ll try to get the snack for each other.  It’s a brotherhood.”

The one positive performance for the Panthers was senior 6’7″ forward Jalen Gibson.  After only scoring one point in the first-half, Gibson took it on himself and provide a stand to the Big Red onslaught.  Gibson scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half, playing fearlessly against Davis.  Unfortunately for Gibson and Rouge, he picked up his fifth foul with 3:40 seconds remaining in the fourth.  Rouge had just cut the deficit to the smallest it was the second-half, 13 points.

Part of the Big Red defensive game-plan was to nullify River Rouge senior star guard LaMonta Stone.  Stone, a diminutive 5’8,” is one of the state’s most prolific scorers.  While Stone led his team with 17, he was 6-19 on the game, and scoreless the entire fourth quarter.

“One of the things we tried to do was keep him out of the paint,” Guy said.  “I think he goes to his left better than he does his right.  So we tried to force him a little bit to his right.  We wanted to make him volume shooter.”

Along with Kennedy and Davis, Muskegon’s role players had quiet yet productive games.  Darryl Kirkland and Michael Littlejohn were the primary ball-handlers and orchestrators of the offense.  The Big Reds committed just 10 turnovers the entire game, and only four in the first-half.  Littlejohn and Kirkland combined for 12 assists.

Although the Big Reds have won 47 of their past 48 games, the Big Reds have not gotten out much to show their talents across the state.  Aside from a trip to West Bloomfield in late December, the Big Reds’ farthest game from home has been in Grand Rapids.   Both Kennedy and Guy are adamant the challenges the team confronted today will only grow the team’s character once  the state tournament commences.

“This is as best a 20th game you can,” Guy added.  While Kennedy added “This is very hostile environment playing somewhere like this.  This is how it’s going to be in the playoffs.”

And about the potential for a Muskegon repeat in Class A, Kennedy isn’t shy.

“I say we’re going to do another repeat.”

Muskegon is next in action Wednesday beginning district semi-finals against either Muskegon Reeths-Puther or Mona Shores.  While Rouge hits the hardwood Monday against Henry Ford Academy with a final regular-season record of 15-5.

(Photo courtesy of Paul Snyder)

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Prep Ball Review Podcast 6

5 Mar

We have a interview with junior guard Justin Turner of Detroit Renaissance, preview of the upcoming Operation Friendship, state championship predictions, and game of the week picks.

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North Farmington Hangs On In Battle Against Southfield 62-60

4 Mar

IMG_0192North Farmington led comfortably 43-26 against OAA Red foe Southfield with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter. The Blue Jays were ready to call it a day, however, junior forward Miguel Priest wasn’t. Priest scored seven of Southfield’s next 15 points in a 15-6 Blue Jay run to close the third quarter, and place his team down single-digits entering the fourth.

“Teams like Southfield feed of their energy and build confidence making it tough to stop,” said junior guard Billy Thomas.

Southfield’s confidence continued to build. A 10-2 spurt within the first three minutes of the fourth sparked by two threes from sophomore guard Reme Torbert knotted the game at 51-51. Three minutes later, sophomore point guard Michael Flowers connected on a three to put Southfield up one, the team’s first lead since the opening quarter. However, the lead was short lived, on the ensuing Raider possession, junior Billy Thomas connected on two free-throws to place North Farmington up 59-58. Following a series of missed Raider free-throws and Southfield blunders, the Blue Jays held the ball with less than thirty seconds remaining down one with the possibility win the game. Southfield turned the ball over just twice the entire fourth quarter, and one happened with 12.5 seconds left, Raider junior Alex Darden swiped a Blue Jay pass, and was fouled. Darden split his free-throws, Southfield ball down two with eight seconds left. Flowers brought the ball up the court, got into the lane, but his contested runner fell short. A scrum for the rebound killed the clock, North Farmington victory.

For Southfield, Priest led the way with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and senior Khary Fanning scored 14 points, hauled in seven rebounds, and assisted on four Blue Jay buckets.

The Raiders were led by senior forward Jeron Rogers with a game-high 20 points, and junior front-court mate Alex Darden with 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

“Jeron (Rogers) and Alex (Darden) were really helpful,” Thomas added. “They both do a great job rebounding and altering a lot of shots. Both can handle the ball very well for their size.”

For Thomas, he contributed 14 points and five rebounds as the sixth man from the bench. Billy was recently granted eligibility from the state to participate a few weeks ago, and has embraced his role thus far.

“I am perfectly fine with that,” Thomas said of him coming off the bench. “I just come in and do what I do, I want to win and if I have to come off the bench I will.”

Although he is able to play in the Raiders’ last remaining games, Thomas was ruled ineligible for the playoffs. Thomas said the school and team is continuing to seek opportunities for Thomas to participate in the post-season. With Thomas, the Raiders add another shooter and ball-handler to compliment the back-court of Anthony Qasawa and Jacob Joubert.

Depth is invaluable in the second season, for instance tonight, Qasawa, normally a reliable shooter, only scored 10 points, six off free-throws. However, it was Thomas that filled in Qasawa’s role and assisted Rogers as the team’s scorer.

The playoffs begin in a week, any plenty of questions remain regarding North Farmington. But when asked North Farmington’s goal for the rest of the season, Thomas said, “I think we are a state championship caliber team no doubt.”

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Great Games For The Final Week Of The Season

2 Mar

Tuesday March 3rd

Pershing (9-8) @ Consortium (12-5)

Outlook: Consortium has won four out of their past five games, and might be peaking at the right time of the year in Class B.

Mt. Clemens (13-5) @ University Prep (12-5) 6:30 PM

Outlook: Mt. Clemens won the MAC Blue Division, while University Prep fell just short of the Charter School League crown in the championship game.

Detroit Edison (12-5) @ Melvindale ABT (9-9) 6:30 PM

Outlook: Not the typical ABT season by Gator standards.  But expect a close game against a young, but talented, Edison squad.

Southfield (9-9) @ North Farmington (15-3) 7:00 PM

Outlook: In the pre-season, this looked like the game to decide the OAA Red.  Southfield has stumbled, yet battled valiantly against the Raiders on January 12th, losing a six point game.  The Michael Flowers and Billy Thomas matchup on the perimeter will be intriguing.

Muskegon Heights (10-5) @ Shelby (18-0) 7:30 PM

Outlook: Two Class C powers meet in what could be only their first meeting of the month.

Pontiac  (11-5) @ Troy Athens (10-8) 7:00 PM

Outlook: Athens scored a key victory against Oak Park last week, and could secure the OAA White outright by Thursday.  A Pontiac victory would place the Phoenix in a two-way tie  with two divisional games remaining.

Thursday March 5th

Rochester Adams (12-6) @ Clarkston (18-0) 7:00 PM

Outlook: Adams has the perimeter shooting to keep up with Clarkston.  The Highlanders and Wolves could potentially play twice in eight days as the two are in the same district.

Detroit Edison (12-5) @ University Prep (12-5) 7:00 PM

Outlook: Huge week for both teams wanting to conclude the regular season strong with momentum entering the playoffs.

Cesar Chavez (14-0) @ Monroe St. Mary (14-3) 7:00 PM

Outlook: Chavez receives their first challenge of the year, Class C contender St. Mary.  The senior Aztec Eagle guard trio of Robert Walton, Marcellus Pittman, and Kylynn Willis meet the dynamic duo of Byrce Windham and Stephen Umfress.

Muskegon (18-1) @ River Rouge (14-4) 7:00 PM

Outlook: Not the same Rouge team Muskegon rolled over a year ago.  Both teams are primed for deep runs in March.  River Rouge forward Jalin Gibson will need to win his individual assignment against Deyonta Davis if Rouge is to spring the upset.

Plymouth (14-5) @ Walled Lake Western (18-1) 7:00 PM

Outlook: Plymouth and Western each won their respective conferences of the KLAA, Plymouth the Kensington and Western the Lakes.  Now the two meet for the association title.  Walled Lake Western will need to compensate for the shooting of 6’3″ senior Josh Reynolds, while Plymouth will need to limit the dynamic playmaking ability of Jerald Booker.

Ann Arbor Huron (16-2) @ Ypsilanti Lincoln (10-7) 7:00 PM

Outlook: Lincoln has been a disappointment, while Huron has achieved exactly of what was expected of them.  On an individual basis, plenty of talent will be on display here.

Friday March 6th

Pontiac (11-5) @ Oak Park (9-6) 7:00 PM

Outlook: If Athens stumbles twice before Friday, this one could be for the OAA White title.  Pontiac won earlier in the year 60-49.

Saturday March 7th

Operation Friendship @ Calihan Hall

Renaissance (11-7) vs. St. Mary’s (10-9) 12:00

Outlook:  Renaissance has not played since the PSL city championship game.  Key match ups will be on the perimeter.  Renaissance’s Justin Turner, Daryl Smith, and Richard Talley against CJ Wilson, Jalon Bailey, Jason Boswell and Lamon Mathison for OLSM.

University of Detroit Jesuit (17-2) vs. Western (17-0) 2:00 PM

Outlook: The exact reason for to why the Operation Friendship was reinstated, to find out the best team in Detroit.  Western has been ranked number one since December and feature four players 6’6″ and taller, to go along with six guards the Cowboys can rotate in their lineups.  To counter, U of D has the best pure point guard in the Midwest, junior Cassius Winston.  This may be the first meeting between the two, as a potential semi-final date looms on the horizon.

 

 

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Three-Peat. U of D Jesuit Earns CHSL Crown 58-44 Against St. Mary’s

1 Mar

3L9A9085“The more things change, the more they say the same.”

University of Detroit Jesuit replaced four starters from a season ago.  The one man that remained, junior point guard Cassius Winston, simply owns the Catholic League.  In his three years of high school, Winston has won three straight Catholic League regular season and tournament crowns.  Cassius and the word victory are often inalterable when discussing U of D.

“He’s a good player,” Jesuit head coach Pat Donnelly said of Winston.  “He’s a leader out there on the floor, and we hold him accountable, and in turn he holds other people accountable.”

St. Mary’s strategy was to force someone not named Winston beat them for the third time on the year.  And it worked, up to a point.  The Eaglets held Winston to a meager two points in the opening half on just 1-5 from the floor.

Winston knew he needed to impact the game in other aspects if U of D was to win their third consecutive A-B Division Championship.  Six of his team-high ten assists occurred in the first half, Jesuit led 25-17 at intermission.

“That’s fine with me,” Winston said of his distributing role.  “As long as everyone’s happy.”

St. Mary’s would stick around, however.  Keeping the deficit around 7-10 points throughout the third quarter.  The Eaglets decided to use a smaller lineup against a vertically-gifted Cub front-line, and able to cut the lead to seven twice aided by seven uncharacteristic U of D third quarter turnovers.

“They went to a smaller lineup, they we’re beating us off the dribble,” Donnelly added.  “I just thought our match ups defensively with a smaller lineup we’re a little bit more in our favor.”

U of D then opened the floodgates in the fourth.  Slowly but surely, Jesuit built a double-digit, from 7-0 the first two minutes, then a 11-5 spurt three minutes after to comfortably distance themselves from the Eaglets and hold a lead at one point by 24 points.

“We pride ourselves to make those spurts,” said Winston.  “I guess sometimes we save them up sometimes for late.”  “We came out in the first half lackadaisical, and second half they (coaches) got into us a little bit.”

The entire U of D season, Winston has been the leader for the Cubs.  In games against the state’s elite, Cassius has provided twenty and even thirty point performances.  The CHSL title, not so much.  Aside from Winston, three fellow Cubs scored double figures, senior guard Gary Collins, junior forward Matt Schearer, and sophomore forward Greg Eboigboden all contributed 10 points to the victory.  Cassius ended the day with 12 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.

The supporting cast the Cubs will need to return to the Breslin Center in late March.

Next on the schedule for U of D is Operation Friendship, a date with the PSL champs, Detroit Western, undefeated and ranked number one in the state Saturday at Calihan Hall.  There is a strong possibility the contest is a preview for a later matchup in the Class A semi-finals.  But for Winston’s, he takes it as just another game.

“It’s going to be another game, we’re going to play our game.”

(Photo Courtesy of Paul Snyder)

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Walled Western Betters Rival Walled Lake Central 73-66 For Lakes Title

1 Mar

Walled Lake Western was struck with a dilemma against rival Walled Lake Central Saturday night. Not only was one Warrior member of the KLAA Lakes’ All-Conference team forced to sit extensively with foul trouble, but two.

Senior guard Jerald Booker and Marcus Bailey both were plagued with fouls throughout the contest. Bailey, a Wayne State football commit, received his second personal foul with 1:53 remaining in the first, his Warriors led 21-12. His classmate, Booker, led Walled Western seven points in the first.

However, less than three minutes into the second, Booker picked up his second foul, and was forced to the Warrior bench. However, Western’s play did not suffer, sophomore Delano Smith, and seniors DJ Young, Daryl Porter, and John Flowers all increased their play during the absences of Bailey and Booker. Western survived the first half 33-25.

“I think John Flowers just played outstanding, he came over ran the point,” Western first year head coach Chip Lutz said. “I thought Delano Smith stepped up in a big time game. DJ Young is kind of the unsung hero, he played great on the boards, and then Porter (Daryl) was Porter, athletic, guarding people.”

The one ailment for Western the entire night was 5’10” junior guard Walter Kelser. Kelser led the Vikings with a game-high 41 points, with 25 of those from the free-throw line.

“Kelser is just a great player,” Lutz said following the game. “We tried to keep him out of the lane.”

In one stretch during the second half, Kelser scored 9-10 of Central’s points. He single-handedly kept the Vikings hopes of defeating Western for a second time on the year alive.

Western was able to lead by margins of 6-8 early in the fourth. Leading 62-54 with 3:27 remaining, Booker fouled out of the game for good. Central’s other guard Nate Collins managed to score six straight in a one minute span to put the Vikings down four. With one minute remaining, Central had trimmed Western’s lead to three and held the ball, but were unable to get any farther. Collins and Kelser both picked up their fifth fouls in the final minute, and Western hit 5-8 free-throws to secure the Warriors’ first conference championship since 2000, and first in the KLAA.

Bailey played roughly seven minutes the night. Booker led Western with a Warrior-high 24, Delano Smith added 14 points, John Flowers contributed 11 points and six rebounds, and Daryl Porter scored 12 points.

Western improves to 18-1 on the year, and will wait until Thursday for an affair with Plymouth for the KLAA Association title.

Coach Lutz feels he is laying the groundwork for Western to build into a perennial contender not only in the KLAA, but state as well.

“We’ve talked about doing things the right way,” Lutz said. “We’re playing the right way.”

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Consortium’s Defense Stifles Oak Park En Route To 51-49 Victory

1 Mar

IMG_0178Two teams heading in opposite directions entering the last week of regular season.  Following a 51-49 Consortium win against Oak Park on the last day of February, the Cougars have won four of their past five games improving to 12-5 on the year, while the Knights have dropped their last two, and have not met pre-season expectations as a ranked team in the state.

“It feels good,” Consortium junior guard Luster Johnson said following the game.  “Because a win is just a good feeling.  But to know that you beat a good team makes it even better.”

In a game of two evenly matched teams, the outcome came down to execution in the fourth quarter.  From six minutes on, there were two ties and four lead changes.  Johnson, who led Consortium with a team-high 16, scored the Cougars’ last five points from 1:30 on.  He connected on a three to give his team a 49-48 lead with 1:15 remaining.  Then following one Oak Park free-throw, Johnson drove to the basket and finished at the rim in what turned out to be the go-ahead basket with 0:49 left.

“I knew that if something was to happen,” Johnson referred to the last few minutes of the contest, “I wanted it to be me to do it.”  “I was feeling myself and I knew those were shots that I could make so I took them with confidence.”

An Oak Park steal with 13 seconds remaining gave the Knights the ball with the opportunity to potentially to tie or win the game.  Oak Park had two shots in the final seconds, the first one missed and went off a Cougar.  With two seconds left underneath the basket, guess who made a play?  Johnson, a steal securing a Consortium victory.

The last play was only a microcosm of Consortium’s defensive prowess.  The Cougars forced twenty Knight turnovers, Johnson had four on the day.

“We knew that we had some height over their guards,” Johnson said.  “So we put a lot of pressure on them and got a lot of hands on their passes.”

Johnson was complimented in scoring by junior point guard Charles Figueroa, who contributed with 13 points.  The Cougars received just 14 points from their combined interior posts, leaving the game to be decided on the perimeter.

“Charles (Figueroa) and I have been playing together for a long time,” Johnson said of his teammate.  “Basketball made us family, we have a lot of chemistry together.”

The defending Class C state champions will compete in the Class B for the 2015 state tournament.  Much has changed in the last year for the Cougars, in fact, Luster is the only returning player who saw time in the starting lineup a season ago.  Johnson is confident his team’s new identity will still garner post-season success.

“We see ourselves getting as far as we want,” Johnson said acknowledging the post-season. “If we play our game and don’t beat ourselves, we are a pretty good basketball team.”

“I know we have the heart to persevere through whatever, all we have to do now is go out and show the State of Michigan.

On a lighter note, Luster is known for his offense, but registered three impressive defensive blocks on the day.  One of which was of the chase-down variety made popular by LeBron James.  Johnson said he will do take whatever it takes to not see the ball go through his team’s net.

“Just last night against Lincoln Park I had a chase-down block and I was over the rim,” Johnson said jokingly.  “I just hate seeing the ball go in.”

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