Archive | Boys Basketball Recap RSS feed for this section

Chicago Classic Day Two Recap

13 Jul

Pool play ended, and a few bracket play games for several age groups had started.  With championship Sunday on the Horizon, the intensity of games start to increase, drawing more and more interest coming the way from college coaches.

Danny Dixon 6’8″ forward/center Michigan Playmakers 17u

An unsigned senior who will attend Impact Basketball Prep in Las Vegas this upcoming season, Danny so far has brought an added dimension to an already quality Playmaker team.  His greatest impact on the day was defense.  With long arms and quick footwork, Dixon was able to block shots in close and and even shots on the perimeter, and when he wasn’t blocking shots, just his presence in the lane messed up the concentration for those thinking about shooting.  Dixon also found a way to contribute on the offensive end.  He showed off his touch from 8-10 feet, flashing into the lane, facing up and letting go, rebounded the ball well on both sides of the floor, and found teammates for assists in the high/low posts.  His most complete game on the day was a 10 point, six rebound, and five block performance in a blowout victory.  Eastern Michigan, U of D Mercy, and Arkansas Little Rock were in attendance for a few of Dixon’s performances.

Jalen Gibson 6’7″ forward Michigan Playmakers 17u

Gibson had a quiet yet productive day for the Playmakers.  He long, athletic, and quick off the floor for a tweener small/power forward.  In the team’s victory vs. St. Louis Majestic, Jalen didn’t score much, five points, but seemingly got every rebound on offensive, coming away with a total of nine rebounds in the whole game, and altering two shots.  He’s got a nice touch from 10 feet and in, but is more of a garbage man when it comes to getting his points, he’s also going to have to work on not bringing the ball down when he gets a rebound, he goest from being 6’7″ to 5’7″ real quickly.  If Jalen continues defensive performances like this in July, the more and more he becomes a likely scholarship player for division two schools and low division ones.

Mac Irvin Fire 15u

In the one game against Howard Pulley, not one player stood out, the whole team did, in front of every high-major college in attendance at the Chicago Summer Jam.  The Fire like to push the ball, and that works when you have 6’7″ Lanell Hill of Morgan Park High School.  He’s long, athletic, and a big strider on the break, giving the Fire an easy scoring opportunity when pushing tempo.  5’5″ guard Cameron Irvin also stood out on day with his shooting in the second half.  During a five minute stretch in the second half, Irvin made three pull-up three pointers that was the sign of the route that would become of Howard Pulley.  6’5″ Romello Burrell showed up as well on defense, challenging shots, and rebounding at a high level.

Josh Smith 6’4″ guard/wing Michigan Playmakers 16u (Pictured)

Not too much is known about the Waverly swing man, but his game speaks for himself.  He’s a shooter, and a good one to.  He’s forced to play a more of a stretch four role on a team that lacks height, but Smith loves to spot up on the perimeter and shoot his southpaw j. making three 3’s in his teams opening round bracket play game, finishing with 14 points. The more he could play off screens and move without the ball, he will become a greater threat to defenses.  A willing rebounder on defense, Smith also has a freakish long wing span, which he used to block a few drives to the basket.  Hitting the weight room, drinking milk, and eating vegetables this Summer will help Smith become a more dominant player as opposing competition increases.

20140713-083018-30618869.jpg

Tags: , ,

Warren Mott Cruises Past Grosse Pointe North 88-72

14 Feb

UnknownBehind strong performances from seniors Kenny Goins and Stef Johnson, as well as junior Derek Murphy, the Warren Mott Marauders were able to run past Grosse Pointe North 88-72 to improve their record to 10-5 overall, with a 7-2 record in the MAC White division.

With regular starters wing Derek Murphy and power forward/center Kenny Goins not starting for Mott, senior combo guard Stef Johnson came out hot for the Marauders, scoring 10 points in the opening 8 minutes of the game to give Mott a 31-20 advantage after one.

“Stef set the tone,” Derek Murphy had to say, “he knew his situation without me or Kenny out there, and he held it down.”

Once Mott returned to full strength in the second quarter, with Murphy slashing to the basket, and Kenny Goins dominating the paint, running the floor, and controlling the boards, the Marauders built up their largest lead of the game at 49-28 with one half of the game left.

North came out strong in the third quarter trailing only by 13 with 4:31 left in the period with senior forward Justin Kennedy doing all he could to match Goins down low on the block.  Kennedy had his moments throughout the game, he has a nice back to the basket style of play, and can score on either side of the basket.

However, Mott opened the floodgates in the fourth, and took the starters out with 4:34 remaining in the contest and coasted for the easy victory.

Goins finished with a double-double for Mott with 27 points and 18 rebounds, Derek Murphy had 24 points, and Stef Johnson contributed with 15 points of his own.

Kennedy finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for North.

“I feel that we have the tools to be a top contender in the state,” Murphy noted, “but it’s going to have to start with our leaders.  Intensity is key.  We must play 32 minutes every night!”

Tags: ,

Warren Fitzgerald Wins Crucial MAC Blue Game Over Grosse Pointe South

13 Feb

FitzgeraldBehind a tremendous performance from senior Tony Jackson, the Spartans of Warren Fitzgerald clawed and scratched their way pass Grosse Pointe South to place their record at 11-1 overall, and a two game lead in the MAC Blue Division at 8-0 over South with a record of 6-2.

Fitzgerald got off to a quick start in the contest, with senior DeAngelo Hutson hitting two threes in the opening minutes of the contest to give Fitzgerald a 17-9 lead after one.  Fitzgerald continued to play hard-nosed defense, keeping South on the perimeter for the majority of the second quarter, and were eventually able to stretch their lead to 11 at 30-19 at half, setting up one exciting of a second half in high school basketball.

After being held to only 6 points in the first half, Grosse Pointe South senior big man and McDonalds All American nominee Danny Dixon began to assert his will in the opening minutes of the third.  Dixon was unstoppable for South in the third, he was connecting with everything within 5 feet of the basket, using his superior size at 6’8″ to his advantage over the much shorter Spartans to score 14 points in the third to put South back in the game at 41-38 entering the fourth.

Grosse Pointe continued to feed Dixon in the opening minutes of the fourth, a 5-0 run by Danny himself gave South their first lead of the contest since the opening minutes of the game at 43-41 early in the fourth quarter.  With Dixon dominating inside, it allowed senior guard Jabari Burton to attack the basket and get to the free-throw line to give South their largest lead at 51-43 with 4:59 remaining in the contest.  However, the Spartans did not want to send their fans home unhappy on senior day, a 9-1 run over the next 1:52 minutes was capped off with a Tony Jackson and-one on a three pointer to knot the game up at 52 all.   South would never retain the lead the rest of the game, senior Aron Black’s only basket of the game would be the game decider, a lay-in with 2:07 left in the contest would give Fitzgerald a lead they would never give up the rest of the game.  A Hutson three pointer would give Fitzgerald a 58-54 lead with 1:10 in the contest, and finally Tony Jackson and DeAngelo were able to go 3-4 from the charity to put the game away sealing the win for Fitzgerald.

Tony Jackson was the definition of a stat sheet stuffer for the Spartans all game long, Jackson finished with 30 points, six rebounds, four steals, four blocks, and three assists in the win for Fitzgerald.  Jackson played fearless the entire game, driving to the rim on every play, slamming a few home on the break, and has a bruised eye to show for his performance, Tony knew he had to step up his play when fellow senior and starter Jeremiah Becker went down with an injury in the first half.

“It’s a blessing,” Tony had to say after the win, “the team trusted me and I had to score when Jeremiah went down.”

Tony is listed at 6’3″, and Fitzgerald’s tallest player on the roster, while it maybe a disadvantage going against the taller Dixon of South, the Spartans were able to use their speed and quickness in order to get the win.

“We are a scrappy team,” Jackson went onto say, “and we had to fight for every point and we didn’t want to lose this game at our house.”

Jackson’s partner in crime for the game was 5’10” guard DeAngelo Hutson, who contributed with 20 points on the night, and while Jackson was banging down low it the post, it was Hutson who kept South off-balanced with five three-pointers in the contest.

Fitzgerald will have no more home games the rest of the year, and will have to go on  the road in order to gain momentum for the playoffs.

“The key has been to let our defense create for our offense” Jackson noted.  “We are the smallest team in the league, so we have to use our speed and quickness, we can go far if we continue to work hard, stay humble, and use our quickness.”

Grosse Pointe South was led by Danny Dixon with 31 points, and 14 rebounds.

Tags: ,

Allen Academy Tops River Rouge 72-55

9 Feb

70743612After holding a narrow 28-25 lead at halftime in a tightly contested rivalry game, the Wildcats of Allen Academy were able to hold off River Rouge in the second half of play to up their record to 14-1 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in the Michigan Metro Conference.

“It’s always good to win a game like that, especially when the other opponent is talking trash,” said Allen Academy senior guard Pakiya Ellis.

Ellis and sophomore guard Jason Williams both scored 27 points on the night, with Williams dropping seven assists, and Pakiya hauling down eight rebounds and swiping five steals.

“We played great today,” Ellis had to say about his and Williams’ performance, “I mean Jason is going to get his basket, he’s one of the best point guards in the State of Michigan hands down.  I just try to play my game and let others feed off of me, just good team basketball for us.”

Craving an upset, Rouge came out hot to start the game, leading 15-14 after one, in a first quarter which saw Ellis score 11 points and three three-pointers in the opening.  After a sluggish second quarter for both teams, it was the sophomore Williams taking the game over in the third.  The 5’9″ Williams scored 15+ of his 27 points in the third to give Allen 47-36 lead after three, with his jump-shot not falling the way it normally does, Williams knew he had to attack the basket, get to the free-throw line, and set up his teammates in order to be successful on the night.  Allen was able to keep Rouge and bay in the fourth, not letting the Panthers get the lead into single digits the entire period.

In a Class C with the likes of Detroit Consortium and Mt. Clemens at the top, the Wildcats are right where they want to be, under the radar, picking up momentum and improving everyday for district play which starts in less than a month.

“Season is going good for us,” Ellis noted.  “We just build off the games we have played and try to keep the confidence up and practice as hard as possible.”

Jalen Gibson led River Rouge with 21 points and 18 rebounds.

Tags: ,

Romulus Defeats Belleville for the Second Time This Year

5 Feb

romulusIn the Battle of Hannan Road between the Romulus Eagles and Belleville Tigers, it was the Eagles of Romulus coming out victorious with a 56-36 decision.   It was clear this rivalry game would be a slugfest, with the first basket of the game not coming until 4:30 in the first quarter, Belleville eventually led 10-7 after the opening frame.  After leading 25-19 at halftime, Romulus came out and started the third quarter on a 6-2 run to lead 31-21 with 5:36 remaining, a double-digit lead the Eagles would not give back for the rest of the game, holding Belleville to only 7 points in the fourth quarter.

This is a huge win for the Romulus Eagles, with starting guard Tyron Hamby and junior Rio Washington out for the game, the Eagles knew others would have fill the void left by Hamby and Washington.  Sophomore D’Angelo Hansbro played arguable the best game of his young varsity career, the 6’0″ point guard started the game, and helped out with a 14 point and six rebound performance.

“We are a very deep team” senior guard Deonte Bell had to say after the win.  “Everyone on our team 1-15 is ready and able to step in and play minutes if needed.”

A consistent starter so far this season for Romulus, Bell scored all eight of his points in the first half, with 5 coming in the first quarter that helped Romulus gain confidence on the offensive-side of the floor after a shaky start to the game.

“Our defense leads our offense,” Bell went onto say, “we just had to focus on defense and we knew the offense would come.”

Along with Hansbro and Bell, junior guard Jaylin Walker contributed in the win with 15 points and ten rebounds, most of which come in the third quarter and were vital for Romulus in taking control in the game, and senior wing Kris Clyburn scored 12 points, hauled down nine rebounds, and played defense coming away with five steals.

Arlington Hambright led Belleville with a team high 13 points.

Tags: ,

Country Day Betters Flint Southwestern on Senior Night

1 Feb

12471147-standardOn senior night for the Yellow Jackets of Country Day, DCD rallied from a halftime defect over Flint Southwestern to place their record above the .500 mark with seven wins and six losses midway through the season.

Trailing 18-14 after one, the Knights of Southwestern used the second quarter to gain their halftime lead.  Down 28-21 with 4:31 left in the quarter, FLSWA used a 13-5 run to lead 34-33 at end of two quarters.  In the second quarter, Country Day had no response or defense to defend Southwestern’s 6’3″ junior wing/shooting guard Neshua Wise.  Wise scored 11 of his game high 24 points in the second, including three three-pointers.

However, in the second quarter is where Country Day came out and asserted their will.  After a sluggish start to the game, McDonald’s All American Game nominee and Xavier commit Edmond Sumner came out and simply took the game over.  Getting offensive-rebounds, and-ones, hitting three’s, and slashing to the basket at will in the second half, Edmond accounted for 15 of his teams 24 points in the quarter, and DCD led the Knights 57-52 at the end of three.

By the fourth quarter, Flint Southwestern ran out of momentum they had gained in the second quarter, holding Neshua Wise to only two points in the quarter.  Country Day was able to maintain a continuous 7-10 point lead for the whole quarter, the shortest defect the Knights would have in the fourth quarter would be 64-58 with 4:21 left.  But it was not meant to be, as Country Day was able to put the game away at the free-throw line and win the game 77-67.

For Country Day, Edmond Sumner led the way with a game high 32 points, with 25 coming in the second half, Sumner also had 10 rebounds as well.  The unsung hero all knight for DCD was 6’5″ swingman Maceo Baston.  Baston came out hot and set the tempo early for the Yellow Jackets, scoring 11 of his 23 points in the first quarter, he got to the basket a few times, but hit two three-pointers and 11 free-throws, he also hauled down 6 boards.  Junior Nazir Wallace chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Taylor Graffa had 9 points, all on three pointers.

For Flint Southwestern, 6’3″ Neshua Wise had a team high 24 points and 11 rebounds, Wise was effective all game long for the Knights, he hit his six three-pointers taking a very low number of shots to get there.  Fellow juniors Akileon Fisher chipped in with 20 points, and Jaire Grayer recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

With the loss, Flint Southwestern now falls to 4-6 on the season.

Tags: ,

Southeastern Remains Undefeated in PSL. Top Cass Tech 57-51.

30 Jan

The last time the Jungaleers of Detroit Southeastern traveled to Cass Tech to take on the Technicians was in last year’s city semi-final, where SE had their hearts broken on a controversial last-second tip-in by future Youngstown State commit Kyle Steward.  Eager to exercise the demons of that loss, Southeastern took the rematch on Wednesday by a 57-51 decision.  The Jungaleers came out and set the tempo early, leading 16-8 after one.  In the second quarter, emotions started to run high on both squads as one technical foul a piece was granted, Cass eventually led 29-27 at the half.  Moving to the fourth quarter, the last CT lead would come with 6:00 left in the fourth after senior Kenny Carpenter nailed a three to put the Technicians up 47-45.  However, it would be the last lead Cass would have for the rest of the game, as the senior trio of Leonard Harper-Baker, Darryl Bingham, and D’Cari Charleston stepped up their play in the final minutes of the game to score just enough to outlast CT.  Cass would eventually have the ball left down three with 11.8 seconds to go, but Kenny Carpenter turned the ball over, giving the ball back to SE to put the game away at the charity stripe.

Darryl Bingham paced Southeastern with a game high 19 points, and ten rebounds.  Fellow senior D’Cari Charleston stepped with 16 big point for the Junagleers and wing Leonard Harper-Baker chipped in with 13 points, including two threes.  CT was led by Kenny Carpenter with 17 points, and both Sharif Black and Mike Laster chipped in with 9 points.

With the win, Southeastern improves to 6-0 in the PSL’s East Division, with a huge game looming at Pershing on January 31st.  Cass Tech now falls to 4-2 in the West Division, one game behind leader Renaissance at 5-1.  And interestingly enough, the two teams play for superiority in the West on the 31st as well.

Tags: ,

Mt. Clemens’ Martin Luther King Jr. Recap

20 Jan

MtCMt. Clemens was the sight of the Martin Luther King Jr. Classic, a two day event that had games on Saturday as well as Sunday.  Games on Sunday are rare in Michigan, regardless, it was a pleasant way to celebrate the upcoming birthday of such an iconic figure in American History Dr. King himself.

Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy 47 Detroit Allen Academy 37

The Eagles of Chandler Park pulled the upset over the top ten in Class C Allen Academy Wildcats, giving Allen their first loss of the season (9-1).  Allen Academy has a pair of guards that can score at least twenty on any given night in senior Pakiya Ellis and sophomore Jason Williams, but what Chandler Park did to win this game was use their longer and athletic front court players to dominate the paint all game long, controlling the glass, making it hard for Allen Academy to drive to the rim with their length, and getting easy layups at the rim.  CPA has a solid front court duo in sophomore football star Jalen Martin 6’3″, and senior Damon Muex 6’5″.  Martin led the Eagles with 12 points and a 14 rebounds, and Meux contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.  The two in the third quarter turned the game into an air show with a couple of high-flying alley-oops on the break.  At the guard position, Joe Thomas had 8 points and 6 assists for CPA.  He’s no Derrick Walton, but he’s a solid floor general that gets the ball where it needs to be and lets others get involved offensively.  Ellis finished with a game high 17 points to lead Allen Academy.

Farmington 54 Ecorse 52

Farmington is now a surprising 8-1 halfway through the season after edging out a scrappy Ecorse squad.  The Hawks were led all game long by senior combo guard Avon White, who finished with a game high 15 and dealt 8 assists on the night, even though he sat out more than a quarter due to foul trouble.  White, a transfer from Massachusetts via New York, is an aggressive scoring guard that did most of his damage attacking on the break and finishing at the rim through contact with a couple of fancy and-one finishes.  Last year at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts, White led his squad all the way to the division two state final before moving to Michigan in the Summer.  It was not only White getting buckets for Farmington, but senior sniper Chris Seaborn is another reason why Farmington is off to a hot start this season.  Seaborn contributed 14 points in the win, including two crucial three pointers in the fourth quarter that helped the Hawks put the game away.  Freshman Marlin Talley had eight points and 4 assists for Ecorse.

Mt. Clemens 72 Detroit Community 53

In the marquee game of the night, defending Class B runner-ups from a year ago Detroit Community gave it all they could attempting to pull off the upset over host Mt. Clemens, trailing only 21-17 after the first quarter.  However, in the second quarter, the depth of Mt. Clemens started to show, the Bathers raced out to a 15 point halftime advantage that would not change until 5:07 in the fourth quarter when Community cut the lead down to 9 after a three pointer by sophomore Jemerio Jackson.  But Mt. Clemens would close the game on a 15-5 to keep their undefeated season hopes alive.  It is starting to become pick you poison for the Bathers this year in the front-court.  With starting junior Charles Penn in foul trouble throughout most of the game, coach Jermaine Jackson brought in junior Tariq Jones off the bench, and Jones did not disappoint.  Tariq (6’6″ 200 lbs) brought energy and a tough defensive presence to the game all night long, and contributed 14 points (10 free-throws), and 6 rebounds.  Senior front-court mate Dorian Armstrong asserted himself early in the first quarter, giving Mt. Clemens a monster 8 rebounds both offensive and defensive in the first.  He’s a high-motor kid that challenges just about every shot in his direction and is a very good athlete for his size.

Now its time to take a look at the Bathers guards.  For Mt. Clemens, Jermaine Jackson Jr. had a game high 21 points, including four three-pointers, all in the first half.  Jackson was in the zone early on, hitting threes off the catch on one that was a step back in the corner.  Junior Josh McFolley had a quiet 13 points, due to foul trouble early on.  Fellow junior Davonta Bandoo had 9 points off the bench.  What a luxury it is for Mt. Clemens to have a guard like Bandoo off the bench. He would most likely be a star on any other team in Michigan.  Bandoo possesses undeniable high-major athleticism when attacking the basket with the ability to finish over the rim.  He likes to get to the foul-line, and can from the mid-range as well.  Look for Bandoo to be a key factor in Mt. Clemens’ run for a Class C state title.

Tags: , , , ,

Lenawee Christian Tops Plymouth Christian

5 Jan

Top ten ranked in Class D, the Lenawee Christian Cougars rolled into Plymouth Christian and came away with a convincing 65-30 win.  The Cougars came out early and set the tone for the rest of the game, leading 17-4 after the first quarter of the game, and never let the lead get down to under single digits for the rest of the game.

A key for Lenawee Christian in the win, was the inside play of sophomore Maxwell.  Maxwell is a Nigerian transfer, who only goes by his first name.  However, standing at 6’6″ (a rough estimate because no height was provided), Maxwell is a fundamentally sound player on both ends of the court.  First off, he is long, an above the rim type player, athletic, and has broad shoulders, which is hard to stop by itself, but also he knows how to fight for interior post position at such a young age, and when he gets the ball he is dangerous with his back to the basket, scoring on a few turn around baby hook shots.  Maxwell finished up with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Fellow Nigerian transfer and 10th grader Collins, had a quiet 11 points for the Cougars.  Collins is raw offensively, but the kid is flat out athletic.  He had one dunk where he took off from outside of the paint and it seemed like he just glided forever, finishing the play with an and-one.  With similar height but not the same body as Maxwell, Collins runs the floor well for a big, and has a major upside.

In addition, Lenawee Christian has a third Nigerian transfer, 12th grader Kingsley, who did not play in the game.  It will be interesting to see how the addition of these three players have an impact for the Cougars who are looking to improve upon a regional final appearance from a year ago.

Not to often in high school basketball today a team wins without making a three pointer, but Christian also got a nice balance from their backcourt, including seniors Grant Hohlbein and Brad Harrah.  The two aren’t the flashiest of players, but play the game the right way, competing hard on both ends of the floor with toughness, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  Holbein scored 14 points, and Harrah with 7.

 

Westside Christian Hangs On To Beat Redford Union

4 Jan

The Westside Christian Warriors were able to hang on and beat Redford Union 74-68 to improve to 5-1 on the young season.  It was a tale of two halves for Christian, in the first half, everything was going right for the Warriors.  They were getting steals, easy buckets in transition and playing great team defense, heading into the locker room with a 35-21 point lead.  However, Union waited until the fourth quarter to make their move, led by a strong performance by point guard J.C. Wade, the Panthers were able to get the lead down to 4 with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter.  But WCA used DeShawn Brocks and Derrick Brocks Jr. to hit crucial free-throws and ice the game 74-68.

Westside Christian has an underrated senior point guard in D’Juan Williams.  Williams finished up with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and a game high 8 steals.  He is a quick, scrappy, nimble guard that brings defense to the floor.  Williams has a high basketball IQ and plays bigger than his size would indicate, his perimeter jump shot wasn’t falling in the game, but got to the basket and made some nice finishes at the rim.  Junior DeShawn Brocks led Westside in scoring with a game high 16.  Brocks got most of his points from the free-throw line when attacking the basket in the open floor.  Coming off the bench and scoring 11 points for Christian was senior Justin Green.

The Panthers of Redford Union were led by J.C. Wade with 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Tags: ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →