MHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals Recap

First off, yes, I am late with this article once again. Had to work on Good Friday and get a bunch of things accomplished (which I was successful at) but it

First off, yes, I am late with this article once again. Had to work on Good Friday and get a bunch of things accomplished (which I was successful at) but it came at the cost of publishing the article on time. Feel free to hold a grudge against me this off season if you wish, but please forgive me by early August. It’s sort of amazing to me that I’ve completed my sixth season writing about high school football and basketball. I enjoy writing these columns, but always look forward to April when I am done for the year (the exception is if Hondo asks me to write a specific article, which he does from time to time.) I know some of my other colleagues from Spartan Nation are going into the offseason as well. While I can’t speak for them, I know that this down time gives me a chance to recharge and get ready for the upcoming writing season. Since I highly doubt you are reading this article to hear me contemplate the end of my writing season, let’s take a look at the state finals and who took home that Michigan shaped trophy.

Class A

Romulus 61 Detroit Southeastern 49

This was one game I figured Romulus would win. Nothing against Detroit Southeastern, but Romulus has been dominating all season (19 of their 27 wins were by 10 or more points.) In the winning effort, Elbert Matthews lead all scorers with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Matthews is headed go Rhode Island to continue his basketball career.  Leonardo Edwards scored 13 points, grabbed nine boards, tossed two assists, and blocked three shots. He is headed to the Louisiana Tech. For Detroit Southeastern, it was their second runner up finish in three seasons. Jovone Haynes scored 16 points and stole six balls to lead his Jungaleer squad. Kwesi William and Daryl Bigham each scored ten.

Class B

Detroit Country Day 57 Detroit Community 49

This game was closer than the score indicates. They were closer in ability than the final records showed. Sometimes, it all comes down to who does the little things under pressure. I think that this game came down to free throws; Detroit Country Day made 20 of 26 while Detroit Community only made nine of their 16 free throws. Leading the scoring for DCC was Austin Price with 15 points, two blocks, two steals, and a rebound but nailed all eight of his free throws. Edmond Sumner scored 13, stole a ball, and grabbed a board while also nailing seven of his eight free throw attempts. For Detroit Community, Jerrell Martin scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked two shots, and had two steals. South Florida bound Byron Zeigler scored nine points, tossed two assists, blocked three shots, and had five rebounds. Like I said in my preview, Detroit Community was going to have a tough road to win this game. While they played well, Detroit Country Day deserves credit for not allowing pressure to make them stumble.

Class C

Flint Beecher 40 Laingsburg 39

Many times, winning and losing comes down to making a single play. That is precisely what happened in Flint Beecher’s win over Laingsburg. After a blocked shot, Laingsburg pushed the ball up the court and called a time out with only 17 seconds left in the game. Just before they got a shot off, Jalen Pettes stole the ball with 2.4 seconds left to preserve the win. For Beecher, Monte Morris scored 16 points despite having flu like symptoms. He also grabbed three rebounds, blocked two shots, and stole two balls. Aquavius Burks scored nine and grabbed two rebounds. The above mentioned Pettes only scored two points, but is all about playing defense and letting his teammates do the offensive work. Laingsburg was a team that came into the playoffs as only an honorable mention in the rankings. Shaun McKinney scored 15 points to lead his team. He also grabbed two rebounds, tossed two assists, and stole a ball. Jake Zielinski scored 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists to finish with a fine stat line. Although Laingsburg nearly pulled off an upset, Beecher made a play and won the game in crunch time.

Class D

Southfield Christian 65 Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian 46

After winning the Class D title last season, Southfield Christian had some rebuilding to do. They graduated much of the team and needed to go with young players. As a result, their typical lineup consisted of a freshman, two sophomores, and two juniors. The freshman, Eugene Brown, has played strong since the first game of the season. His play helped get his team going in the first half. Brown finished with 13 points (11 in the first half), nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Damarco White outscored him with 15 points and six rebounds. Bakari Evelyn scored 13 points, had three rebounds, and tossed four assists. For Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian, Daniel Cole led the scoring effort. He finished with 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Matt Wachter scored 11 and had nine boards and four blocks. Like I thought, Southfield Christian won the game. They are setting themselves up for a nice string of titles with such a young starting lineup.