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George Pohly, The Macomb Daily
An all-county quartet and a defending state champion provide some of the storylines for the regional phase of the boys basketball tournament. Undefeated New Haven, riding a 23-game winning streak this season and a 49-gamer overall, plays host to a Class B regional as the Rockets try to march toward a second consecutive state championship. Semifinal games in all regionals are Monday. MAC Blue Division-champion New Haven plays MAC Gold champ St. Clair at 5:30 p.m. Following that game, Detroit Country Day takes on North Branch. At Dakota, the host Cougars welcome three other county teams to a Class A get-together. De La Salle plays L’Anse Creuse at 5, and the MAC Red-champ Cougars face MAC Red/White tournament champ Roseville in the second half of a doubleheader. MAC Silver champion South Lake, which has cleared the 20-win plateu with a 21-2 record, faces River Rouge at 7:30 p.m. in Class B at Livonia Clarenceville. Detroit Henry Ford Academy and Detroit Old Redford are in the other half of the bracket. Parkway Christian meets Allen Park Inter-City Baptist at 7 p.m. at Cardinal Mooney. Southfield Christian and Oakland Christian square off in the other semifinal at the Marine City school. Dakota won its only regional championship in 2016. De La Salle won its most recent regional crown in 2010, when the Pilots made a third quarterfinal appearance in four years. New Haven has won three consecutive regional championships and four in the last six years. Parkway Christian was a regional champ in 2007 and 2009. Regional finals are Wednesday night. George Pohly, The Macomb Daily
New Haven has won 49 consecutive boys basketball games, a Macomb County record. The streak began in the second game of the 2016-17 season. Here are scores of Rockets games since the start of 2016-17: 2016-17 SEASON MAC Blue Division (10-0, 27-1) Dec. 13 Grosse Pointe South W, 90-74 Dec. 16 at Dakota L, 66-72 Dec. 18 Detroit Loyola (Calihan Hall) W, 88-66 Dec. 28 South Lake W, 63-29 Dec. 29 Michigan Collegiate W, 79-59 Jan. 6 at Anchor Bay W, 75-53 Jan. 11 Fitzgerald W, 92-57 Jan. 12 at Cousino W, 72-35 Jan. 18 at East Detroit W, 74-29 Jan. 20 L’Anse Creuse W, 80-35 Jan. 23 Anchor Bay (Palace) W, 73-35 Jan. 27 at Fitzgerald W, 83-51 Jan. 31 Cousino W, 78-36 Feb. 3 East Detroit W, 77-38 Feb. 7 at L’Anse Creuse W, 74-40 Feb. 10 Detroit Renaissance W, 78-48 Feb. 16 (m) Fraser W, 94-41 Feb. 21 (m) Warren Woods-Tower W, 84-51 Feb. 25 (m) Lake Shore (Anchor Bay) W, 84-56 Feb. 28 at Flint Beecher W, 108-104 (3OT) March 6 (d) Marine City W, 94-43 March 8 (d) St. Clair (Marysville) W, 53-17 March 10 (d) at Marysville W, 71-42 March 13 (r) Flint Northwestern (North Branch) W, 97-66 March 15 (r) Notre Dame Prep (North Branch) W, 71-44 March 21 (q) Detroit Osborn (Marysville) W, 73-66 March 24 (s) Benton Harbor (Breslin Center) W, 78-49 March 25 (c) Ludington (Breslin Center) W, 45-36 (m) MAC tournament (d) District (r) Regional (q) State quarterfinal (s) State semifinal (c) State Class B championship game 2017-18 SEASON MAC Blue Division (10-0, 23-0) Dec. 10 De La Salle (Calihan Hall) W, 82-62 Dec. 12 at Grosse Pointe South W, 77-45 Dec. 15 Dakota W, 92-55 Dec. 19 Anchor Bay W, 74-37 Dec. 27 Mount Clemens W, 81-45 Dec. 28 South Lake W, 74-57 Jan. 9 at Fitzgerald W, 81-58 Jan. 11 Cousino W, 75-48 Jan. 16 Eastpointe W, 82-38 Jan. 19 at L’Anse Creuse W, 72-29 Jan. 23 at Anchor Bay W, 59-25 Jan. 25 Fitzgerald W, 83-41 Jan. 30 at Cousino W, 83-29 Feb. 2 at Eastpointe W, 82-47 Feb. 6 L’Anse Creuse W, 83-46 Feb. 10 Saginaw Hill W, 71-68 Feb. 15 (BG) at Port Huron Northern W, 76-35 Feb. 20 (BG) at Warren Woods-Tower W, 75-25 Feb. 24 (BG) Lake Shore (GP North) W, 89-54 Feb. 27 Flint Beecher W, 81-70 / See photos here. March 5 (d) at Pontiac W, 68-45 March 7 (d) Algonac (Notre Dame Prep) W, 92-13 March 9 (d) at Notre Dame Prep W, 82-71 (BG) MAC Blue/Gold tournament (d) District George Pohly, The Macomb Daily
New Haven kept a couple of streaks going while staying alive in the state Class B boys basketball tournament. Senior guard Tavares Oliver scored 33 points, junior Romeo Weems had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Ronald Jeffery III added 11 points to lead the Rockets to an 82-71 victory over host Notre Dame Prep in the championship game of a district tournament on the Fighting Irish floor Friday night. Senior Ashton Sherrell had 10 points and six rebounds and Ascaun John scored six points as coach Tedaro France II’s team raised its record to 23-0 with its county-record 49th consecutive victory. The defending state-champion Rockets, who have won four consecutive district championships, go for their 50th in a row when they meet St. Clair in a regional semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Monday at New Haven. It was New Haven’s second tournament victory in as many years over Notre Dame Prep, following a regional triumph in 2017. St. Clair (16-6), the MAC Silver champion, advanced by defeating BWAC champion Richmond65-50 in the district final at Marysville. Detroit Country Day plays North Branch at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the other semifinal at New Haven, and the championship game starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Rockets have also won MAC Blue and MAC Blue/Gold tournament championships. They’ve won 11 consecutive state tournament games. Joseph Hayes, The Times Herald
PONTIAC — Winning. It's just what they do. The New Haven boys basketball team kept its undefeated season alive Friday, winning its 49th consecutive game with a hard-fought 82-71 victory over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. The win gave the program its fourth consecutive Class B district championship. "It was a great victory on the road," New Haven coach Tedaro France II said. "Our boys stayed together and overcame adversity in a hostile environment on Notre Dame's home court. Notre Dame played really well and knocked down 15, 3-point shots. "I am so proud of the grit and toughness we displayed while playing hard, smart and together for 32 minutes." Tavaras Oliver led New Haven (23-0) with 33 points, five assists, four steals and four rebounds. Romeo Weems had 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, and Ronald Jeffrey III had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Ashton Sherrell added 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks. With the victory, New Haven advances to face St. Clair at 5:30 p.m. Monday in New Haven. St. Clair advanced with an impressive victory over Richmond on Friday night in Marysville. "It is truly a blessing to be able to coach, and it is a great joy to see the young men mature right before your eyes," France said. "They displayed great leadership, poise, toughness and teamwork." Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11. George Pohly, The Macomb Daily
Fourteen county teams will play for boys district basketball championships Friday. Nine are from Class A, three from Class B, one from Class C and one from Class D. Here is a look at the 10 title games involving those clubs. CLASS A EISENHOWER vs. ROCHESTER ADAMS, 7 p.m. at Stoney Creek: Eisenhower is 4-0 in its last four district finals, winning in 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2015. The MAC Red Eagles take a 7-14 record into the final after defeating Rochester 72-63 in a semifinal. Winner plays the West Bloomfield district champion (Waterford Mott or Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) at West Bloomfield. COUSINO vs. DE LA SALLE, 7 p.m. at DLS: Quarterfinal and semifinal games were at Fraser; now the scene shifts to De La Salle. Jackson Dych scored 10 points to lead Cousino (13-9) to a 49-35 semifinal victory over Warren-Mott. Luke Pfromm scored 16 of his 24 in the fourth quarter as DLS (15-7), which trailed by 10 in the third quarter, defeated Warren Woods-Tower. The Patriots defeated DLS in a 2013 district final, the Patriots’ lone district title since 1980. They are 1-7 in district finals since 1981. De La Salle is 3-2 in its last five district title games. Winner plays the Stevenson district champion (Stevenson or L’Anse Creuse) at Dakota. DAKOTA vs. ANCHOR BAY, 7 p.m. at Anchor Bay: MAC Red Dakota (15-7) and MAC Blue Anchor Bay(10-11) did not meet during the regular season. Anchor Bay is 0-3 in its last three district finals, last winning in 1990. The Tars and Cougars haven’t met in a district since Dakota won 64-61 in 2009. Dakota seeks a fifth straight district crown. Winner plays the Roseville district champion (Roseville or Lake Shore) at Dakota. L’ANSE CREUSE vs. STEVENSON, 6 p.m. at Stevenson: Stevenson (14-7) finished second in the MAC Red, and L’Anse Creuse (12-9) in a four-way tie for second in the MAC Blue. The Titans’ last district championship came in 2016. The Lancers are looking for their first district crown since 2011. Winner plays the De La Salle district champion (Cousino or De La Salle) at Dakota. LAKE SHORE vs. ROSEVILLE, 7 p.m. at Roseville: How will Lake Shore and big man Caleb Bates fare against Roseville and its crew of 3-point shooters? Roseville (15-6) became a popular pick for post-season success when the Panthers won the MAC Red/White tournament by defeating Chippewa Valley in the final and later beating MAC Red champ Dakota. After winning the state Class B championship in 1994, Lake Shore didn’t win a district title until last year. Now the Shorians (13-8) have a shot at consecutive crowns. Roseville won its last district in 2016. Winner plays the Anchor Bay district champion (Anchor Bay or Dakota) at Dakota. CLASS B SOUTH LAKE vs. HARPER WOODS, 6 p.m. at South Lake: What’s in store for this drama-filled district? Amier Gilmore hit two free throws with six seconds left to lift South Lake over Chandler Park in the quarterfinals, and then the Cavaliers beat Lincoln in double overtime after trailing by 22 in a semifinal. The Abes forced the second OT with a 3-pointer with .9 of a second left in the first OT. South Lake (20-2) seeks its first district championship since 2006, one of three the Cavs have won since 1990. They’ve not played Harper Woods in the tournament since 1957. Winner plays the Ecorse district champion (River Rouge or Detroit Voyageur) at Clarenceville. NEW HAVEN vs. NOTRE DAME PREP, 6 p.m. at NDP: New Haven (22-0) has won 10 consecutive state tournament games and 48 in a row overall, most in county history. The Rockets seek a fourth straight district championship and sixth since 2011. The district final is a rematch of a 2017 regional game won by New Haven 71-44. Winner plays the Marysville district champion (Richmond or St. Clair) at New Haven. RICHMOND vs. ST. CLAIR, 7 p.m. at Marysville: A pair of league champions clash. Richmond won the Blue Water Area Conference title and St. Clair (15-6) the MAC Gold. Richmond is 0-3 against St. Clair in tournament games since 2009. Blue Devils’ last district championship was won in 2006. Winner plays the Notre Dame Prep district champion (New Haven or Notre Dame Prep) at New Haven. CLASS C CLINTONDALE vs. DETROIT PERSHING, 5;30 p.m. at Michigan Collegiate: Clintondale (12-9) has won three districts since 1990, the last in 2012. Winner plays the Detroit Edison PSA district champion (Edison PSA or Detroit Delta) at Bishop Foley. CLASS D PARKWAY CHRISTIAN vs. CARDINAL MOONEY, 7 p.m. at Parkway: The Eagles are in their third straight district final. They are 5-2 all-time in district championship games. Winner plays the Allen Park Inter-City Baptist district champion (Inter-City Baptist or Detroit Davis Aerospace) at Cardinal Mooney. George Pohly, The Macomb Daily
Consistency is a desirable quality to have in cake batter. It’s also a hallmark of De La Salle in the state basketball tournament. The Pilots defeated Fraser 69-32 in a Class A district game Monday. The victory made De La Salle 24-0 in district openers under coach Greg Esler, and it extended a streak that started a decade before Esler took over in 1994-95. The Pilots have not lost their first district game since Tower posted a 54-52 triumph in 1983. They’ve won 35 openers in a row. The curtain-raising winning streak has helped DLS win 29 district championships since 1984. The Pilots have had some close calls. They rallied late in the fourth quarter and needed overtime to defeat Warren-Mott 63-58 in 2010, and Warren Woods-Tower took them to OT before falling 59-57 in 2013. The game against WWT came in a semifinal after the Pilots had a bye through the quarterfinals of that district tournament at Fraser. The Pilots narrowly beat Roseville, 58-56, in 2008. Esler went to DLS after guiding Lake Shore to the 1994 state Class B championship. His first Pilots team beat Roseville, Warren-Mott and Lincoln on the way to a district title in 1985. De La Salle wound up in the state quarterfinals that season. No other county team has an active streak in double figures. New Haven has won nine consecutive district openers, including a 68-45 triumph over Pontiac on Monday. The Rockets’ streak includes five seasons when they were in Class C. Also Monday, Dakota won its fifth straight opener with a 72-55 victory over Port Huron. Warren-Mott can push its streak to seven if the Marauders defeat Cousino on Wednesday. MORE STREAKING New Haven ran its county-record winning streak to 47 games with its Class B district win over Pontiac. Coach Tedaro France II’s Rockets are 21-0 this season after closing the 2016-17 campaign on a 26-game streak that took them to the state championship. New Haven goes for a 10th straight tournament victory when it plays Algonac at Notre Dame Prep on Wednesday. THAT’S ODD Chippewa Valley dropped its district opener to Stevenson, denying the Big Reds an opportunity to change their recent course of history. Since 2011, coach Kevin Voss’ teams have won district championships in odd-numbered years. MR. CLUTCH Amier Gilmore made two free throws with 6.5 seconds left to lift South Lake to a 60-58 victory over Chandler Park on the Cavaliers’ floor Monday. Gilmore has been a double-double machine this season, and the senior hit the plateau again against CP with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Big thanks to Michigan State Head coach Tom Izzo, University of Michigan assistant coach Saddie Washington, Grand Valley State University head coach Ric Wesley and assistant Taylor Johnson, Heidelberg University assistant coach Tim Kaiser for all coming out to our game tonight.
Mick McCabe, Detroit Free Press
The madness is upon us. The boys join the March Madness fray Monday when they begin their state tournament and the girls advance to the regional phase. It took only a few hours for Caledonia to set the tone for the girls tournament by knocking off Class A’s No. 1 team, East Kentwood. Which Cinderella boys team will be the first to knock off a contender? Time will tell. Until then, here is a look at how the boys tournament will play out over the next three weeks and who will be headed to the Breslin Center for the state finals. Class A Defending champ: Clarkston. The Wolves only have lost once and have the best one-two combination in the state in guard Foster Loyer (Michigan State) and big man Taylor Currie (Wisconsin). But how serious is Loyer’s meniscus injury, and will he even play? Stay tuned. Toughest district: Detroit Western. This is the district from hell. Cass Tech and King, both good teams, should meet in the semifinals and the winner likely will play East English Village. But first, East English has to get past Western in the district opener, and Western has played everyone tough. Final four: Cass Tech, Clarkston, Holland West Ottawa, Belleville. Player who could crash the party: Brandon Johns, East Lansing. The Mr. Basketball finalist, who signed with Michigan, is capable of carrying this team the short distance to the Breslin Center. But he will need some strong performances to accomplish it. State champ: Clarkston. After waiting 35 years for his first state title, Clarkston coach Dan Fife makes it two in a row — if Loyer can play. If not, this thing is wide open. Class B Defending champ: New Haven. With Romeo Weems, the No. 1 junior in the state and one of the best in the country, the Rockets are favored to repeat. But it won’t be easy. Missing from last season is Eric Williams Jr., who has led Duquesne in scoring as a freshman. Toughest district: At Kelloggsville. This will be a tough opening night for four winning teams — Kelloggsville plays Grand Rapids South Christian and will be followed by Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation vs. Godwin Heights. This guarantees a top-notch district final. Final four: Benton Harbor, River Rouge, New Haven, Wyoming Godwin Heights. Player who could crash the party: Anthony Roberts, Detroit Henry Ford. The 6-foot-3 guard has had some tremendous games, scoring 40 points against Cass Tech. He reopened his recruiting after a coaching change at Bryant University and would be a good catch. State champ: New Haven. This is more about Weems than anything, but this is not a slam dunk. This is truly wide open and any of the final four teams has a legit chance at winning the title. Class C Defending champ: Flint Beecher. The Bucs are shooting for their fourth consecutive state title and sixth in the last seven years. This is Beecher’s most inexperienced team in years, but it is still talented. Yet, even getting out of the district will be more difficult than in many years. Toughest district: At Montrose. There isn’t a losing team in this district. Beecher has to beat host Montrose opening night and then a good Atherton just to get to the district final. Flint Hamady, ranked above Beecher, will have to beat Bendle and then Bentley for a shot at Beecher. Final four: Detroit Edison, Grand Rapids Covenant Christian, Monroe St. Catholic Central, Manton. Player who could crash the party: Jalen Terry, Flint Beecher. The sophomore guard is the next Beecher star, and he has been the team’s best player this season. He will have to have a spectacular three weeks if Beecher is going to win another title. State champ: Detroit Edison. This may be a stretch because Edison has to battle just to get to the regional final. But the PSL champ has three Division I signees — Pierre Mitchell Jr. (Central Michigan), Gary Solomon (LIU-Brooklyn) and Deante Johnson (Cleveland State) — and no other team in this class can say the same. Class D Defending champ: Powers North Central. Three-time defending champ North Central has had a fine season (16-4), but without Jason Whitens, now at Western Michigan, and his buddies, it is time for Southfield Christian to return to the throne. Toughest district: At Bellevue. There isn’t a bad team in this district. Marshall Academy is having a breakout season and has to get past St. Philip before going against an exceptional Athens team. Once-beaten Bellevue has to beat Battle Creek Calhoun to get to what should be an excellent district final. Final four: Dollar Bay, Southfield Christian, Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, Frankfort. Player who could crash the party: Jake Witt, Ewen-Trout Creek. This 6-feet-7, 235-pound mountain disguised as a basketball player is the real deal. He is averaging 26.9 points and 17 rebounds and has over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He could get the Panthers to the Breslin. State champ: Southfield Christian. This is the biggest lock in the state. The Eagles have yet to lose to a Class D opponent and won’t, until next season — maybe. Among their Class A wins are victories over Detroit King and Ann Arbor Pioneer as well as Class B contender River Rouge. Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1 Mick McCabe, Detroit Free Press
Super 10 Rank, School, Record, Class 1. Clarkston, 19-1, A 2. New Haven, 20-0, B 3. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 19-1, B 4. Ann Arbor Skyline, 19-0, A 5. U-D Jesuit, 17-3, A 6. Benton Harbor, 19-1, B 7. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 18-2, A 8. Detroit East English Village 16-3, A 9. Bridgeport 19-1, B 10. Monroe St. Mary CC, 19-0, C Class A 1. Clarkston, 19-1 2. Ann Arbor Skyline, 19-0 3. U-D Jesuit, 17-3 4. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 18-2 5. Detroit East English Village 16-3 6. Hazel Park, 18-2 7. Grand Blanc, 17-3 8. Canton, 19-1 9. Holland West Ottawa, 18-2 10. Muskegon, 16-3 Class B 1. New Haven, 20-0 2. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 19-1 3. Benton Harbor, 19-1 4. Bridgeport, 19-1 5. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 17-2 6. River Rouge, 18-1 7. Williamston, 18-2 8. Detroit Henry Ford, 15-5 9. Olivet, 19-1 10. Frankenmuth, 16-2 Class C 1. Monroe St. Mary CC, 19-0 2. Kent City, 20-0 3. GR Covenant Christian, 16-4 4. Manton, 17-3 5. Detroit Edison, 10-10 6. Maple City Glen Lake, 18-2 7. Flint Beecher, 12-8 8. Unionville Sebewaing, 20-0 9. Iron Mountain, 19-1 10. Detroit Pershing, 10-10 Class D 1. Southfield Christian, 16-4 2. Dollar Bay, 20-0 3. Ewen-Trout Creek, 19-1 4. Frankfort, 18-2 5. Hillman, 20-0 6. Bellevue, 19-1 7. Buckley, 15-5 8. Hillsdale Academy, 18-2 9. Brimley, 17-3 10. Bellaire, 15-5 |
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