There were three evenly matched quarterfinals in Class C, and in two of them a minor upset occurred. The final four has 2 expected names and 2 surprises.
1. Flint Beecher (25-1) Ranked AP #1
I don't know why I doubt the Bucs anymore. I really expected the more talented Detroit Consortium to finally beat them last night, but Mr. Basketball Monte Morris wouldn't allow it. In another low scoring contest Beecher prevailed with a 46-44 win, and Man-Man scored 28 of those points. He even stole the ball with 3 seconds left to seal the victory. Beecher has one loss in the past two seasons, and it came to Detroit Pershing after the Bucs blew an 18 point lead. This is one of the best teams in the entire state, and they are led by the best high school player in the entire state. I am sorry for doubting.
2. Laingsburg (23-2) Ranked AP Honorable Mention
The Wolfpack have been Class C's hottest team. They have played the toughest playoff schedule and just continue to win. Laingsburg has defeated 4 teams ranked in the final AP poll, including a 42-32 win over Beaverton last night. The Wolfpack are now headed to their first semifinal appearance in school history. They are led by 6'2" Senior Jake Zielinski, 6'3" Senior Sean McKinney, and 5'10" Sophomore Ryan Wade. Laingsburg plays at an extremely slow tempo, and they expend a lot of energy playing defense.
3. Negaunee (24-1) Ranked AP #3
If you are familiar with high school basketball, you probably have heard of the Negaunee Miners. They are returning to the Breslin after losing back to back quartefinals. I could copy and paste the style of play from Powers North Central in Class D, the Miners like to press and shoot the three. Negaunee is led by 6'3" Senior Tanner Uren.
4. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (23-2) Ranked AP Honorable Mention
The Falcons are coming off of a minor upset of Schoolcraft in the quarterfinals, but Monroe SMCC has had the easiest path to the final four in Class C. The Falcons are led by 6'2" sharp-shooting senior Kevin Woodson's 33 points. Monroe will need to find a secondary scoring option to pull off the major upset in the semifinals.
Flint Beecher vs Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 1:00 Thursday
The Bucs proved again why they are one of the best teams in the entire state. They seem to be focused and on a mission of defending their state championship. Monte Morris is one of the most talented high school players coming out of Michigan in the past 10 years, and I just love his game. Woodson will have to have another career day to keep the Falcons in this game. I think Beecher is just too much and will advance to another final.
Laingsburg vs Negaunee 2:50 Thursday
This game is very interesting to me. Lainsgburg wants to play at a crawl-like pace, but Negaunee will look to push the tempo a little bit with the full court press and quick triggered shots. I doubt the Miners have seen a team with the defensive prowess of the Wolfpack, or one as confident. It is hard to imagine Laingsburg faltering on the door step of making their first state championship after defeating so many quality opponents.
Class C Final 4:30 Saturday
Even though Laingsburg finished just outside of the AP top 10 and Negaunee was at number 3, I think the Wolfpack are the team to beat in the second semifinal. I expect the winner to take on Beecher to try to slow down the high powered Bucs. Laingsburg's slow-it-down, grind it out style, could keep them competitive against the more talented Beecher, but I doubt for very long. Monte Morris is a clear division 1 player that has already played 4 games (not including Thursday's semifinal game) on the Breslin floor. It is very hard for any Class C team to contain that kind of talent, and I don't think Laingsburg can do it for 32 minutes. I like Man-Man's chances to bring home another state title and secure his legacy as one of the all-time greats to come out of Flint.
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