The top teams mostly held serve last night around the state in Class D, and it has been whittled down to the final four. Let's take a look at the quarterfinal outcomes and preview tomorrow's semifinals.
1. Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian (24-2) Ranked AP #1
The Defenders are led by Class D player of the year Joey Blauwkamp. He contributes to every aspect of the basketball game, and is really tough to guard on the Class D level because of his strength and basketball IQ. Tri-Unity will be making their 9th trip to the semifinals, and will be looking for their 5th state title. The Defenders dispatched of Frankfort last night 57-33 in a game they never trailed. This is one of the best high school programs in the state, and they play a slower tempo but extremely physical style of ball.
2. Southfield Christian (21-4) Ranked AP #3
The defending champions have had a drastically different run to the Breslin in 2013. Last year the Eagles suffocated opponents with their 3 senior all-state guards and freshman division 1 prospect. This year SC has had to scrape out 2 come-from-behind wins in a row against rival Allen Park Inter-City Baptist and 2012 runner-up Climax Scotts. I expected the Panther size to really affect Southfield last night, and it did, but the Eagle bench along with Bakari Evelyn were too much and SC was able to escape with a 51-49 victory. The Eagles have played the toughest schedule of any Class D team this season, and they are using those experiences to advance to the semifinals. If the Eagles can frustrate their opponent with the high pressure full court defense, SC will be tough to beat.
3. Lansing Christian (21-4) Ranked AP #11
The Pilgrims are the hottest team in Class D right now. They have rolled over all of their competition in the postseason, and are currently riding a 17 game winning streak. Lansing Christian jumped out to a 24-2 lead last night against a tough Beal City team that couldn't handle the trapping press. Skylar Ross, a 6'3" guard, led the way with 25 points. He is the team's leading scorer on the season.
4. Powers North Central (23-3) Ranked AP #10
The Jets can claim the biggest upset in Class D quarterfinals when they pounced on Cedarville early and cruised to a 71-57 victory. Powers is a standard UP team in that they like to press and shoot a lot of threes. When the deep ball is falling the Jets will be very tough to beat. They are led by 6'2" Junior Trevor Vincent, 6'1" Sophomore Rob Granquist, and 6'3" Freshman Caleb Martin. In other words, get used to hearing about this school.
Wyoming Tri-Unity vs Powers North Central 6:00pm Thursday
Powers has been a great story coming from the UP, but they haven't seen a team like Tri-Unity yet. While the Defenders are lacking their usual tall front court depth, they make up for it in experienced guard play. The Jets will look to press, but I think Blauwkamp is good enough to limit the turnovers which will lead to easy buckets for Tri-Unity. If the three point shot is falling for Powers they can hang around, but I like the team with the experience and the best player on the floor. Be prepared for Powers to be back here next year though.
Southfield Christian vs Lansing Christian 7:50 Thursday
This should be a very high tempo, exciting, game between the Eagles and Pilgrims. SC will have the best player, Bakari Evelyn, but if LC can force the ball out of his hands Southfield becomes very beatable. I think 6'5" freshman stud Marlo Brown will have a breakout game agaisnt the smaller Lansing team. If Southfield can protect the ball, which I still have my questions after seeing them struggle with turnovers against Allen Park, the Eagles are the more athletic team and should pull away for the win. But there is a reason that the Pilgrims have won 17 games in a row, and haven't had a close one in the playoffs yet. If Skylar Ross can continue to knock down shots LC will have a very good chance in this one, playing in front of their home fans. In the end I will go with the team that has been here before and has the luxury of the best player on the floor.
Class D Final 10:00AM Saturday
I expect Wyoming Tri-Unity and Southfield to advance in a battle of the previous two state champions. Of course the three point line is the great equalizer, and Powers and Lansing Christian can knock them down in bunches. A Defender-Eagle final matchup is the most expected. I would be very excited to see the matchup between all-staters Evelyn and Baluwkamp (probably the 2013 and 2014 Class D POY). Last year the focus was mainly on the star senior guards for Southfield Christian, and Saturday could be Evelyn's coming out party. It will be the classic disciplined style against free-flowing athletic basketball. Maybe I am putting too much hype on Evelyn, but I do think he is a legitimate division 1 point guard and has the ability to take this game over to give SC the repeat.
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