High School Basketball Finals Preview

It’s that time of year again! It’s a weekend that is just overloaded with great basketball, and the conclusion of the high school basketball season.  This year’s run featured many upsets along the road to the Breslin, but the favorites are still standing.  It is also a very special weekend in East Lansing because of the overall talent remaining in the tournament. Not only did the 2014 Mr. Basketball winner, Deshaun Thrower, lead his top ranked Muskegon team to the semifinals, the favorites for the 2015 and 2016 awards will be on hand (Deyonta Davis, Josh Jackson, and Cassius Winston).

Class A:

Mount Pleasant (22-4) vs Muskegon (26-0)

This will be a marquee post matchup with Detroit-bound Jaleel Hogan and future pro Deyonta Davis. Hogan is a strong bodied 6’6” Mack truck that should be able to push around the still developing Davis. Hogan has put the Oilers on his back throughout this playoff run. He is averaging 17 points per game, but over 20 in the postseason.  The difference maker here is that Muskegon also has the Mr. Basketball to initiate the offense and be a leader. While Hogan should still have a good game, look for Thrower to bounce back from his average scoring night on Tuesday and have a big game.

U-D Jesuit (22-2) vs Bloomfield Hills (23-3)

Another matchup for U-D against a post-centered team.  Their lack of size was supposed to trip them up before now, but 2016 elite point guard Cassius Winston continues to lead his team to victories. They are led by 19 ppg from Winston and 13 from King a 6’4” senior forward. In the school’s first year, Bloomfield Hills has made quite a statement. B-H is led by 6’8” Mr. Basketball snub Yante Maten. He is coming off of a 31 point, 18 rebounds, 10 blocked shots, and 7 assists. You can bet he wants a shot at proving his value against Thrower and 2015 MSU commit Davis.  I keep picking against U-D, and it continues to bite me, but either team playing Muskegon would feature an intriguing matchup. 

Class B:

Benton Harbor (16-9) vs Cadillac (19-6)

Both teams with underwhelming records, but Benton Harbor is fresh off of beating two top 5 teams (Otsego and Godwin Heights). The Tigers are led by super sophomore Jator Gunn and 6’6” senior forward Cortez Moore.  BH is getting 40 points between these guys. Cadillac is making a return trip to the Breslin Center, and are still led by 6’4” Jalen Brooks and his 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Tigers have played the much tougher regular season schedule and have had the more difficult playoff road. I don’t think Cadillac will be able to stop both Gunn and Moore, and Benton Harbor should be playing Saturday night.

Detroit Douglass (17-9) vs Milan (23-3)

These teams were the Class B preseason number 1 and 2, then they both stumbled out of the gate and were mostly forgotten about. Both are hitting their stride now, and have pulled off upsets to make the semi-finals. Douglass is led by two division 1 guards. Mr. Basketball finalist, Darrell Davis, averages 25 points and 7 rebounds and Terrell Hales 15 points. Milan is led by a dynamite junior point guard-post combination. Latin Davis is only 5’9”  but averages 16 points while 6’7” Nick Perkins averages 15 point and 9 rebounds. I will stick with my preseason number 1, and think that the Class B final will be a matchup of athletic 9 loss teams.

Class C:

Pewamo-Westphalia (23-2) vs Muskegon Heights (20-3)

P-W plays in the best Class C conference, and are looking to put back-to-back entries into the finals.  They are one of the most experienced and best defensive teams left in the tournament. They are led by 5 senior starters, and 4 more off the bench. P-W is led by 6’2” guard Nick Spitzley who has had a memorable playoff run. While he leads the team with 19 points per game, he also has hit game winners over both Beecher and Shelby. And then there is Heights, who seem to live at the Breslin Center. You can close their school and change it to a public charter academy, yet here they are again.  Per usual, the Tigers have played a tough schedule and are very battle tested. They are led by multi-dimensional 6’3” guard Aaron Sydnor and 12 points a game from Eddrick Tornes.  While P-W has made it further than expected on the back of their defense, I just think Heights will be too athletic in this one.

Detroit Consortium (23-2) vs Negaunee (24-1)

Consortium finally made it past the quarterfinal round, and are making their first appearance at the Breslin. They are led by the best player in the state, regardless of class, Josh Jackson.  He is averaging 25 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks, but is scoring more than 30 during the playoffs. On top of that, Consortium has a senior point guard that nearly averages a double double (12 points and 8 assists). Negaunee is making a return trip to the Breslin, but will run into another buzz saw in the semifinal round. They are led by all-state guard Tyler Jandron who averages 17.5 points a game and Eric Lori averaging 17 points a game. The Miners are a typical UP team that will look to push the pace and shoot a lot of threes. Detroit Consortium will not be overwhelmed by the quick pace, and will gladly go up and down the court. Consortium is just too athletic for Negaunee and most Class A teams.

Class D:

Frankfort (20-6) vs Southfield Christian (24-1)

Frankfort is led by all-state forward David Loney who averages 20 points and 11 rebounds, and they are making their first appearance to the semifinal round. On the other side, Southfield Christian is looking to be a 3-peat champion. The Eagles are just absolutely loaded with talent and experience. Bakari Evelyn (16 ppg & 8 apg), Lindsey Hunter IV (15 ppg), Damarco White (10 ppg & 8 rpg), and Marlo Brown (12 ppg & 9 rpg). The athleticism and experience will just overwhelm Frankfort as SC should capture another title.

Cedarville (23-2) vs Adrian Lenawee Christian (20-4)

Cedarville has run its way through a loaded UP crowd, and have advanced back to the Breslin for the first time since 2009. They are led by Joey Duncan at 21 ppg and 6’5” big man Dan Stenback 18 ppg.  Both scored 34 on Tuesday night to get past #2 Powers North Central.  ALC is led by Grant Holbein and a stifling 2-3 defense. The 2-3 is meant to pack the middle and stop dribble penetration, but Cedarville will be happy enough to launch threes. I don’t think ALC will be able to keep up with the scoring pace of Cedarville.