The 2013 High School basketball state finals were unique in
that each class had at least one division 1 player to watch. Even though most of the games seemed like
mismatches on paper, 3 were very competitive and the other one was still
entertaining. Overall, it was another
successful state final weekend, and more importantly, it continued my streak.
Class D
On paper the Southfield Christian vs Wyoming Tri-Unity
Christian matchup was pegged to be the best of the day. It was clear from the beginning that these
two teams weren’t on the same level.
Usually Tri-Unity features some Class D giants and play at a slow, physical
pace. This was not the case this year,
as Southfield Christian had the advantage in size, athleticism, and depth. Sophomore Evelyn looked like the best player
on the floor for most of the game. While
he only took the game over for a 3 minute stretch in the 2nd
quarter, it was clear there were no Defenders that could stay in front of
him. He makes the game of basketball
look extremely easy, and puts his teammates in situations to be
successful. I think Evelyn’s stock will
continue to rise this summer as he works on attaching and finishing at the rim.
While watching this game, the question quickly turned to which team will be
able to compete with SC for the 2014 state title (or even 2015)? The Eagles did
not have a senior contributor on this year’s team.
Class A
After watching Romulus score 93 points, and win a nail-biter
against Pershing last Tuesday, then Southeastern follow up that game with an
unimpressive win keyed by an intense trapping defense, it seemed that the Class
A title was all but decided. However,
the Jungleers forced Romulus to play at their slow tempo, and they did a good
job at keeping the Eagles out of the transition game. EC Matthews again led the way, and showed why
he is one of the most under-rated recruits in the entire state. Rhode Island is getting an excellent
basketball player. Romulus eventually
pulled away for a hard fought win. It
was a fun game because each division one player (Matthews, Clark, Edwards, and
Plummer) all had their showcase moments. With the Eagles having one of the most
talented senior classes to come out of Michigan in recent memory, Class A is
now up for grabs next year. Look for U
of D Jesuit, Ypsilanti, Saginaw Arthur Hill, and Muskegon to be in the running.
Class C
It was Monte Morris’ final high school game, and it seemed
fitting that it concluded where he made a name for himself as a freshman. The only problem with this picture-perfect
story was that Mr. Basketball was sick and barely could play in the second
half. Beecher was matched up against
first-timer Laingsburg. I have to admit,
I was extremely impressed with Laingsburg’s game. They were senior laden, didn’t have a
super-star, but were completely bought into the system. They were fundamentally sound and played
great team basketball. It looks like
Beecher was a little stunned that they actually had a struggle on their hands,
and Morris not being close to 100% didn’t help either. There were moments that Morris couldn’t be
slowed down, but for most of the game he was winded and sluggish. At the end Laingsburg had a few great chances
to pull off the great upset, but couldn’t convert. Even though Morris didn’t have his best game
in the finals, he leaves as one of the greatest high schoolers to come out of
Flint. 2014 will again be controlled by
Detroit Consortium, but will they figure out a way to finally get to the
Breslin? Josh Jackson will be the best
player in the entire state, and he will only be a freshman.
Class B
In the day’s final game, Detroit Country Day was going for
their 8th state championship against Cinderella Detroit
Community. The Hurricanes had 9 losses
on the season, but hadn’t lost to a class B team yet. Country Day on the other hand had completely
outclassed all of their postseason opponents and looked to run away with the
final game. The Yellowjackets lack of
height finally got exposed, and Community was able to hang with DCD for most of
the game. The Hurricanes packed the
paint area and urged DCD to shoot threes, but the shots weren’t falling. Edmond Sumner had a rough shooting night, but
I still think he is the leading candidate for Mr. Basketball in 2014. During a 2 minute stretch to end the first
half Sumner got aggressive and attacked the Community zone. He scored 9 points in that stretch, but then
fell back into being complacent and taking long jump shots for the rest of the
game. On the other side, Byron Zeigler
had an opportunity to show his potential. A 6’7” wing going against a team
whose tallest starter was 6’4”, but he did little to impress. He also settled for too many jump shots when
he should have been able to dominate the paint.
Country Day is returning a lot of talent to next year’s team, and they
will likely be the favorites again, but a team with a strong post player
(Sexton or Lansing Catholic Central) could push them.
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