Photo Credit: Louis Murray

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DIVISION 1

Ann Arbor Huron 44 River Rouge 34: The River Rats of Ann Arbor Huron punched their ticket to the state semifinals with a win over River Rouge. Trailing 9-8 after the first quarter, they were able to jump ahead 17-14 at halftime. The offense picked up on both sides in the third frame, and Huron created a 29-24 lead heading into the fourth. The River Rats pushed their lead to double digits with 4:50 to go, and River Rouge could never draw close enough to threaten the remainder of the way. Julian Lewis led the way with 18 points for Huron, while DeAhvion Price led River Rouge with 12. Mr. Basketball finalist Legend Geeter scored just five points, as he was held scoreless for the first thirty minutes of the contest.

Warren De La Salle 68 Macomb Dakota 33: The Pilots cruised to a victory in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, as the opposition was shorthanded. WDLS raced out to a 34-15 halftime lead, and they never looked back, instead pushing the final margin to thirty-five points. Linden Holder led WDLS with 16 points, while Caleb Reese added 10 points and 8 steals. Triston Nichols finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds, and Nino Carter had 7 points and 5 assists for the Pilots.

Forest Hills Northern 66 East Lansing 56: The Huskies of Forest Hills Northern are off to the first State Semifinal since 2008 with a victory over the Trojans. FHN led by just three points, 16-13, when the first quarter ended. They extended their count to five points, 30-25, when the game reached halftime. In both the first and second quarters, Ethan Morello beat the buzzer for a basket. The Huskies were able to expand their lead to 11 points after the third quarter, outscoring EL 20-14. The Trojans would get within five points with three minutes to play, but they could not get any closer. Ethan Erickson (23) and Trinidad Chambliss (21) paced the victorious Huskies. David Wilkerson (24) and Marcus Wourman (19) were the high scorers for East Lansing.

Grand Blanc 58 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 53: The Bobcats and Eaglets faced off in a thrilling Division 1 quarterfinal. It was close after the first quarter, with GB holding a 14-11 advantage. OLSM scored the next five points to jump in front, but Grand Blanc battled back to lead 26-22 as the teams went to halftime. The Bobcats lead grew throughout the third quarter, and they entered the final frame ahead 41-32. Grand Blanc pushed the lead to fourteen points with 3:25 to play, but a furious offensive attack brought OLSM within three points, 53-50, with 35 seconds to go. Some key free throw shooting lifted the Bobcats down the stretch, and they punched their ticket to the semifinals. Ty Rodgers had 15 points for Grand Blanc.

 

SEMIFINALS (Thursday)

Ann Arbor Huron (19-0) vs Warren De La Salle (14-3), 3:00, Breslin Center

Forest Hills Northern (17-1) vs Grand Blanc (13-2), 5:30, Breslin Center

 

DIVISION 2

Ferndale 73 Croswell Lexington 68: The most thrilling game of the night took place in Division 2, as Ferndale and Crosswell-Lexington went to double overtime. Ferndale jumped out to a five-point lead after the first quarter, but CL trimmed the lead to one (34-33) at the break. Croswell-Lexington continued to build off of that momentum, and they seized an eight-point lead, 57-49 after three quarters of play. In the final frame, Ferndale outscored CL 11-3 to force overtime. Each team only scored a single basket in the first overtime, and with the game even at 62, a second overtime would decide the winner. Offense picked up in the sixth period, and Ferndale used that pace to advance on.

GR Catholic Central 83 Benton Harbor 72: The battle between the Cougars and the Tigers lived up to its billing, as the teams were back-and-forth early in the ballgame. Benton Harbor jumped out to a three-point halftime edge after a three-point shot by Trucel Singleton at the buzzer. Jorden Brooks sparked GRCC in the third quarter, hitting four three-pointers to push the Cougars ahead 62-46. The start of the fourth quarter saw GRCC go ahead by twenty-one points with 4:30 to play, but Benton Harbor darted back within eight points with a minute to go. The Cougars would hold on, winning by eleven. Kaden Brown led GRCC with 25, Jack Karasinski added 21 points, and Jorden Brooks chipped in 14. Kentrell Pullian led Benton Harbor with 26 points.

Bridgeport 52 Escanaba 41: The Bridgeport Bearcats advanced to the semifinals with a strong defense effort in the second half. The Eskymos led 28-24 at halftime, but they were held to just four points in the third quarter, and the game was even at 32 with eight minutes to play. In the final quarter, the offense picked up for Bridgeport, as they scored 20 points. Jaylen Hodges led the way with 21 points for the victorious Bearcats. Erik Victorson led Escanaba with 16 points, while Colin Hudson tossed in 12.

Battle Creek Pennfield 54 Romulus Summit Academy North 49: The Panthers led at the end of all four quarters, punching their ticket to the semifinals in the process. After a 17-10 edge in the opening quarter, they pushed the lead to eight points at halftime. RSAN trimmed the deficit to five points after the third quarter, but Pennfield held that advantage over the final frame.

 

SEMIFINALS (Thursday)

Ferndale (14-4) vs GR Catholic Central (18-0), 3:00, Van Andel Arena

Bridgeport (17-2) vs Battle Creek Pennfield (20-2), 5:30, Van Andel Arena

 

DIVISION 3

Hanover-Horton 41 Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 29: The offense was slow early on, and Arbor Prep led 8-5 after the first quarter. The Gators pushed their lead to ten points with 4:19 left in the second quarter, but Hanover-Horton trimmed the lead to eight at halftime. With 3:45 left in the third, HH moved within two points, but they still trailed by three, 25-22, after the third quarter. With 7:02 to go, the Comets finally took the lead, 27-22. With 1:06 to go, Hanover-Horton extended the lead to fifteen points. A late triple trimmed the final deficit, but it was too little too late for Ypsi Arbor Prep.

Flint Beecher 71 Detroit Loyola 46: The Bucs are headed back to the Breslin Center after handily defeating Loyola. After leading 13-12 eight minutes in, they extended their halftime lead to eight points. An explosive second half extended Beecher’s final tally to twenty-five points. Carmelo Harris scored 29 to pace Beecher, while Keyon Menifield (16) and Taylin Muldrew (16) each scored in double figures. Amare Stevens led Loyola with 19 points.

Schoolcraft 59 Covenant Christian 47: The Eagles completed the season sweep of the Chargers, punching their ticket to the semifinals in the process. Schoolcraft led by five at halftime, and the teams played even in the third quarter. A three-point advantage in the final frame carried the Eagles to victory. Tyler DeGroote led Schoolcraft with 26 points, including 18 of the 24 points the team scored in the opening half. Evan Englesma led Covenant Christian with 20 points.

Iron Mountain 53 McBain 50: The Mountaineers are returning to the Breslin Center, edging McBain late in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. After the first quarter, McBain led by seven points, 19-12. Iron Mountain battled their way back to evening the score at halftime, 22-22. A quick 7-0 run gave the Mountaineers the lead in the third quarter, and they would take the 38-28 edge to the final frame. Iron Mountain pushed their lead to twelve midway through the final frame, and although McBain would draw within three points, they could not push even. Foster Wonders led Iron Mountain with 38 points, shooting 15/28 from the field.

 

SEMIFINALS (Thursday)

Hanover-Horton (20-1) vs Flint Beecher (14-1), 10:00 AM, Breslin Center

Schoolcraft (19-1) vs Iron Mountain (18-0), 12:30, Breslin Center

 

DIVISION 4

Rudyard 76 Carney-Nadeau 48

Tri-Unity 56 Webberville 44: The Defenders continued their roll, punching their ticket to the semifinals with a win over the Spartans. After an 11-0 run, Tri-Unity raced out to a 16-9 first quarter edge. Webberville closed the gap in the second quarter, but they still trailed 21-18. An 8-0 run for the Defenders in the third quarter gave them some comfort, as they held a 44-25 edge into the final frame. Tri-Unity got out to a 22-point edge, but Webberville rallied back to 13 points with four minutes to go. Though the Spartans would win the final minutes by a point, that would not be enough. Brady Titus led Tri-Unity with 25 points, while Austin Treece added 11. Kolson Lycos led Webberville with 25 points.

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 59 Frankfort 53: It was a close battle, but the Irish edged the Panthers to advance to the semifinals. MPSH led 13-10 after the first quarter, and they extended the lead to five points at halftime. Frankfort won the third quarter, but they only trimmed the lead by a point. Ahead 42-38 entering the final frame, Sacred Heart extended their lead. Luke Predum led MPSH with 28 points, while Zach Wentworth tossed in 20. Jack Stefanski led Frankfort with 31 points.

Detroit Douglass 68 Southfield Christian 56: The Hurricanes punched their ticket to the semifinals with a win over perennial power Southfield Christian. It was 15-12 Douglass after the first quarter, but Southfield Christian rallied to even the score at 25 at the break. Douglass won the third quarter 16-9, taking a seven-point edge into the final frame. They would build off that mark to create a final margin of twelve points. Pierre Brooks led Douglass with 35 points. Verian Patrick led Southfield Christian with 21 points, while Javantae Randle added 15 points and 13 rebounds.

 

SEMIFINALS (Thursday)

Rudyard (18-2) vs Tri-Unity Christian (13-2), 10:00 AM, Van Andel Arena

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (20-1) vs Detroit Douglass (15-5), 12:30, Van Andel Arena