By Nate Dreyer
Caledonia will host the west-side quarterfinal in division one, as Muskegon looks to return to the Final Four and the Breslin Center for the first time since their 2014 State Championship season. East Lansing have been on a run of upsets throughout their playoff run, notably knocking off a highly-regarded and prospect-loaded Kalamazoo Central team in the Regional Semifinal.
Michigan Sports Radio coverage begins at 6:30pm tonight, as Nate Dreyer and Chandler Timmer will have the call.
It’s another clash of styles and speeds – But, both teams are led by terrific defenses and create a lot of offensive opportunities off of forcing turnovers and mistakes.
The Big Reds come in at 24-2 on the season and feature an up-tempo attack led by a trio of next-level guards. Jordan Briggs (Wayne State), Anthony Sydnor III (Ferris State) and David Day III (Aquinas) all can push the pace, shoot the basketball and pressure the opponent.
Muskegon coach Keith Guy also has a wealth of size on the wing and interior led by the 6’6 Jr Terrence Davis that allows for the Big Reds to control the boards and still control the game if the pace gets slowed (Like what Hudsonville was able to do early in the Regional Championship game last week Wednesday).
East Lansing and coach Ray Mitchell have more of a slowed, half-court attack – As they both score and give up scoring averages in the mid-50’s each game. They are opportunistic out of a pressuring half-court defense that forces steals from various trapping zone and man-to-man looks.
The Trojans feature a ton of youth, led by their sophomore shooting guard Cam Hutson. Hutson is able to beat defenders at all 3 levels and scores with good size at his position; the sophomore scored 21 points in the Regional Final win over Battle Creek Central last week.
Up front, Sr Christian Dunn has now been a part of 3-straight District title teams and provides a strong rebounding and inside-out attack with his 6 ‘7 frame, especially when paired with the powerful Jr Charlie Baker in the post.
As always in March, limiting mistakes will be critical in this game, as both teams will look to turn the other over and force the other to play their style. Look for both coaches to still run their typically deep benches in what will be a high-intensity game that likely winds up showing some back-and-forth run-and-gun moments along with stretches of controlled half-court sets and grinding defenses.
The Winner moves on to the State Semis Friday afternoon at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, and will have the winner of the high-profile Orchard Lake St. Mary’s vs. De La Salle game tonight.
