MHSAA February Division III Power Poll

ByJonathon Gilbert

That sure seemed fast. We are already in the homestretch of the 2023-2024 high school basketball season. After doing power polls for each division at the start of the new year. Here is a February check in. Note, this is not bracketology. I’ll attack that near the end of the month.

Division III (current record in parentheses)

  1. McBain (13-1) While there have been surprises and upsets within the division. No change at the top for me. When I looked at their schedule early in the year. I anticipated the Ramblers going wire-to-wire in the top spot. A close loss to Cadillac on the road is not a demerit. Now if the speed of Hamtramck were to get the best of them at the Northern Michigan Showcase this weekend. I might have some concerns. Previous Rank: 1
  2. Lainsburg (15-0) I’ll show my work here on this one. I did not have the Wolfpack this high initially. I was concerned about a coaching change. I was also concerned when a freshman who was expected to contribute transferred before the season. Frankly, I excepted them to lose a game of two in the always tough Central Michigan Athletic Conference. Particularly to Pewamo Westphalia. None of that has seemed to matter or affected the won loss column. Senior Zander Woodruff continues to be a scoring machine while providing steady senior leadership in the process. What a two year run for the Wolfpack. We will see if they can finish it off with a short trip to the Breslin Center in March. Previous Rank: 6
  3. Chesaning (16-0) In their first year in the Division. The Indians just keep rolling right along. Star post Mason Struck recently committed to Northern Michigan for football. I have seen players play lighter and freer in the senior years after they conclude their recruitment. Not saying that will happen for this prospect, however it does— watch out. He doesn’t really need any more help. Speaking of help, much more than just a one man show in Chesaning. As the supporting cast has developed nicely throughout the season. I’ll have my eye on the February 20th matchup with Saginaw Nouvel Catholic. Previous Rank: 4
  4. Riverview Gabriel Richard (15-2) Owners of perhaps the toughest non Beecher schedule in the division. Playing adjacent to the Detroit Catholic League is tough. The Pioneers have held up quite nicely against it. The recent loss to Jackson Lumen Christi was surprising but not necessarily concerning. As long as Luke Westerdale is in the backcourt. Richard might have the best singular talent in the division Previous Rank: 2
  5. Niles Brandywine (14-2) Similarly to Gabriel Richard directly above then on this list. A supremely talented backcourt that has held up well against a gauntlet of a schedule. Richard gets the nod due their front court depth and a narrow head-to- head victory over Christmas. Is there an avenue for the Bobcats to overtake the other teams and become a favorite? Maybe getting through a closing slate of Portage Central (Division I), Kalamazoo Loy Norrix (also Division I), Benton Harbor (undefeated and one of the top teams in Division II) , and Jackson Lumen Christi (there’s that team again). That is either a straight up crazy way to end a season— or brilliant. We will soon find out if helps the Bobcats make a return trip to the Breslin Center. Previous Rank: 4
  6. Jackson Lumen Christi (14-2) I’m not going to say I am surprised that Josh Tropea has the Titans playing at a championship level in year two. He is a darn good state championship head coach. After leaving Chelsea you knew this was a possibility. I have also seen enough of the program’s youth in the last two summers to know there no there is some serious talent. That being said, I wasn’t convinced it could happen this quickly. However after defeating Riverview Gabriel Richard last week— here we are. How far can they go this year? Their remaining difficult schedule should give us a clue shortly. However they are not going anywhere in the next few years. The youth movement is led by junior Luke Tropea and freshman Lundon Hampton Previous Rank: NR
  7. Menominee (12-4) The Maroons posted a very impressive victory just this week. A 60-58 overtime road victory against undefeated Iron Mountain. A team other publications had listed as the #1 team in the state. While they do have four losses. They have all came to teams from larger divisions. They have tested themselves below the bridge as well. Winning a tip off tournament at Benzie Central. Benzie is a two loss team that has a case to be ranked as well. The schedule doesn’t get any lighter the rest of the way. However this group also appeared in a football state final this year. So they will be beyond battle tested. Previous Rank: 10
  8. North Muskegon (16-0) Similarly to Jackson Lumen Christi, a young talented group who might be a little ahead of schedule. Led by the backcourt of senior Jaxon Lisinski and sophomore Adam Dugener. I caught this talented duo often this summer with Hardwood Midwest on the Prep Hoops Circuit. Junior James Young brings explosive athleticism from the gridiron. While senior guard Lamarkis Graham also complements a high scoring offensive attack. Previous Rank: NR
  9. Cass City (15-0) The Thumb area program has put together another solid regular season. I “saw” them defeat a very good Saginaw Nouvel squad at a showcase at the beginning of the year. I use the quotes intentionally. I saw it, but I’m still not sure how it happened. Trailing by double digits well into the fourth quarter. That gives you an idea of the type of team this is. A tough, balanced, and hard nosed group who competes for four quarters. They are led by senior Carter Patrick. It feels like a minute since a team from the Thumb region has made some noise at the Breslin Center. This group will try to change that. Previous Rank: NR
  10. Flint Beecher (10-5) Back in the January Power Poll I stubbornly continued to rank the defending state champions at #9. I wrote then that I would begin to worry when they lost a game to a team they were expected to beat. While we got close to happening, I’m still waiting. The overtime victory over Genesee Christian was concerning. However, a win is win. Furthermore they notched an impressive victory over Division II Flint Hamady recently. You just can’t count out a program with this much tradition and history. Previous Rank: 9

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