MHSAA Playoffs: March Miscalculations

We are now in March, so the “madness” is fully upon us. That was reflected in Friday’s madcap finals. I enjoy doing the Bracketology series. The articles are meant to fun, inclusive, and ultimately informative of the large field in a vast and geographically diverse state. However I want to stress what I write in all four introductions. I don’t “pull” for them to be correct. This is high school sports, and I want to keep the good natured vibe.

That being said, there were some definite miscalculations that emerged from the opening week of play. I’ll break down one from each respective division.

Division I: The “Clutchness” of the Catholic League

I already told of myself in Division I Bracketology article. I surprised myself by picking three teams from the KLAA to make the quarterfinals, while giving only giving one slot to the storied and competitive Detroit Catholic High School Catholic League (CHSL) While two of the KLAA squads are still alive. It appears I underestimated how tough and battle tested the squads from the CHSL would be.

District championships for state favorites like Orchard Lake St Mary’s, UD Jesuit, and Riverview Gabriel Richard were to be expected. The championships for the conference extended well beyond that triumvirate. At the upper levels, Warren De La Salle overcame a disappointing regular season to take home another trophy. However fans of Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice will talk for years about their dramatic finish against Birmingham Groves.

Brother Rice trailed by seven points with 55 seconds left before Greg Grays Jr snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Grays a junior guard scored 12 points in the final minute to give the Warriors the improbable victory. A win like that only comes from the toughness and belief that comes from getting tested every night in a gauntlet. Grays backcourt partner, senior David Williams (pictured) is the embodiment of that belief.

Beyond the big names, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep overcame a 10 loss season to earn a trophy in Division II. While Royal Oak Shrine and Detroit Loyola overcame subpar regular seasons in Division III as well. Loyola defeated a talented Detroit Central squad that I picked to go all the way to final game. Jackson Lumen Christi matched Rice’s late game fireworks with a double overtime victory over Hanover-Horton on their home court. Clarkston Everest Collegiate marches on in Division IV with one loss. An impressive and unimpeachable resume for a deep league that might just take home multiple state championship banners this year.

Division II: The Grittiness of Goodrich

Goodrich has everything you would expect from a state championship contender. They returned a decent chunk of their rotation from quarterfinal squad that fell to eventual state champion Warren Lincoln. They also have a super experienced head and won a state championship on the gridiron preceding the hardwood.

So what’s the rub? Why didn’t I pick them to even make the quarterfinals? I’ll keep it simple. While I think they are talented, I wasn’t impressed with them as a unit this summer. They have size for days, but I thought they looked slow and didn’t have enough guard play.

When defending semifinalist Flint Powers slid down into their district, I wrote them off for Breslin Center consideration. This was compounded by a five loss regular season that featured a 24 point neutral court loss to Powers. They also had two losses to a Flint Kearsley squad that they opened districts with. This was a steep hill to climb.

To quote a Michigan basketball legend “never underestimate the heart of a “champion.” You can’t underestimate the familial duo of Parker and Jensen LePla. Parker is a 6-8 bull of a post prospect heading to Division II Indianapolis. Sophomore Jensen might have a higher ceiling as backcourt prospect with excellent size already. Can the Martians (great mascot) continue to make me look bad all the way to the Breslin Center?

Division III: Can Beal City Pull a Double?

Not too many upsets in Division III yet. I seem to do well in this bracket. However if there one spot that could fall. It’s the one closet to my place of residence.

McBain hasn’t lost a lot of games in the Highland Conference of late. If they are going to stub their toe it’s usually going to happen at Beal City. That happened once again in an early season loss. McBain has seemingly righted the ship and hasn’t been pushed much since then. They were shorthanded in a loss to Division I Cadillac.

With recent state championships in both football and baseball. The Aggies are a talented group that is not intimidated by playoff stakes. They feature a talented stable of guards led by senior Austin Small and junior Drake Gatrell. Small is 1,000 point scorer who has tested himself in grassroots basketball. While Gatrell is a left handed coach son who more importantly plays like it.

For Beal to get a third shot at McBain. They first need to get past a 20-3 Alcona squad. They will be playing the regional in a conference gym they are used to playing in (Lake City) Good guards, with a state championship experience, in familiar surroundings? That is pretty good equation to pull an upset.

Division IV: The Drop Down Potential of Concord

The “drop down” moniker listed above is a term I usually reserve for solid team who drops down and surprises playing in a lower division. After falling just above .500 and sliding down to Michigan’s smallest classification, the Yellow Jackets of Concord certainly fit that criteria.

I caught this squad last year at a showcase at Albion College. They were impressive and were led by a next level athlete in Mekhi Wingfield. Wingfiekd matriculated on to the aforementioned Albion College. Outside of Wingfield they were young and talented squad. Despite that I expected them to take a bit of a step back.

With nine losses, I appeared to be correct. However, I simply overlooked the fact they were now in Division IV. As the only Division IV in the Great Eight conference, they finished in a three way tie for third place. They won the competitive conference last year. Accordingly their schedule was loaded with Division III and even Division II opponents.

They are extremely young this year and are led by junior guard Jett Smith and sophomore Darrell Dean Jr. Is it enough to get out of a brutal pod that includes parochial powers Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian and Adrain Lenawee Christian? This is the prototype of a team that tends to surprise in the lower levels.