Take Away's From Day Four Tournament Action.

Written Thursday December 29th at 11:00 PM

Take away’s from Day Four at the Motor City Round Ball, Spartan Holiday Classic, Grosse Pointe South Classic, Ypsilanti Showcase, Kalamazoo Central Classic, and the Bloomfield Hills Showcase.

Pontiac Boys Couldn’t Get over the Hump.

The Phoenix Boys Basketball team concluded their Motor City Roundball experience by losing to Grosse Pointe North 53-38 on Thursday morning. Pontiac battled the Norseman for about a half and then Grosse Pointe North pulled away with a strong second half. DeShawn Jackson led the Phoenix with eight points. Pontiac is going to need to have a strong bounce back in 2017 as they host Troy Athens next.

Harrison Boys, Enough Said.

The Hawks lost 98-38 to Detroit Cass Tech on Tuesday so they were back in action on Thursday against Cincinnati Colerain and Harrison lost 58-52. The Hawks have a huge problem stopping people like they did against the Cardinals where they were outscored 21-11 in the third quarter and allowed 40 second half points. That’s scary and we’re not even in league play yet. Hawks coach Stefan Wilson has major concerns on the defensive end. It could be a long season at Harrison and doesn’t any better for them in January as the Hawks have to go to North Farmington to deal with coach Todd Negoshian and the Raiders, talk about irony for the Harrison Boys Basketball team.

Groves Girls Continue their Winning Streak.

The Falcons Girls Basketball team have been on a tear lately. They won their fourth straight game by beating Royal Oak Shrine 58-27 on Thursday afternoon using a 30-5 first quarter run. Groves fresh off their huge 56-53 win at Orion last week is rolling heading into Gold play. Coach Amos Thompson should have no problem adjusting to his new division. The Falcons next test will be on February 13^th when they host Adams other than that, expect more wins for Groves going forward.

Oak Park Boys Can’t Overcome Kalamazoo Central.

It was going to be a tough chore for the Knights Boys Basketball team in Kalamazoo on Thursday night against an unbeaten Maroon Giants. Oak Park lost a high scoring game with Kalamazoo Central 80-73. The Knights got a ton of scoring but defensibly it was a rough one for coach Bobby Thompson’s team. Oak Park is now 3-3 on the season heading into the new year, they will go to Southfield Arts and Tech on January 12^th. The Knights are going to be a sleeper in the White.

West Bloomfield Girls Bounce Back.

The Lakers Girls Basketball team got back on the winning track after losing four straight games by beating River Rouge 54-39 at Bloomfield Hills on Thursday afternoon sending them back to 500 at 4-4 on the season. West Bloomfield got 14 points from Jordyn Elam and got contributions from Jamila Elam, Kori Maxie, Destini Monroe, and Destiney Cannon. The Lakers will have a tough matchup when they go to Royal Oak to open league play. For now this is a big win for coach Zach Hilbers team heading into 2017.

Oxford Boys Stay Undefeated.

The Wildcats Boys Basketball team remained unbeaten after beating Richmond 64-59 in the Spartan Holiday Classic at Imlay City. Richmond is an improved team in the Blue Water Area Conference Blue but it was Oxford that got the big win they needed. Coach Steve Laidlaw has the Wildcats going in the right direction led by Jordan Jaden, Ray LaVine, Nolan Harding, and Jordan Lavalis. The Wildcats will have a very tough test coming up in Pontiac against a very good Pontiac Notre Dame Prep team in January.

Southfield Arts and Tech Boys Couldn’t overcome Walled Lake Northern.

The Warriors Boys Basketball team couldn’t overcome the Knights of Walled Lake Northern on Thursday night 59-53. Southfield Arts and Tech trailed by 11 at one point but did fight back to take the lead but Walled Lake Northern pulled away late and won the game. The Warriors were led by Remi Torbert’s 15 points. Southfield Arts and Tech are still missing Michael Flowers as he is trying to get back to playing shape. The Warriors will have to forget about this one quickly as they play Novi Detroit Catholic Central on Friday in the Roundball.

Farmington Boys Go Overtime.

The Farmington Boys Basketball team fresh off a bad 70-65 loss to Detroit Fredrick Douglass proved that they can go on the road and get a big win and they did overcoming a game in which they kept it close throughout, forced overtime and won 52-49 over Ypsilanti. Jordan Graham was huge for the Falcons as he took over throughout the game with 25 points and 10 rebounds. This is a big win for Farmington, whom will now have a two-week break as they won’t play until January 13^th when they go to Seaholm to play the Maples.

North Farmington Girls Press too much for Waterford Mott.

The Raiders Girls Basketball team turned a tight and close game with the Corsairs and turned it to a 20-point win with a 43-23 score. Samantha Cherney shut down Myra Williams in the game and Kierra Crockett took over as well in the game but the credit is to coach Jeff Simpson’s pressure-trap defense he learned from North Farmington Boys Basketball coaching legend Tom Negoshian. It’s a big win for the Raiders beating a good team in Waterford Mott. North Farmington will host Adams next in January to open up league play

Stoney Creek Boys loses tough one.

The Stoney Creek Boys Basketball team would love to forget how their experience at the Grosse Pointe South Classic was for them. The Cougars had a strong first quarter against Plymouth, outscoring them 19-9 but a strong second and third quarters from the Wildcats, in which they outscored Stoney Creek 36-17. The Cougars outscored Plymouth 12-6 in the fourth but it wasn’t enough as Stoney Creek lost 50-48 to the Wildcats. It’s a tough loss for coach Steve Norgrove and his team as they have now lost two straight games both at Grosse Pointe South. The Cougars will head into 2017 with a 4-2 record with a game against Adams next.

Hazel Park Boys Destroys Grand Blanc.

The Vikings Boys Basketball team were in beast mode on Thursday night behind 33 combined points from David Hearns and Carl Bow in a 69-40 rout of the Bobcats. Hazel Park was in complete control throughout the game and showed why they are one of the best teams in Class B and also in the tough rugged White this season. With only eight players on the team and to do this against Grand Blanc, a school that is in Class A and has more students than them is incredible. The good news for the Vikings is they have a break to recover but the bad news is they have Clarkston next on the road.

North Farmington Boys Get a Much-Needed Win.

The Raiders Boys Basketball team needed a much-needed win after losing to Farmington 65-58 last week. Thursday night they finally got that much-needed win beating Dearborn Divine Child 55-51 in the Roundball. North Farmington got 29 points from Amauri Hardy and 16 points from Southfield transfer Kari Patrick. It’s a big win for coach Todd Negoshian and the young Raiders going forward but they have 24 hours to celebrate before they play Detroit Henry Ford on Friday in the final day of the Roundball.

Bloomfield Hills Girls Dominant.

The Bloomfield Hills Girls Basketball team was dominant in their own Holiday showcase. It was a far cry from last season’s loss to Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy in their own showcase. The Blackhawks used their senior experience from Samantha Patterson (19 points), Immani Wright (13 points), Victorie Franklin (11 points) and Amanda Sape (10 points) on route to a 59-29 beat down. Bloomfield Hills did lose Katherine Prinna to an ankle injury and her status for the Orion game is unknown. The Blackhawks will play the Dragons to open up league play next week.