Top Games This Week. Boys and Girls Basketball Top 21.

Written Saturday February 1st at 9:00 AM

Boys Top 21

1. Clarkston (10-1): Matt Nicholson is having a monster season for the Wolves.

2. Ferndale (5-7): Eagles need someone besides Golson, Lewis, and Moore to step up.

3. Troy (9-2): Colts got some unexpected help from Southfield Arts and Tech last week.

4. Groves (7-6): Falcons have been up and down this season.

5. Seaholm (8-2): Dominic Cullen and Alex Lonze are the stars but Matt Frike has been the glue for the Maples.

6. West Bloomfield (6-5): Lakers had a tough game with Clarkston last week.

7. North Farmington (9-4): Raiders have been playing around 500 lately.

8. Southfield Arts and Tech (10-2): Warriors in the thick of the White race right now.

9. Oak Park (5-6): Knights hanging in there.

10. Farmington (5-7): Despite a below 500 record the Falcons are still in good shape in White.

11. Oxford (6-6): Wildcats going through it right now.

12. Lake Orion (4-7): Ah what happened on Wednesday, Dragons?????

13. Adams (4-8): Highlanders have been competitive despite record.

14. Berkley (7-3): Bears quietly starting to turn things around despite tough schedule looming.

15. Pontiac (4-5): Phoenix still in the thick of the Blue race.

16. Bloomfield Hills (4-9): Blackhawks happy January is over.

17. Stoney Creek (6-6): Lack of non-league schedule besides Okemos has the Cougars here.

18. Troy Athens (9-4): Ah what happened on Thursday against Pontiac, Red Hawks?????

19. Royal Oak (3-9): Seth Werner has been the key for the Ravens thus far.

20. Rochester (1-11): Falcons getting young experience heading into next season.

21. Avondale (0-10): It’s still hard to find a game on the schedule for the Yellow Jackets to win.

Girls Top 21

1. Avondale (9-4): Yellow Jackets have been a scoring machine.

2. Southfield Arts and Tech (9-5): Warriors made a statement last week.

3. Clarkston (10-3): Taylor Heaten has stepped up her game lately for the Wolves.

4. West Bloomfield (10-3): Lakers are back to being themselves.

5. Berkley (10-3): Everything is on the line on Thursday for the Bears.

6. North Farmington (9-5): Raiders have seemed to turn things around.

7. Troy (9-4): Colts have won five straight since Kendal Zeiter returned.

8. Adams (8-5): Ah what happened on Tuesday Highlanders?????

9. Troy Athens (11-3): Red Hawks have lost three of four since their 10-0 start.

10. Royal Oak (6-7): Ravens have lost four of five which has been rough.

11. Groves (5-7): Falcons have been up and down recently.

12. Rochester (8-5): Everything is on the line on Thursday for the Falcons.

13. Stoney Creek (4-9): It’s been a long season for the Cougars.

14. Bloomfield Hills (6-8): Maybe the win last week over Westfield Prep could give the Blackhawks confidence.

15. Oak Park (8-5): Knights having a bounce back season.

16. Oxford (5-8): The Mackenzie Methner injury has really hurt the Wildcats.

17. Lake Orion (4-8): Dragons have a ton of problems and big ones right now.

18. Seaholm (5-9): Maples have lost five straight games.

19. Ferndale (4-6): Eagles picked up two wins this week.

20. Farmington (2-10): Falcons haven’t played in a while.

21. Pontiac (0-11): Phoenix have been struggling.

Top Games (Boys)- Feb 3 thru Feb 7.

Oak Park at Lake Orion (Friday): This is a rematch of a January 7^th contest where the Knights won 58-48 over the Dragons in Knight Valley. Oak Park and Lake Orion have had very competitive games lately. This shapes up to be no different.

Groves at Oxford (Tuesday): I’m curious how the Wildcats will respond after losing to Stoney Creek last week. The Falcons are 3-1 in their last four games. Groves is a young talented team while Oxford has Trey Townsend. It will be interesting to see how this game shapes up.

Davison at Oxford (Friday): This is an interesting matchup on paper. The Wildcats have struggled against Saginaw Valley League south teams including losing to Lapeer last week. Davison has been rolling despite playing the likes of Grand Blanc, Flint Powers Catholic, and Flint Carman Ainsworth. The Cardinals beat the Lightning last week. It will be a challenge for Oxford that is for sure.

Royal Oak at Rochester (Tuesday): This is a matchup of two struggling teams that is trying to gain some confidence heading into March. The Ravens have lost six of seven while the Falcons have lost 10 of 11. Someone will be a little happier after Tuesday night.

Pontiac at Seaholm (Friday): This is a rematch of a January 7^th contest in which the Maples beat the Phoenix 44-36 at Sy Green Gym. Pontiac is a much different team now but so is Seaholm. The Maples control their own destiny in the Blue right now.

Royal Oak at Avondale (Friday): This is a rematch of a 38-34 Royal Oak victory on January 7^th. Neither team could shoot free throws in that game. It’s a matchup of the Ravens interior vs the Yellow Jackets guards. This is one of two winnable games that Avondale could get.

Seaholm at Troy Athens (Tuesday): The Maples control their own destiny in the Blue. This is a huge matchup with a Red Hawks team that took a hit when they lost to Pontiac last week. This is a monster game with Troy Athens considering where they are at in the Blue.

Ferndale at West Bloomfield (Tuesday): This is an interesting game between the Lakers and Eagles. Both teams have played a grueling non-league schedule which saw both teams took their ups and downs. West Bloomfield is very young but very talented. The Eagles have been relying on three guys to carry them. It will be very interesting as mentioned to say the least.

Groves at Farmington (Friday): This is a rematch of a January 7^th matchup with Farmington winning over Groves 66-63 in Beverly Hills. The green Falcons are 3-1 in their last four games. The blue Falcons have been around 500 which has seen them play a tough schedule. It will be very interesting.

Southfield Arts and Tech at Troy (Tuesday): This is a huge game based on the White standings. The Colts are tied with Farmington but the Warriors are a half game back and already has a win on Farmington. I’m curious on the guard matchup between Jailen Lee and Brody Parker but the X factor has to be Caleb Banks in this game.

Ferndale at North Farmington (Friday): This is a rematch of an Eagles 52-48 win over the Raiders on January 7^th. The NoGo Dome is always an interesting place to win. North Farmington has been up and down lately but curious to see how Ferndale responds in a small gym.

Detroit Edison at West Bloomfield (Friday): This is an interesting matchup at West Bloomfield. The Lakers have played a brutal schedule and going up against Detroit Edison will be no easy task. The Pioneers are solid and will give West Bloomfield some issues in this game.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep at Berkley (Tuesday): The Bears have been rolling as of late but they will be tested by a tough Fighting Irish squad that has played a tough schedule. Berkley is a player in the Blue and if they get this one it would be a huge bonus.

Top Games (Girls)- Feb 3 thru Feb 7.

Berkley at Rochester (Thursday): Everything is on the line for both teams in this game. The Falcons won the first meeting at Berkley 41-40 over the Bears on December 20^th. Berkley did not have a few girls play because of the flu at that time. The Bears did win at Rochester last season. Could a repeat performance be in place?

Groves at Bloomfield Hills (Friday): The Falcons have had the Blackhawks number including a controversial game where a ref walked off the court with 15 seconds left in a 37-33 Groves win in Beverly Hills on December 20th. It will be very interesting because there is more pressure on Bloomfield Hills to win this game.

Troy at Troy Athens (Thursday): Anytime a rivalry game gets teams up. The Red Hawks beat the Colts 57-44 on December 20^th but that was without Kendal Zeiter. Zeiter is back for Troy and the Colts have won five straight since. Troy Athens has lost three of four which is not good heading into February.

Detroit Edison at Southfield Arts and Tech (Tuesday): This shapes up to be an interesting game. The Pioneers are loaded with Division One College talent while the Warriors have Cheyenne McEvans, Jasmine Worthy, and Kayonia Wills. It will be interesting on a morale part for Southfield Arts and Tech.

Clarkston at Southfield Arts and Tech (Thursday): If the Wolves want to stay in the league race they need to win this game. Clarkston had Southfield Arts and Tech beat on December 20^th at Clarkston but the Warriors behind Cheyenne McEvans beat the Wolves 60-54. It will be interesting to see how Clarkston responds.

Pontiac at Westfield Prep (Tuesday): Could this be the game the Phoenix get against Westfield Prep. These two teams play each other twice in a span of more than a week.

My Podcast
https://soundcloud.com/user-539915961/oaa-now-02-03-20