Written Sunday February 21st at 11:20 AM
Boys
Red
North Farmington has played really well lately. Deon Hayes has
really stepped his game up which has produced results for Coach Todd Negoshian.
The Raiders have a huge one looming on Friday but right now they are clicking
on all cylinders.
Ferndale has played good basketball especially Jason Drake
and Traveon Lewis. Lewis put up 50 points against Detroit Fredrick Douglass on
Saturday. It’s dangerous to rely on Drake and Lewis without a true post
presence. Ferndale is rolling right now but dangers always loom.
Clarkston hasn’t looked their normal selves since losing to
Ferndale last week. They needed to survive Groves on Saturday which is
dangerous. The Wolves to their defense has gotten contributions from Mike
DePillo, Luke Scherler, Keegan Waslik, and Nate Steinman. They are going to
need that going forward.
West Bloomfield is the toughest 0-5 team in the State. I
feel real bad for Coach Jeremy Denha and his team. They have played a brutal schedule
which should get them better for the postseason. The Lakers still have a brutal
stretch awaiting them though which is a concern.
Oak Park has been a mystery team. They beat West Bloomfield
but lose to Detroit Loyola. The Knights rely on Ashton Henderson to carry them which
is not a good sign going forward for Coach Durrand Sheppard. Oak Park needs someone besides Henderson to
step up if they want to make a move in this division.
Farmington plays well outside of the Red but in the Red its
been blowout city. The Falcons have not been able to play well in the Red which
has resulted in losses. Coach Terrance Porter relies on Prince Jackson and
Robert Davis to carry them but they need someone like Jack Donahue to step up
if Farmington wants to hang on in this division.
White
Troy is in COVID protocol for a few days. The Colts have
been playing great basketball until this pause. Brody Parker, Jake Emerzian,
Ethan Emerzian, D’Anthony Hamilton, and Imad Hage has led the charge. Troy
should be fine moving forward.
Stoney Creek has played good basketball even though they
have needed Trevor Smith to score a ton every night. The Cougars have gotten contributions
elsewhere but if they can take the workload off of Smith then they will be fine
going forward.
Groves has been an odd team to figure out. They lost twice
this week, one in overtime to Bloomfield Hills and the other to Clarkston. The
Falcons played well against the Wolves but didn’t have enough. Groves looks to
be that middle of the pack team no one wants to see in the postseason.
Bloomfield Hills has had a ton of heroics lately in their
two wins over Groves and Adams. They have hit timely shots in critical situations.
That’s a good sign going forward for the Blackhawks but can they keep it up???
that’s the question.
Adams has been very interesting to figure out. The
Highlanders had two tough losses to Bloomfield Hills and Southfield Arts and
Tech and needed double overtime to beat Rochester. Justice Mims has been hot
and cold lately. He needs to step up along with several others right now if
Coach Jaret Thomas’s team wants to get out of this funk.
Southfield Arts and Tech split this week with a tough loss
to Detroit Cass Tech but they beat Adams which is huge. The Warriors are a
mystery team to figure out but what helps them is their athleticism and they
have Jaylen Mack and Caleb Banks. They are going to be needed to be their best
night in and night out going forward.
Blue
Troy Athens looks like they are in the drivers seat in the division with home
wins over Lake Orion and Berkley. The Red Hawks have relied on three guys to
carry them in Michael Justice, Jacob Thornton, and Jordan Sebaugh. They should
be tested this week when they have their two toughest challengers in the
division on the road.
Berkley has been playing good basketball despite their
record but they can also improve as well. The Bears have relied on Arshad
Walker, Logan Thomas, Eli Steinbach, and Joey McNamara. Coach Joe Sermo has
them on a high level which is a good sign going forward.
Oxford is in an interesting spot. Mason Mulholland has led
the Wildcats night in and night out but Coach Steve Laidlaw needs someone else
to step up. Oxford could still be in the mix but the last two games haven’t
proven the results for them.
Lake Orion has a great defense but a poor offense.
The Dragons really need someone besides Alden Ritt to step up. Defense wins games and
it travels well but if you’re not putting any points up then you’re not going
to win. If Lake Orion can get any sort of offense to go along with their
great defense then they will be fine going forward.
Seaholm has been struggling lately finding an identity. The
Maples played better on Saturday against Walled Lake Western despite losing by
three points. Johnny Cross is expected to be back this week for Seaholm which
should help them move forward.
Gold
Pontiac stands on top of the division. The Phoenix have
managed to improve each week which resulted in wins. I would like to see
Pontiac test themselves against very good non league competition. It would
prove to be a measuring stick for the Phoenix.
Rochester has played much better in the last two games
despite not getting the result against Adams they have found an indent in Matt
Stone and Mark Williams. The Falcons are Pontiac’s toughest challenger in the
division. I think Coach Vance Kirkwood’s team is heading in the right
direction.
Avondale has picked up two league wins since losing to Lake
Orion on Monday. The play of Jeremy Neal and Jy Smith has been huge for the
Yellow Jackets. If Coach Pat Clancy can get more scoring from players besides
Smith and Neal then look out.
Royal Oak has been competitive but they haven’t been able to
put together wins. The Ravens are a team that I’m very concerned with going
forward. Royal Oak could be a 2-1 team and not 0-3 but they have lost their last two league games by
a combined 10 points. Also they didn’t look good against Livonia Clarenceville.
There are too much concerns for Coach Aaron Smith’s team right now.
Ferndale University was very competitive against Avondale on
Saturday but being in the OAA has had some struggles for the Driving Eagles.
Ferndale University can still get this fixed and quickly but they have three interesting
games looming this week.
Girls
Red
West Bloomfield has really proven that they are a state
contender and deserve to be in the state title conversation. The play of Indya Davis, Summer Davis, Logan Lewis, Lola Chambers,
and Sydney Hendrix has been paramount. They have been dominant and they along with their teammates
have improved in each game this season. There
are really no clear weaknesses with the Lakers right now. Coach Bert Mosley has
West Bloomfield clicking on all cylinders right now.
Clarkston despite that hiccup against West Bloomfield has
played very good basketball. They put up 80 points in Flint against a good Flint Powers Catholic squad. The Wolves have been getting contributions elsewhere
from Izzy Hadley and Kaitlyn Kaul to go along with the play of Olivia Toderan
and Madison Skorupski whom both have played well. Coach John Weyer has this team in a real good spot right
now.
Will the real Royal Oak team please stand up??? The Ravens
put 76 points on Southfield Arts and Tech but only 28 against West Bloomfield. Now those are two different teams though however on a bright side for the Ravens is
that they might have found a Robin in Kira Vance to go along with Sarah Soroghan
whom plays the role of Batman. Coach Brian Sopota’s team looks to be the
classic Batman and Robin type team.
Groves has really played better. They picked up wins over Lakeland
and Ann Arbor Skyline this week. The Falcons have a ton of young players that are getting
comfortable in their roles in Kaitlyn Saunders, Neveah Otis, Jordan Peterson,
and Cira Racco. That’s not counting Kaitlyn Quinn either. They have a very
difficult path this week which should test them. Groves is growing up which a
good sign for Coach Antwan Simpkins going forward.
It’s hard to describe Southfield Arts and Tech. They scored 56
points against Royal Oak on Friday even though the lost by 20 points. The
Warriors have scorers but it’s the other side of the basketball is where they
really have issues (73 to West Bloomfield, 76 to Royal Oak, 50 to Stoney Creek.)
Southfield Arts and Tech still has offensive juggernauts in Clarkston, West Bloomfield,
Royal Oak, Groves, Farmington Hills Mercy, and Adams still on the schedule.
Coach Shaquita Coltrane really needs to address their defensive struggles. Now
to their defense they are playing good teams but giving up over 50 points is a
really bad sign going forward.
White
Troy has started to gel and get comfortable under new coach Julius Porter.
Kendal Zeiter has been a machine lately including a 37 point performance
against Avondale on Monday night. The Colts have also gotten contributions from Alyssa Matuza,
Charlotte Sobotka, and Lauren Gumma. They hung tough for three quarters against
West Bloomfield. Troy is heading in the right direction despite their record.
Stoney Creek has been playing great basketball. A ton of
that credit goes to the smooth transition of Mia Carson at the point guard spot.
Sydney LaPrarie, her sister Sarah, along with Milana Skoric have also been
playing very well for Coach Kellen James. The Cougars have been getting contributions
everywhere which is a good sign and it’s showing up record wise. Stoney Creek
is in a good spot right now thanks to their play.
Adams has been a hit or miss team despite two blowout
victories but there are some concerns with this team even though they have
Elizabeth Blaine, Abbey Draghnak, and Maddie Doellinga that have been there and
done that. They needed to survive at home against Madison Heights Bishop Foley
on Tuesday which is a big concern for me. Adams has a big game looming on
Tuesday. I have more questions about Coach Shay Lewis’s team than I have
answers going forward.
North Farmington has had a real bad habit of not closing out
games. It showed against Farmington and Stoney Creek this week. Heaven Rogers
and Sela Lefler have played well for the Raiders. The problem is correctable
for Coach Jeff Simpson and his team. North Farmington will learn to close out
games as the season goes along.
Bloomfield Hills has had a very rough start but they might have
found a star in the making in Emilia Johnson. Johnson had 19 points in their
loss to Rochester on Saturday. Coach Kristen Massey has had a rough start as
mentioned but things will get better for the Blackhawks. She needs time to
build the foundation back up again.
Blue
Avondale has been a disaster which has resulted in multiple
blowout losses. The Yellow Jackets have a rough schedule this week. It has been
a very difficult ride for Coach Roy Christmon and it could get that much
tougher this week. Avondale is in a world of hurt right now.
Troy Athens has relied a ton on Gillian Ciak to carry them
along with Nitya Baltsu and Clara Shoales. The Red Hawks picked up a huge upset
over Rochester on Tuesday. The problem for Coach Stacie Klumpp is that she
relies a lot on Ciak and if she struggles they struggle. Troy Athens needs to
find another guard to step up especially if teams focus on Ciak.
Rochester needed two wins against Avondale and Bloomfield
Hills to get back on track. COVID has hurt Coach Bill Thurston’s team with two
starters on protocol. Megan Lorenzo and Anaya Rangaraian have really played well.
Lorenzo, Rangarian, and Jackie Hurst are going to be key players down the
stretch for the Falcons.
Berkley has been an odd team to figure out. The Bears have
lost two straight including blowing an 11 point lead at Oxford on Thursday.
Ashley Loon is doing everything she can for Coach Kurt Carolan’s team. The lack
of depth has hurt Berkley. This is an area they need to address and quick.
Oxford has relied on Mackenzie Methner and Emma Morris thus
far but Miranda Wymeniko has really stepped up her game for the Wildcats. She
was huge against Lake Orion keeping them in the game and was also against
Berkley. Oxford has been a pure Jekyll and Hyde team. Coach Rachel Bryer has
done a very good coaching job with the talent they have.
Lake Orion has played much better despite their record and statistical
lines not showing it. They have played a very brutal non league schedule to
their defense. The problem for the Dragons has been scoring. They have scored
over 40 twice but defensively they have played much better even though the
numbers don’t show it. Lake Orion’s young nucleus which has showed brightness. Coach
Bob Brydges has this program heading in the right direction.
Gold
Farmington has been playing lights out basketball along with playing a very difficult non league schedule. The Falcons have
played very well especially the play of Autumn Bartlett, Kayla Gharfai, and
Sophia Holdwick. Coach Laura Gutzman has this team playing at a high level
which helps going forward. Farmington is in command of the Gold as we
speak.
Seaholm has had the peaks of their valleys but also the downs as well. They haven’t looked
good lately which is a concern for Coach Chris Manchester. Kate Sullivan and
Shay Manchester have been the Maples top two players. They will need more if
they want to catch Farmington in the Gold.
I can’t really judge Oak Park or Ferndale University as neither team played this week. The Knights stand at 1-0 while the Driving Eagles stand
at 1-1. It will be interesting to see what happens with these two teams this
week.