Basketball Thoughts After Three Weeks.

Written Saturday February 27th at 8:15 PM

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 lost a tough one to Ferndale on Friday night at home but they still control their own destiny.

Ferndale has played really good basketball especially Jason Drake and Traveon Lewis. The Eagles now lead the Red after their win over North Farmington on Friday. Jack Kennedy has started to emerge for Coach Juan Rickman in the interior. Ferndale is rolling but dangers always loom.

Clarkston could be in some deep trouble after an ankle injury to Keegan Waslik against Ferndale. The Wolves have lost two straight games. Clarkston needs Isiyah Harris and Nathan Steinman to step up in Waslik’s replacement. Luke Scherler and Matt DePillo will also be counted on to do more as well. The problem for the Wolves has been dealing with athletic guards. This is something that Coach Tim Waslik needs to fix and quick.

West Bloomfield got three big wins this week and the play of Ryan Hurst has been paramount. He has had big games in this stretch. Hurst along with Mitchel Seay and Rishad Weaver have been playing good basketball for Coach Jeremy Dehna. The Lakers are a darkhorse to watch in the Red.

Oak Park is still a mystery team. The Knights might have found someone to help Ashton Henderson in Burama Miller and Keon Henderson. They were huge against Clarkston on Friday night. Oak Park still needs to find that consistency if they want to make some noise in the Red.

It wasn't a good week for Farmington which included blowout losses to North Farmington and West Bloomfield and a really tough loss to Ypsilanti Arbor Prep. Coach Terrance Porter has relies heavily on Prince Jackson and Robert Davis but they need more from other players to get this fixed. The Falcons are in deep trouble right now.

 

White

Troy is back from COVID protocol. The Colts have been playing great basketball until this pause. They needed to survive Adams in triple overtime and was spent on Sunday afternoon against Stoney Creek to their defense. The fourth quarter has been a problem in the last two games for Troy, this is something that Coach Gary Fralick needs to address with his senior heavy team tired or not. The Colts will be fine going forward but they are going to be playing a ton of basketball especially with the makeups they need.

Stoney Creek has played really good basketball as of late but some concerns do remain for Coach Steve Norgrove and his team. They have needed Trevor Smith to score at least 20 points a night which he is more than capable of getting. The Cougars have gotten contributions elsewhere especially from 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 have some talented players that have emerged onto the scene. The Falcons have leaned on Daniel Lee and his athletic ability but the play of Nick Lutz and Aaron Dubose has helped for Coach Benny White. Groves has lost a ton of close and heartbreaking games but this will make them better come postseason time.

Bloomfield Hills has had a ton of heroics and also had some heartbreak like what happened against Adams on Wednesday night. The Blackhawks have gotten other talented players involved which has shifted the attention and focus from Mason Canfield. Derrick Lee and Noah Adamcyzk have been huge for Coach Phil Kurajian. Also Ben Canty has taken advantage of his opportunity given to him and has contributed. Canty had nine points against Southfield Arts and Tech in a five point win for Bloomfield Hills. The Blackhawks are just more than just Canfield and that’s a good sign going forward for this program.

I think Jaret Thomas should be coach of the year in the White for what he has done with Adams in two years since taking over the program. They have a pipeline of talent for the now and in the future. The Highlanders had a real good week despite falling in triple overtime to Troy. Adams came back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The Highlanders never quit and never gave up and that's a credit to the players and especially Thomas. Adams is in a good spot right now.

Southfield Arts and Tech is a really hard team to figure out. What helps the Warriors is their athleticism and they have Jaylen Mack and Caleb Banks. They beat Waterford Mott but lost to Bloomfield Hills and Stoney Creek this week. That’s not a good sign for Coach Darreyle Buchanan and his team going forward. This team concerns me a bit.

 

Blue

Troy Athens had a really rough week losing to Groves and Lake Orion along with surviving Berkley. The Red Hawks need Jacob Thornton to be that robin. He has not been consistent which isn’t a good sign for Coach Dave Scott. Michael Justice has played well but he can do so much. They need either Thornton or Jordan Sebaugh to step up. Troy Athens is trending down right now.

Berkley has been playing good basketball despite their record. The Bears have relied on Arshad Walker, Logan Thomas, Eli Steinbach, and Joey McNamara. It wasn’t a great week for Coach Joe Sermo and his team with a head starching loss to Avondale and a heartbreaker to Troy Athens. Berkley regrouped and beat Oxford in overtime on Friday night on the road. The Bears are trending in the right direction.

Oxford is in a very interesting spot. Mason Mulholland has led the Wildcats in scoring but Coach Steve Laidlaw needs someone else to step up which Palmer Spect, Mitchell Vivano, and Alec Brown have done in games but not on a consistent level. Oxford could still be in the mix in the Blue but they have struggled to find that second scorer even though there are numerous others that can do that as well.

Lake Orion got three huge wins over Walled Lake Western, Seaholm, and Troy Athens. The Dragons X factor has been Brennan Jones. If Jones can be consistent and they find other scorers besides Alden Ritt Lake Orion could be very dangerous in March. The Dragons are far from a finished product but if you’re Coach Joel Schroeder you have a team that is trending in the right direction.

It was strangely a good week for Seaholm going 2-1 with wins over Avondale and Royal Oak. Johnny Cross has been the catalyst but Charlie Bokos and Tyler Eick have stepped their games up for Coach Mike Degeeter. The Maples should be fine now that they are finally starting to get healthy a little bit.

 

Gold

Pontiac stands on top of the division for now. The Phoenix have managed to improve each week which resulted in wins and a undefeated record thus far. 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 despite falling to Waterford Kettering on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons have found an identity in Matt Stone and Mark Williams. I think Coach Vance Kirkwood’s team is heading in the right direction.

Avondale has been a very hard team to understand. They picked up two wins over Berkley and Royal Oak and have seemed to turn the corner but they lost at home to Seaholm on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets have been very inconsistent despite Jeremy Neal stepping up. He will need help for Coach Pat Clancy if they want to turn this program around.

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. They are making progress but just finding that identity is a huge concern for Coach Aaron Smith going forward.

Ferndale University has been competitive but they have struggled in their first year in the OAA. The Rising Eagles will be fine though. They are scoring at a high rate but they are allowing more as well which is a huge concern going forward. They should be fine though as they settle into the OAA.

 

Girls

Red

West Bloomfield has won six of their last seven games but they took their first loss to Detroit Edison on Tuesday night. The Lakers did receive a bit of bad news though finding out that Birmingham Marian is now in their district for the postseason but that’s for down the road for Coach Bert Mosley. The Red goes through Orchard Lake Road.

Clarkston despite that hiccup against West Bloomfield has played very good basketball. The Wolves have been getting contributions from everyone from Izzy Hadley and Kaitlyn Kaul along with the play of Olivia Toderan and Madison Skorupski. They have multiple ways and players to beat teams and they don't need to rely on just one player night in an night out. Coach John Weyer has this program in a good spot.

Royal Oak has been around 500 as of late but they went above that mark this week. The Ravens picked up wins over Royal Oak Shrine and North Farmington but lost by 10 to Clarkston. Coach Brian Sopota has a nucleus with Sarah Soroghan but they might have found a Robin in Kira Vance and possibly Lexi Rosemburg along with Sarah Ammon. Royal Oak could spoil someone’s season as they get ready for the postseason.

Groves has really played better. They are improving each day despite the tough loss to Belleville on Saturday night. Coach AntJuan Simpkins in his first season in Beverly Hills has built a foundation based on youth and talent. If they can keep building the foundation then maybe a postseason run is possible for the Falcons. They have to trust the process if they want to be in the conversation in the Red.

Southfield Arts and Tech can’t stop anyone which is the reason why they are 0-6. The Warriors have allowed over 70 points in five of the last six games. They have been scoring but scoring can get you so much if you can’t defend the other team. Coach Shaquitta Coltrane needs to address the defense which has been a huge problem all season long. Southfield Arts and Tech needs to figure this out and quick.

White

Troy picked up a huge home victory against Stoney Creek on Thursday night. That victory gave them control in the White for now. Things were going very smoothly for the Colts until Saturday morning where the perfect storm hit and they got upset by Berkley. Troy's mental mindset and sickie has me very concerned. They need to be balanced with Kendal Zeiter, Charlotte Sobotka, Alyssa Matuza, and Lauren Gumma to be successful. Even though it’s one game the concern is still there for the Colts and Coach Julius Porter. This team can not afford to go back to bad habits like what happened in the postseason games against Utica and if they do they are in trouble.

Stoney Creek has been playing great basketball despite the loss to Troy on Thursday night. I wouldn’t press the panic button on the Cougars at all. Stoney Creek has Troy coming to Rochester and a possible meeting in districts. Coach Kellen James and “Team Finebaum” will be fine.

Adams has been very inconsistent and it showed it's ugly head early in the week. The Highlanders fell to Stoney Creek on Tuesday night but they got a victory on the road at Bloomfield Hills on Thursday night. Adams is a team that I have concerns with going forward. Got to wonder where the motivation is with Coach Shay Lewis’s team.

North Farmington has had a rough week losing to Troy and Royal Oak. I like the direction that Coach Jeff Simpson has his Raiders going despite the inexperience. Sela Lefler and Heaven Rogers have played well despite the results. North Farmington has three very challenging games looming so this should test his team if not then 1-8 looks possible.

Bloomfield Hills has had a really rough start but they might have found a star in the making in Emilia Johnson. Johnson had 19 points against Rochester last Saturday and 18 points on Thursday against Adams. Coach Kristen Massey has had a rough start as mentioned but things will get better for the Blackhawks but she has found a star player in the making in Johnson.

Blue

Avondale has been a disaster which has resulted in multiple blowout losses. It has been a very difficult ride for Coach Roy Christmon despite having Regian Lawrence and Savannah Schmidt. The Yellow Jackets are in a world of hurt right now.

Troy Athens went 1-2 this week with losses to Oxford and Berkley but beat Oak Park. The positives for the Red Hawks have been that Skyler Emerson has played well down the stretch for a program that has relied a ton on Gillian Ciak along with Nitya Baltsu and Clara Shoales. Could Emerson be that X factor for Coach Stacie Klumpp that’s the question?

Rochester had a tough week and is on COVID protocol which they won’t be back until March 6^th. The schedule gets challenging for Coach Bill Thurston’s team before districts. It will be very interesting to see what the Falcons do when they do return.

Berkley has been a very odd team to figure out. The Bears had lost two straight including blowing an 11 point lead at Oxford last Thursday but they have won three straight since including beating Farmington and Troy on back to back days. Ashley Loon has been playing very well as has Ry Sanom and Sammi Winthrow. The lack of depth has hurt Coach Kurt Carolan and his team. This is an area that they need to address and quick.

Oxford has been on a tear as of late. They have relied on Mackenzie Methner and Emma Morris to carry them in games but Miranda Wymeniko has really stepped up her game for Coach Rachel Bryer. Oxford is gaining a ton of confidence as a group which is a good sign for them especially with that district looming in Grand Blanc where they have to see Davison, Flint Kearsley, Grand Blanc, and Lapeer. It's going to be a tough road for the Wildcats.

Lake Orion has won four of five which is a really good sign. Meghan Marshall is the X Factor for the Dragons and Coach Bob Brydges. Maddie Ebbert and Kylie Heck have also stepped up their games as well. The sky is the limit for Lake Orion but next week is very critical if they want to win the Blue.

Gold

Farmington had been playing lights out this season but they took a bit of a hit last week despite beating Oak Park. The Falcons took a disappointing loss to Berkley on Friday night but they still control their own destiny in the Gold race. Farmington will look to get back to their winning ways next week but everything remains in front of them.

Seaholm has played two very difficult teams this week in Clarkston and Macomb Dakota. The Maples almost beat the Cougars on Friday night which would had been another massive upset. Coach Chris Manchester has this team heading in the right direction. Their focus needs to be on Farmington and in the Gold race.

Ferndale University took it hard against Seaholm on Tuesday night by getting blown out. It is unknown how they did against Melvindale on Friday night. The Rising Eagles are going to take their lumps in the Gold which it’s been showing.

Oak Park took two losses this week to Troy Athens and Farmington. Tamara Todd has been playing well for Coach Peggy Evans Carr’s team. The Knights need more if they want to make some noise in the Gold race.