Saturday, January 18, 2020

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

Written Saturday January 18th at 11:00 AM

Here are the updated records and rankings heading into the weekend.

Boys Top 21

1. Clarkston (6-1): Wolves are starting to play more guys which is a plus.

2. Troy (7-2): Colts bounced back nicely with two big wins.

3. Southfield Arts and Tech (7-2): Warriors split both buzzer beating games with Oxford.

4. Oxford (5-2): Wildcats split both buzzer beating games with Southfield Arts and Tech.

5. Ferndale (4-4): Eagles non-league schedule has tested them.

6. North Farmington (8-2): Raiders were tested by Lake Orion last week.

7. West Bloomfield (4-4): Lakers have been competing lately.

8. Farmington (4-4): Falcons seemed to have turned the corner a bit.

9. Oak Park (4-4): Knights should be fine going forward.

10. Berkley (6-2): Bears had been looking good until the South Lyon East game.

11. Seaholm (4-2): Maples starting to roll a little bit.

12. Bloomfield Hills (4-6): Blackhawks tough January continues.

13. Lake Orion (3-4): Dragons took some positives but if they can clean up turnovers then they will be fine.

14. Stoney Creek (5-4): Cougars have been a hard team to figure out.

15. Troy Athens (6-3): Red Hawks have seemed to turn the corner a bit.

16. Groves (5-6): Falcons have lost four of five games which is not good.

17. Adams (2-6): Highlanders put up a strong effort against a very good Warren De LaSalle team.

18. Pontiac (2-5): Phoenix have been improving and competitive lately.

19. Royal Oak (3-6): Ravens were blown out by Troy Athens, not a good sign.

20. Avondale (0-7): Yellow Jackets have been competitive in the last three games.

21. Rochester (0-8): Falcons have been improving although record doesn’t show it.


Girls Top 21

1. Avondale (7-4): Yellow Jackets have been playing well and improving.

2. Southfield Arts and Tech (7-4): Warriors schedule toughens up again.

3. Clarkston (7-4): Wolves had a bounce back week.

4. Berkley (8-2): Bears on cruise control.

5. Troy Athens (10-1): Red Hawks suffered first loss to Adams on Friday.

6. West Bloomfield (7-3): Ah what happened against Royal Oak???

7. Royal Oak (6-4): Ravens upset of West Bloomfield could be a season changer.

8. Adams (6-4): Highlanders upset of Troy Athens could be a season changer.

9. Troy (6-4): This is truly Athena Sampson’s team right now.

10. North Farmington (7-5): Raiders should be fine going forward.

11. Stoney Creek (4-6): Cougars have been a pure Jekyll and Hyde.

12. Rochester (5-5): Falcons had Stoney Creek on the ropes on Friday but let them off the hook.

13. Oxford (5-5): Wildcats have been on the edge lately.

14. Bloomfield Hills (5-6): Blackhawks have been struggling lately.

15. Groves (3-6): Falcons had a rough week.

16. Oak Park (6-3): Knights are starting to put things together.

17. Lake Orion (2-6): Dragons need to do some soul searching right now.

18. Seaholm (5-4): Maples are a true Jekyll and Hyde.

19. Farmington (1-9): Falcons had a tough few weeks.

20. Ferndale (2-5): Eagles have been struggling thus far.

21. Pontiac (0-8): Phoenix have been struggling thus far.


Top Games (Boys)- Jan 20th thru Jan 25th

Farmington vs Detroit Fredrick Douglass at Ferndale (1:30 PM, Monday): This is a battle of junior guards between Jaiden Atkins of the Falcons and Pierre Brooks of the Hurricanes. The key should be role players and both teams have them in Tariq Humes and Jack Donahue of Farmington and Donivan Peoples and Javonte Randle of Detroit Fredrick Douglass. This will be very interesting.

North Farmington vs River Rouge at Ferndale (6 PM, Monday): This is a very interesting matchup between the Raiders and the Panthers. North Farmington was a late entry into this classic after Warren De LaSalle dropped out. The Panthers are very talented led by Legend Geeter and are well coached under LaMonta Stone. The Raiders have their fair share of talented players in Deon Hayes, Jamal Hayes, and Basheer Jihad and let’s not forget they have one of the best coaches in the game in Todd Negoshian. This should be a very interesting matchup.

Clarkston vs Detroit Martin Luther King at Ferndale (4:30 PM, Monday): This is a very interesting matchup of star power between Fletcher Loyer, Keegan Wasilk, and Matt Nicholson of the Wolves against Omar Ziegler and Chansey Willis of the Crusaders. The coaching matchup is also very interesting between Tim Waslik and George Ward. I think the key is Cole Donchez in this game. If Donchez plays well I can see Clarkston pulling this one out.

Muskegon at Ferndale (3 PM, Monday): The Eagles tough slate continues with the Big Reds coming into Ferndale. The Eagles have played a very tough schedule and Muskegon is just another tough opponent coming into this game for Coach Juan Rickman. At least playing this tough schedule will help Ferndale come March.

Lake Orion at Bloomfield Hills (Tuesday): This shapes up to be a very interesting clash between the Blackhawks guards against the Dragons interior. Both teams are more than capable of shooting the basketball but if it comes down to an interior matchup it would favor Lake Orion because of Dylan Boedigheimer. It will be a very interesting game.

Lake Orion at West Bloomfield (Friday): This is an interesting matchup between the Dragons and the Lakers. Lake Orion is a young team but had a strong showing against North Farmington. West Bloomfield has played a vicious schedule and has a very good squad. It will be very interesting between these two squads.

Clarkston at Ferndale (Tuesday): Both the Wolves and Eagles are going to be playing a back to back after playing at Ferndale in the Martin Luther King Classic that was pushed from Saturday to Monday because of the recent snowstorm. It will be a star studded matchup with Clarkston having Matt Nicholson, Fletcher Loyer, and Keegan Waslik going up against Jayshawn Moore, Colin Golston, and Trevon Lewis for Ferndale. I think the Wolves are deeper than the Eagles which could show in this game.

North Farmington at Clarkston (Friday): The Raiders have had a strong start thus far. This will be a test for Coach Todd Negoshian’s team when they head to Clarkston. It is an interesting matchup of big men between Basheer Jihad and Matt Nicholson but does North Farmington have an answer for Fletcher Loyer??? we’ll find out.

Farmington at Oxford (Tuesday): The Falcons will make the journey north to Oxford to take on a Wildcats squad that is gaining confidence. The Wildcats guards will be tested because of Jaiden Atkins and Tariq Humes but does Farmington have an answer for Trey Townsend. Bryce Essman has been playing really well for Oxford as well. This will be very interesting.

Troy at Oxford (Friday): This will be a very interesting matchup between the Wildcats guards going up against Brody Parker, Jake Emerzian, and Ethan Emerzian but does the Colts have an answer for Trey Townsend. I think Bryce Essman is the key in this matchup because Troy will try to do everything in their power to stop Townsend from going off.

Avondale at Rochester (Tuesday): This is an interesting battle of two 0-7 teams going at it at Rochester. Someone has to win this game just for confidence sakes.

Adams vs Stoney Creek at Oakland (Friday): The Crosstown Showdown at Oakland is always one of my favorite classics. The Cougars are the better team on paper but the Highlanders have an advantage in the interior with Peyton Prieskorn and the Ursuy brothers. Anything is possible in these type of games.

Southfield Arts and Tech at Stoney Creek (Tuesday): The Warriors picked up their first defeat on a buzzer beater by Trey Townsend and Oxford on Thursday after defeating the Wildcats on a buzzer beater last Tuesday. Southfield Arts and Tech is solid and will travel to Rochester to play a Cougars team that has been up and down. It will be interesting.

West Bloomfield at Oak Park (Tuesday): The Lakers have played a tough schedule and have had to overcome adversity. West Bloomfield will head to Oak Park to take on a Knights squad that has experience in Fred Garland and DeMonte Johnson. The Knights have also been battle tested and will provide a tough task for the Lakers.

Southfield Arts and Tech at Groves (Friday): The Falcons have lost four of five which has been a troubling spot for Coach Benny White’s team. The Warriors come to Beverly Hills rolling despite losing a buzzer beater to Oxford. This is Groves biggest game of the season thus far.

Seaholm at Berkley (Tuesday): The Maples have started to put things together. They will be tested by the Bears who have a ton of experience and firepower. Berkley has been rolling since the Troy loss. It should be very interesting to see what happens.

Seaholm at Royal Oak (Friday): The Maples have quietly made some noise in the Blue and thus going to Royal Oak is not an easy place to play. The Ravens have been an up and down team. I expect this game to be a low scoring game.

Grand Blanc at Ferndale (Saturday): The Bobcats come into Ferndale to take on an Eagles squad that should be battle tested. Ferndale has Colin Golston and Jayshawn Moore along with TreVon Lewis. We don’t know if Ty Rogers will play for Grand Blanc but it has been proven that the Bobcats can play well even without Rogers, just ask Waterford Mott that last week.

Top Games (Girls)- Jan 20th thru Jan 25th

Lapeer at Lake Orion (Tuesday): I don’t know where the Dragons mindset is after losing five straight games. Lake Orion has really struggled and is searching for answers. The Dragons will have to deal with Hannah Erla who torched Lake Orion last season scoring 30 points in a blowout at Lapeer. The Lightning have been up and down lately and have played a tough schedule which includes the likes of Midland, Saginaw Heritage, Grand Blanc, and Davison. It will be a tough challenge for Lake Orion.

Oxford at Lake Orion (Thursday): Both of these teams have been struggling but for different reasons. The Wildcats lost Mackenzie Methner for the season with a torn ACL but they have been very competitive. The Dragons have really struggled not taking care of the basketball. This is a rivalry game so anything can happen.

Clarkston at Royal Oak (Thursday): The Ravens are riding high after upsetting West Bloomfield creating a tie with Southfield Arts and Tech. The Wolves are a game back and would like to create a three way tie in the Red standings. Royal Oak is always a tough place to play so Clarkston has to be careful.

Adams vs Stoney Creek at Oakland (Friday): Anytime you have the Crosstown Showdown it makes for a great event. The matchup is interesting especially with the Highlanders experience going up against a Cougars team that has been battle tested in the Red. We’ll see where Adams mindset is at especially upsetting Troy Athens last week.

Avondale at Troy Athens (Friday): How will the Red Hawks respond after losing to Adams on Friday night??? The Red Hawks were 10-0 until that game. The Yellow Jackets have seemed to turn things around. It will be a tough test for Troy Athens to go up against a very experienced Avondale team.

Berkley at Groves (Tuesday): The Falcons would like to get back at the Bears after what happened last season in Berkley. Groves has been up and down in the Red while the Bears have been rolling. It will be a very interesting matchup between these two squads.

Seaholm at Milford (Tuesday): The Maples have seemed to turn things around a bit. They will be tested by a Mavericks squad that is well coached under Dave Browne. It will be a very interesting matchup to say the least.

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I have highest function of autism (Asperger Syndrome.) I'm a huge Dallas Stars fan. I like to play and watch football, especially when the Dragons play on Friday nights. I am a 2006 alum and used to play football for the Dragons. I ran track, I ran the 100, 200, 400 meter dashes along with shot-put and discus. During my time in Orion I was a manager for Junior Varsity Boys Basketball team. I'm the volleyball, girls basketball, and football announcer for the team and do the book on the road for girls basketball. I do the clock for volleyball in the fall along with girls basketball in the winter and announce some boys basketball games as well. In the spring I coach shot-put at Scripps Middle School, in my fifth season coaching. I run the shot-put for high school meets. I played Special Olympics Basketball, I've won three gold medals for them. I host "Between Taorminas" which is on ONTV along with a podcast called "OAA Now". In other various things outside of Lake Orion, I love to jet ski over Saginaw Bay. Saginaw Bay is basically my life. I'm a trained weather spotter for the National Weather Service for Oakland and Huron counties.