LSJ Blogs: Get Prepped

Prep sports -- Weekend's Best -- Jan. 28-29

As cheer and gymnastics start having some of their biggest regular-season events, wrestling finished its invitational season with a few more significant ones to get teams rolling into this week's league finals. Here's a look at mid-Michigan's top five non-basketball performances from the weekend:

5. Haslett/Williamston/Bath gymnastics -- The Vikings won the St. Johns Invitational. Next up: CAAC favorite Grand Ledge.

4. Mason wrestling -- The Bulldogs finished second at the Bulldog Invitational, named as such because every team had Bulldogs as its mascot. Mason, No. 8 in Division 2, finished runner-up after losing 38-30 in the final to Division 1 No. 6 Brighton.

3. Mason cheer -- These Bulldogs won the Waverly Invitational, edging Charlotte and Lakewood. The latter is ranked among the top 10 in the state Division 3 poll.

2. Lakewood wrestling -- The Vikings finished up their tournament  season by winning their own invitational, including beating Caledonia in the final. Caledonia won the LWOA Invitational at Eastern in December and is coached by Shawn Veitch -- a former standout wrestler at Lakewood for his dad Bob, who continues to coach the Vikings.

1. Grand Ledge gymnastics -- The Comets edged Kenowa Hills/Grandville by 1.425 points to win the Kenowa Hills Invitational, which featured many of the top teams from the west side of the state. The Comets' Christine Wilson finished second all-around, and Alexis Byington won the floor exercise while competing in limited events.

Basketball: Final Buzzer -- 1/28/11

After a first half seemingly dominated by blowouts, "close finish" was the name of the game on the final Friday of January. 

THREE POINTER

1. Girls: Lakewood 34, Portland 29 -- What is going on in Lake O? In one week the Vikings beat the area's two best Class B teams (DeWitt on Tuesday) and improved to 8-4.

2. Girls: DeWitt 59, Haslett 55 -- Two starters down, the Panthers just kept battling despite a healthy deficit heading into the fourth quarter. 

3. Girls: East Lansing 57, St. Johns 51 (OT) -- The Trojans needed an extra period to hold off the Redwings after St. Johns went on a 22-8 run to end regulation. 

Game ball: DeWitt's Kait VanderMaas. Twice now I've been impressed with her rebounding -- she had eight Friday despite measuring in at 5-foot-6 or so.  As she was hitting some big baskets, I was thinking she could be huge while the Panthers play without two starters for an unknown amount of time. When I realized she finished with a game-high 20 points including 13 of 13 free throws, I decided it was one of the most clutch performances I've seen this season. Honorable mention to Lakewood's Anna Lynch, who had 10 of her 15 points in the final 1:36 of the win over Portland.  

Upset alert: Lakewood girls, for the second straight Final Buzzer. Although after beating both DeWitt and Portland this week, the Vikings are no longer underdogs.

WOW factor: East Lansing boys 82, St. Johns 60. It's just the third loss for the Redwings -- and it looks like the one-loss Trojans are ready for Tuesday's game against Eastern. 

Three more that caught my eye:

1. Boys: Charlotte 57, Eaton Rapids 54 -- The Orioles were my sleeper in the CAAC Gold and might still make a mess for some teams this season although their league chances are probably through. 

2. Girls: Holt 54, Okemos 33 -- The Rams are on a roll and now all alone in second place in the CAAC Blue. 

3. Girls: Waverly 58, Jackson Northwest 37 -- The Warriors had little trouble with the 8-3 Mounties despite missing two starters out with injuries. 

Final Five from the games I covered: Haslett boys 61, DeWitt 52; DeWitt girls 59, Haslett 55.

1. I have to give the Haslett seniors a lot of credit. If the Vikings win the girls game, guard Jessica Ray is the player of the game with a gutsy performance, while the rest of her classmates also played with a lot of heart. DeWitt has owned this rivalry again for quite a while, but the Vikings gave the Panthers a great run in what might be the seniors' final game against them (although I expect them to face off in districts). 

2. It's always great to see how players raise their games to fill in for injured teammates. With Stephanie Twait out for the season and Emily Goodenough out for this game, DeWitt needed a boost. Senior center Hannah Acre helped provide it, as did senior guard Kait VanderMaas and senior forwards Averie Conn and Kelly McGiveron among others. All-stater Dena Droste will hardly have to go it alone over the next two months. 

3. The best part about the Haslett boys is how well they work together. Whether it's as part of a zone defense, on the break or in the halfcourt on offense, it's really smooth. Senior Zach Parker said after that it's all about chemistry, and I've got to believe it. The Vikings have a bunch of athletes that each bring a few things to the gameplan without dominating it -- kind of like Lansing Catholic of the last two years. 

4. DeWitt will bounce back as more players get comfortable helping Jordan Johnson with the scoring load. He's really leading the way, but in this one had only one point before the final three minutes. That's going to happen as the focal point against a physical defense-built opponent. And other Panthers will need to give him more help. Junior Nick Iacobellis showed he can be one of them with 19 points.

5. Finally, a sizable crowd stuck around for the girls game of a CAAC doubleheader I covered, and it was well worth it for those fans -- the girls game was the best of the two by far. My theory has been that spectators would take advantage of the doubleheader opportunity when it featured a strong girls matchup, and the difference between this and other games was that at least some students for both schools stayed to support their classmates in the late game. I hope this is just the start. 

State Journal rankings

GIRLS

Class A-B: 1. East Lansing (9-3), 2. Waverly (10-2), 3. DeWitt (11-2), 4. Olivet (12-1), 5. St. Johns (10-2), 6. Holt (8-4), 7. Lakewood (8-4), 8. Portland (8-4), 9. Okemos (7-5), 10. Lansing Catholic (9-4). 

Class C-D: 1. Pewamo-Westphalia (12-1), 2. Bath (11-1), 3. Laingsburg (9-3), 4. Lansing Christian (12-2), 5. Portland St. Patrick (9-4), 6. Morrice (9-5), 7. Leslie (5-7), 8. Fowler (5-7), 9. Dansville (6-6), 10. Ithaca (4-8). 

BOYS

Class A-B: 1. Sexton (9-0), 2. Eastern (10-2), 3. East Lansing (10-1), 4. Okemos (9-2), 5. Williamston (10-1), 6. Lansing Catholic (7-3), 7. Waverly (8-3), 8. Haslett (8-3), 9. Owosso (8-3), 10. Olivet (7-4). 

Class C-D: 1. Pewamo-Westphalia (8-2), 2. Bath (8-2), 3. Fulton (8-2), 4. Laingsburg (8-2), 5. Ithaca (6-5), 6. Morrice (6-7), 7. Ashley (5-6), 8. Portland St. Patrick (6-4), 9. Maple Valley (5-5), 10. Dansville (4-6). 

Links for tonight's schedule/scores/stats and Twitter

In just a few clicks you can get plenty of real-time information to follow tonight's high school basketball action. 

For a list of tonight's games, and then the scores and stats as they come in, click on the links below:

Girls: http://www.highschoolsports.net/local/Lansing/Scores/Basketball/Varsity/Girls/latest/All/

Boys: http://www.highschoolsports.net/local/Lansing/Scores/Basketball/Varsity/Boys/latest/All/

I'll be offering in-game updates from the DeWitt/Haslett boys and girls games via Twitter @lsj_hssports. But you'd don't have to sign up to follow -- just watch the lower right side of this blog post and refresh regularly. 

Also check back with "Get Prepped" late night or Saturday morning for a collection of highlights and analysis from the best of tonight's games. 

And be sure to tune in to my Blitz Picks pal Jeremy Sampson and WILX 10 at 11:15 tonight for its first broadcast in HD. They're sending the high-def cameras to area hoops games, and it should be an awesome display. 

Basketball: Final Buzzer -- 1/26/11

Some significant girls results highlighted by a state-impacting upset top this night's slate of mid-Michigan basketball games.

THREE POINTER

1. Girls: Lakewood 44, DeWitt 38 -- One of the last things I said before I left the office Tuesday was this game provided an unlikely, but slightly possible upset opportunity. The Panthers are No. 4 in Class B, and I'm not sure I actually thought it would happen. But the Vikings have been capable of it. 

2. Girls: Waverly 55, St. Johns 43 -- The Warriors have the upper hand in the CAAC Red with this win on the Redwings' home court. 

3. Boys: Williamston 53, Haslett 51 -- The Hornets came back from a six-point halftime deficit to avoid being another ranked team that got upset. 

Game ball: Lakewood's defense held DeWitt to only 38 points, the Panthers' season low and 14 below their average. This Vikings' basketball program gets overshadowed quite a bit by the school's volleyball success, but a lot of the fall stars make big impacts during the winter as well -- and this night especially. 

Upset alert: Again, Lakewood's win would be the one. But honorable mention to Carson City-Crystal, which ended a 29-game losing streak in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference by beating Potterville 34-33. It was the Eagles' first win this season, while Potterville fell to 5-7.

WOW factor: After hovering near .500 during the first part of the schedule, Waverly's boys have won two big ones in the CAAC Red, including 72-53 on Tuesday over St. Johns. The Warriors improved to 7-3 while handing the Redwings their second loss of the season. Last week, Waverly handed Owosso one of its few losses so far. 

Three more that caught my eye:

1. Boys: Sexton 68, Jackson Lumen Christi 29 -- This is significant because the Big Reds held 6-7 Dan Chilcote to just eight points, a big plus for a team known most for its versatile offense.  

2. Boys: Eastern 61, Owosso 49 -- The Quakers continued to roll against a solid CAAC Red opponent. 

3. Boys: Holt 48, Everett 45 -- Cole Darling graduated, but brother Blake led the way as the Rams came back in the fourth quarter. 

Final Five: No game for me Tuesday, but tune in later this week for a midseason report on the girls basketball season and Sunday for our annual "Catch 22" football recruiting package.

Tonight's basketball schedule and results

Check out the links below for tonight's boys and girls high school basketball schedule, and also for scores and stats as we get them later this evening. 

Boys: http://www.highschoolsports.net/local/Lansing/Scores/Basketball/Varsity/Boys/latest/All/

Girls: http://www.highschoolsports.net/local/Lansing/Scores/Basketball/Varsity/Girls/latest/All/

 

College commitments galore

Football signing day is just a bit more than a week away, and a number of area commitments are filing in. We're up to 21 total for Division I or II plus three more for the new NAIA program at Siena Heights.

Check the link at right for "The Next Level" to see all of our senior athletes who have signed or committed for any sport. We posted an update on three DeWitt football players earlier today, but I've heard about four more since, so I've added those in below:

Seven more mid-Michigan football players have announced where they will play collegiately this fall:

• DeWitt seniors Caleb and Jacob Higbie and Nathaniel Deak have committed to sign with Division II football programs next week. The Higbie twins will sign with Saginaw Valley State, while Deak will sign with Ferris State. Both schools play in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. SVSU finished 4-7 and Ferris was 5-6 last fall. Caleb Higbie, a quarterback, threw for 2,571 yards and 34 touchdowns and ran for 1,199 yards and 11 scores in making the Division 3-4 all-state team in his final season. Jacob Higbie caught 62 passes for 974 yards and 18 touchdowns and earned an all-state honorable mention as a defensive back. Deak made the Class B all-area team as a running back with 1,186 yards and 20 touchdowns carrying the ball. Deak will join teammate Jordan Johnson, who last week also committed to Ferris State.
• Holt linebacker Mike Smith will sign with Wayne State, defensive back Nick Thomas with Saginaw Valley State and quarterback/safety Jake Gallimore with Siena Heights. Smith had 93 tackles last fall in earning a Division 1-2 all-state honorable mention. Thomas had 28 tackles and an interception, and both he and Gallimore made the all-CAAC Blue team for defense. Gallimore ran for 588 yards, threw for 486, and had 17 tackles. Siena Heights will field its first team this fall and plays in the NAIA. Wayne State is in the GLIAC and finished 9-2 last season in winning the South division.
• Grand Ledge senior safety Brett Johnson will sign with Grand Valley State after also earning a Division 1-2 all-state honorable mention last fall. He finished with 50 tackles and five interceptions for the Comets. GVSU finished 11-2 overall and won the GLIAC North while finishing first in the overall league standings.

Prep sports -- Weekend's Best -- Jan. 21-22

A variety of events over the weekend means a variety of non-basketball top performances for our weekly list.

5. Charlotte cheer -- The Orioles finished second at the Lakewood Invitational (behind out-of-area Plainwell), but notable was that Charlotte finished just ahead of both Lakewood and Ovid-Elsie, state-ranked teams in Division 3. Charlotte is a Division 2 team, but regardless it was a solid showing.

4. Fowlerville wrestling -- The CAAC Gold leader was undefeated in winning its invitational, including a big win over Division 4 No. 6 Springport.

3. Everett swimming -- Blake Howe won both the backstroke and butterfly in the Haslett Invitational, with those times both Division 1 state cuts (Also, Grand Ledge freshman Xinghao Wang also achieved a state cut in winning the breaststroke).

2. St. Johns wrestling -- Another week, another big win for the Redwings. This time they took down Oxford, No. 3 in Division 1 after falling a spot in the most recent rankings.

1. Holt wrestling -- The Division 1 No. 7 Rams finished second at their own invitational over the weekend, just behind No. 5 Temperance Bedford but ahead of No. 2 Davison.

Basketball: Final Buzzer -- 1/21

We're rolling into the midpoint of the basketball season, and things are starting to get good. League races all over the area got charged up on this night, and the best is still to come. 

THREE POINTER

1. Boys: East Lansing 75, Okemos 67 -- Guess which team is first in the CAAC Blue? It's not Eastern or the Chieftains anymore. And I think more than a few of us are surprised. 

2. Girls: Portland 44, Lansing Catholic 37 -- Both entered undefeated in the CAAC White, and the Raiders left with a one-game lead. 

3. Boys: Bath 57, Fulton 55 -- The Bees and P-W are the two left standing after four teams tied for first in the CMAC faced off in two games Friday. 

Game ball: East Lansing juniors John McAdoo and Tracy Edmond combined for 35 points as the Trojans pulled to 8-1. They were without senior Tyler Tucker, who was at his official visit at Miami of Ohio, where he'll sign for football. But McAdoo and Edmond were two of five East Lansing players who scored in double figures, and they steadied the ship through a rough start and fast finish. 

Upset alert: Potterville boys 72, Dansville 65 in overtime. This is a bit of a stretch, but Dansville was 4-4 coming in and Potterville was 1-6. 

WOW factor: In Olivet's girls win over Maple Valley, Katy Barkley had a triple-double (11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) and teammate Erika Isham had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds). 

Three more that caught my eye:

1. Boys: Haslett 65, Eaton Rapids 54 -- The Greyhounds were looking like the top obstacle for Haslett in the CAAC Gold. 

2. Girls: DeWitt 47, Ionia 41 -- I think this speaks more to Ionia's improvement perhaps, but also DeWitt's ability to come back from a tough loss Tuesday to East Lansing. 

3. Boys: Webberville 45, Dryden 38 -- The Spartans have had an especially rough go in a few games, so it's great to see them get a first victory. 

Final Five from the games I covered: East Lansing boys 75, Okemos 67; East Lansing girls 58, Okemos 40

1. The CAAC Blue boys race just got closer and it's going to finish that way. I don't see East Lansing, Okemos or Eastern finishing with more than three losses in the league -- and the Trojans don't have any so far, with the other two having one apiece. Holt and Jackson are potential stoppers, but I think the champ wins the league with one loss. Now take a guess at which team I think will win. 

2. Okemos' boys got off to a 24-9 start using some nifty pick-and-roll on offense and some drive-and-dish that created more open shots. But the East Lansing defense just got pesky from the second quarter on. I have to admit, I was a little wary of how the Trojans' run-and-gun might fare against a team of Okemos' quality. But East Lansing's defense allowed for some misses on the other end of the floor -- and the Trojans didn't miss as much when it counted. First-year coach Steve Finamore has really come up with something here. 

3. I talked up John McAdoo after the East Lansing/Holt game, so I'll do the same this time with junior point guard Tracy Edmond. He was a steadying presence and played smart but with energy. And sophomore guard Javon Haines had the biggest third quarter of his brief career with eight of his 13 points. 

4. The East Lansing girls' younger players are coming along. Freshman guard Meechi Thompson never seemed like a first-year varsity player in the first place, and sophomore forward Piper Tucker has been like a veteran from opening night. Sophomore 6-foot-3 center Kelcie Haizlip looks like she's making some strides as well, which would be a significant boost heading into the postseason. 

5. Okemos' Hannah Hoffman is 6-3 on the roster, but she towered over the rest of the players on the court Friday, including the tall frontcourt of the Trojans. She has improved a bunch since last season and really gets up on her shot and to grab rebounds. Her five straight double-doubles are simply impressive. A coach in the know told me Ferris State is getting a steal. And the Chieftains have a solid guard tandem to build upon in freshman Kristelle Yewah and junior Julia Grisdela.

State Journal rankings

GIRLS

Class A-B: 1. East Lansing (7-3), 2. Waverly (8-2), 3. DeWitt (10-1), 4. St. Johns (9-1), 5. Portland (7-3), 6. Olivet (10-1), 7. Okemos (6-4), 8. Grand Ledge (6-4), 9. Holt (6-4), 10. Haslett (7-4).

Class C-D: 1. Pewamo-Westphalia (10-1), 2. Bath (9-1), 3. Laingsburg (7-2), 4. Lansing Christian (9-2), 5. Portland St. Patrick (8-3), 6. Morrice (7-5), 7. Fowler (4-5), 8. Dansville (5-5), 9. Leslie (5-4), 10. Potterville (5-6). 

BOYS

Class A-B: 1. Sexton (7-0), 2. Eastern (7-2), 3. East Lansing (8-1), 4. Okemos (7-2), 5. Williamston (8-2), 6. Lansing Catholic (5-3), 7. Waverly (6-3), 8. Owosso (8-1), 9. Haslett (7-2), 10. St. Johns (7-1). 

Class C-D: 1. Pewamo-Westphalia (7-2), 2. Bath (7-2), 3. Fulton (7-2), 4. Laingsburg (6-2), 5. Ithaca (5-4), 6. Morrice (5-6), 7. Ashley (4-5), 8. Portland St. Patrick (6-3), 9. Maple Valley (4-4), 10. Lansing Christian (3-7). 

Prep basketball: Area stat leaders 1/21/11

The following were either submitted by coaches or, for some scoring and 3-pointers, tallied by our score reporting software. They also appeared in Friday's LSJ. Coaches or statisticians should send candidates by 1 p.m. each Wednesday by e-mail to gkimmerly@lsj.com or fax at 377-1298. 

Girls basketball
SCORING points/games avg.
Ciara Jackson (Holt Lutheran) 6/125 20.8
Sam Perez (Webberville) 7/145 20.7
Dena Droste (DeWitt) 10/202 20.2
Deborah Hoekstra (East Lansing) 9/173 19.2
Mandy Johnson (Holt) 9/168 18.7
Katy Barkley (Olivet) 10/184 18.4
Kaitlyn Theisen (Saranac) 10/183 18.3
Natalie Markell (Morrice) 10/168 16.8
Kristy Droste (P-W) 9/144 16.0
Jordyn Nurenberg (St. Johns) 9/143 15.9
Kelly Christopherson (Eastern) 9/140 15.6
Erika Isham (Olivet) 10/150 15.0
Allison Heberlein (Lansing Catholic) 9/132 14.6
Hannah Hoffman (Okemos) 9/129 14.3
Jessica Ritchey (Potterville) 10/139 13.9
Linnea Brandholm (Ovid-Elsie) 9/122 13.6 
Lauren Epple (Williamston) 9/120 13.3
Nina Foster (Everett) 9/118 13.1
Taylor Bovee (Ionia) 9/116 12.8
Kallie Allen (Fowlerville) 10/125 12.5
REBOUNDS Average
Hannah Hoffman (Okemos) 12.6
Jordyn Nurenberg (St. Johns) 11.9
Jessica Wenzel (Ithaca) 11.0
Bekah Guy (Dansvile) 9.9
Erika Isham (Olivet) 9.7
Emily Klauka (Holt) 9.6
Deborah Hoekstra (East Lansing) 9.3
Sadie Guernsey (Saranac) 9.3
Kelly Christopherson (Eastern) 9.1
Alison Schmidt (Holt Lutheran) 9.0
Anna Lynch (Lakewood) 9.0
Kristy Droste (P-W) 9.0
ASSISTS Average
Katy Barkley (Olivet) 6.4
Abby Hedemark (Dansville) 4.4
Robyn Robinson (Holt) 3.5
Noelle Miles (Waverly) 3.3
Devin Munroe (Lansing Christian) 3.2
Dena Droste (DeWitt) 3.1
Deborah Hoekstra (East Lansing) 3.0
Sara Schneider (CC-Crystal) 3.0
Taylor Roe (Portland) 3.0
Taylor McKay (Waverly) 3.0
Maddie King (Lakewood) 3.0
Mikaly Terry (Lansing Christian) 2.7
Miranda Rogers (Haslett) 2.7
STEALS Average
Ciara Jackson (Holt Lutheran) 9.0
Katy Barkley (Olivet) 4.8
Chelsey Wesley (Morrice) 4.7
Jessica Ritchey (Potterville) 4.3
Taylor McKay (Waverly) 3.5
Dena Droste (DeWitt) 3.3
Miranda Rogers (Haslett) 3.3
Deborah Hoekstra (East Lansing) 3.0
Taylor Roe (Portland) 3.0
DeAnna Stickler-Gatson (Waverly) 3.0
Kelly Christopherson (Eastern) 2.8
Bianca Cavazos (Eaton Rapids) .2.7
Maddie King (Lakewood) 2.7
BLOCKS Average
Hannah Hoffman (Okemos) 4.2
Erika Isham (Olivet) 3.6
Sarah Trierweiler (Portland) 3.6
Starr Allen (Everett) 3.2
Autumn Barratt (Leslie) 2.3
Kelly Christopherson (Eastern) 2.2
Alex Hallenbeck (St. Johns) 1.9
Chelsi Scott (Portland) 1.8
Molly Duda (Haslett) 1.4
Jasmine Wood (Waverly) 1.3
Deborah Hoekstra (East Lansing) 1.2
Emily Ward (CC-Crystal) 1.2
3-POINTERS Total
McKensie Churchill (CC-Crystal) 22
Dena Droste (DeWitt) 22
Maggie Jenison (Lansing Christian) 22
Mandy Johnson (Holt) 20
Linnea Brandholm (Ovid-Elsie) 18
Sarah Swartz (Ionia) 17
Julia Grisdela (Okemos) 17
Lexie Spetoskey (Lakewood) 17
Kaitlyn Theisen (Saranac) 16
Natalie Markell (Morrice) 16
Krista Jandernoa (Fowler) 16
Deborah Hoekstra (East Lansing) 15

Boys basketball
SCORING points/games avg.
LaDontae Henton (Eastern) 8/218 27.3
Tyler Fitch (New Covenant) 7/177 25.3
Chris Harrison-Docks (Okemos) 8/192 24.0
Travis Wells (Eaton Rapids) 7/159 22.7 
Jordan Johnson (DeWitt) 7/158 22.6
Ryan Watz (Morrice) 10/201 20.1
Tyrin Wade (Sexton) 6/111 18.5
Jeff O’Brien (Stockbridge) 10/180 18.0
Tyler Walden (Fulton) 8/144 18.0
Scott Besko (St. Johns) 8/141 17.6
Tim Johnson (Olivet) 8/135 16.9
Devin Allen (Stockbridge) 10/163 16.3
Mack McKearney (Okemos) 8/128 16.0
Skyelar Moore (Waverly) 8/128 16.0 
Tim Scott (Holt) 7/111 15.9
Nick Spitzley (P-W) 8/126 15.8
Rashaun Carroll (Waverly) 8/117 14.6
Andrew Wade (Laingsburg) 8/117 14.6
Anthony Clemmons (Sexton) 6/86 14.3
Devlin Bell (East Lansing) 8/114 14.2
REBOUNDS Average
Otavio Rovai (New Covenant) 13.1
Paul Pung (St. Patrick) 11.3
Jimmie Cotter (Grand Ledge) 9.3

Mack McKearney (Okemos) 8.9

Jeff O’Brien (Stockbridge) 8.3
Lucas Slater (Ithaca) 8.1
Jordan Johnson (DeWitt) 7.7
Denzel Valentine (Sexton) 7.6
Cody Johnson (Fulton) 7.5
Gavin Rhoades (Owosso) 7.4
Tim Scott (Holt) 7.3
Jalen Hayes (Sexton) 7.2
ASSISTS Average
Denzel Valentine (Sexton) 8.0
Tracy Edmond (East Lansing) 5.0
Zach Markell (Morrice) 4.6
Zach Porritt (Haslett) 4.4
Eric Litwiller (Fulton) 4.3
Anthony Clemmons (Sexton) 4.0
Andrew Wade (Laingsburg) 3.8
Jeff O’Brien (Stockbridge) 3.8
Travis Wells (Eaton Rapids) 3.4
Tyler Jones (Owosso) 3.3
Ryan Watz (Morrice) 3.2
Connor Zamiara (DeWitt) 3.0
Zach Baker (Fulton) 3.0
David Brown (Ithaca) 3.0
STEALS Average
Denzel Valentine (Sexton) 5.4
Dylan Schultz (Williamston) 5.1

Mack McKearney (Okemos) 4.3
David Simon (St. Patrick) 4.0
Zach Markell (Morrice) 3.9
Ryan Wilcox (St. Patrick) 3.8
Brandon Trefil (Fulton) 3.3
Jeff O’Brien (Stockbridge) 3.3
Anthony Clemmons (Sexton) 3.2
Ryan Watz (Morrice) 3.1
Zach Parker (Haslett) 3.0
Corey Hungerford (Fulton) 3.0
BLOCKS Average
Cameron Gonzalez (Morrice) 2.5
Jalen Hayes (Sexton) 2.3
Josh Stambaugh (Morrice) 1.6
Jimmy Kodet (Williamston) 1.5
Nate VanDyk (Lansing Christian) 1.4
Lukas Genther (Laingsburg) 1.1
Austin Buchmayer (Owosso) 1.1
Ramadan Ahmeti (Waverly) 0.8
3-POINTERS Total
Tyler Walden (Fulton) 27
Darrian Pitcher (Potterville) 27
Ryan Watz (Morrice) 25
Travis Wells (Eaton Rapids) 21
Chris Harrison-Docks (Okemos) 20
Jordan Johnson (DeWitt) 17
John McAdoo (East Lansing) 17
Andrew Nieman (Owosso) 17
Andrew Wade (Laingsburg) 17
Devlin Bell (East Lansing) 16
Zach Porritt (Haslett) 16
Andrew Rogers (Perry) 15
Grant Svendsen (Bath) 15

 

Basketball: Final Buzzer -- 1/18

East Lansing remains the top girls basketball team in mid-Michigan after Tuesday's games, while Waverly saw what it will take to finish No. 1 in Class A this winter. And those were the stories from just two of nearly 40 area games. 

THREE POINTER

1. Girls: East Lansing 51, DeWitt 47 -- Matchup inside the matchup saw top area players Dena Droste (23 points) vs. Deborah Hoekstra (12 points, nine rebounds, five assists). 

2. Boys: Grand Ledge 47, Pewamo-Westphalia 46 -- Days after taking control of the CMAC, the Pirates found themselves on the bad side of Grand Ledge's first win this season. 

3. Girls: Inkster 66, Waverly 35 -- The Warriors played the No. 1 team in Class A a lot closer than this for three quarters. 

Game ball: Morrice's Ryan Watz scored 31 points in a 57-50 win over Byron, making that two games in a row with 30 or more. 

Upset alert: Definitely the Comets' win over P-W, which was finished by a winning shot by Jordan Loredo with 8 seconds to play. Although Grand Ledge is Class A and P-W is Class C, this is still a big win. 

WOW factor: East Lansing boys 80, DeWitt 40 -- The Trojans will be riding high heading into Friday's CAAC Blue first-place showdown with rival Okemos. 

Three more that caught my eye:

1. Boys: Williamston 60, Jackson Lumen Christi 40 -- Significant win against a team with a solid post player as the Hornets continue to build toward another big finish. 

2. Girls: Lansing Christian 49, Albion 46 -- The Pilgrims finished the first half of the season with a solid 8-2 record. 

3. Boys: Portland 64, Bath 63 -- The Raiders outscored the Bees 22-10 in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to three 3-pointers by Jared Krausz. 

Final Five from the game I covered: Inkster girls 66, Waverly 35

1. Even a little to my surprise, given Inkster's incredible height advantage, this game was pretty close until the final minute of the third quarter. Inkster broke it open with a 26-7 advantage over the final 8 minutes. But the Warriors somehow outrebounded the Vikings by one, despite Inkster having five players 6-foot or taller. That's something to build upon. Taylor McKay had 10 rebounds for Waverly.

2. As the first game after semester break, this also was the first appearance for sophomore Victoria Milton (Sexton transfer) and junior Sylvia Maxwell (Eastern). They change the Warriors substantially -- and were major reasons Waverly stayed in this game. Milton was an all-leaguer last season and will be solid as she continues working into the offense, but Maxwell was really impressive -- she had the best game for Waverly and should be another big plus. 

3. Inkster coach Peggy Carr said her team had a tough time at first because Waverly came out with a zone defense -- most teams have tried man-to-man against the Vikings. The Warriors struggled offensively, but should take a mini victory from being able to contain Inkster for 23 minutes. 

4. Although not these Warriors, Waverly has seen some of Inkster's stars before: Seniors Crystal Bradford and Jas'Mine Bracey were on Detroit Community's 2008 team that beat the Warriors in the Class B state quarterfinals and finished state runner-up. Bracey had eight points and 13 rebounds and was immovable as a 6-2 post. Bradford had 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, with 10 of those points coming to start the fourth quarter. She's a Miss Basketball favorite. Both are among four Division I signees on their team. 

5. If Waverly is to see Inkster again, it would be in the Class A state final. And with Milton and Maxwell added in, the Warriors chances of getting there went up significantly, although there is plenty of work ahead. The 10 of 54 shooting from the floor is the biggest thing -- the Warriors can run and press with the best in the area, but teams are going to stuff the middle and force them to shoot from the perimeter. If they can do that, the possibilities are great.