The "Buzzer" is back, and just in time for East Lansing to post its biggest win in three years while other area teams push for strong finishes with March just a few days away.
THREE POINTER
1. Boys: East Lansing 82, Eastern 75 -- The Trojans avenged an earlier-February loss to claim an unexpected share of the CAAC Blue title.
2. Boys: Lansing Catholic 73, Haslett 44 -- The Cougars are trying to hang on to a share of the CAAC White title, and did some heavy damage on the CAAC Gold champ.
3. Girls: Pewamo-Westphalia 62, Bath 39 -- The Pirates are one game away from a perfect 18-0 run through the CMAC after knocking off the talented Bees for the second time.
Upset alert: Grand Ledge boys 56, Holt 42 -- Although the Rams have just six wins, they've played some good teams close. Grand Ledge has just two wins, but this is a big one as the Comets look to finish strong.
WOW factor: Just eight days after a nine-point loss to Grand Ledge, Holt's girls stormed back with a 56-38 win over the Comets in the rematch.
Three more that caught my eye:
1. Boys: St. Johns 53, Owosso 46 -- The Redwings' comeback season continued with a win over the Trojans that made St. Johns 12-6.
2. Girls: Portland St. Patrick 45, Potterville 43 -- Nicole Schneider had a steal and layup with 30 seconds left to pull the Shamrocks ahead to stay and up to 13-6 this winter.
3. Boys: Ionia 65, Portland 59 -- The Bulldogs quietly have had a comeback season themselves, and improved to 11-6 by beating the 10-7 Raiders.
Final five from the game I covered: East Lansing boys 82, Eastern 75
1. You’ve got to hand a lot to the Trojans. They’ve been better than anyone expected, and they’re continuing to improve while others have hit a plateau. They've learned to win under pressure. And that will take them from very good to very dangerous against elite teams from outside who might look past them.
2. I've contended that Eastern is my pick to make the deepest Class A playoff run because LaDontae Henton can take over a game. This time, the Quakers trailed by too much -- 19 heading into the fourth quarter. But although Henton had an off night at the free-throw line, that was about the only thing he didn't do well. His 21 fourth-quarter points included three 3-pointers, and I had him making 61 percent of his shots from the floor despite firing from all over the place. He's a rare talent, even around here. I'll pay a lot more attention to Dayton Flyers men's basketball next season.
3. Classy move by East Lansing coach Steve Finamore after the game taking back a comment that made many scratch their heads in December. After the Trojans fell to Rockford at the Meijer Holiday Hoops Invitational, Finamore referred to the Rams’ Ryan Majerle as the likely Mr. Basketball winner this season. And Majerle is obviously great. But if Henton’s ridiculous performance in this one didn’t add another bottle of cement to that deal, I’m not sure what else he can do. Finamore said he’ll be voting for the Quakers’ star.
4. Also awesome to see some fire coming from Finamore after the game. He mentioned how no one expected much from East Lansing in this one -- and he was mostly right. But the Trojans have earned respect, and again with this win. Of course, he was exaggerating quite a bit saying he might not have an all-leaguer -- Devlin Bell and Tracy Edmond are definitely all-leaguers -- but I get where he's coming from. Trust me: statewide, people are taking notice.
5. Before the game, the Quakers had a moment of silence for James Porter, who died a week ago, was buried Tuesday, and was sophomore Steven Haney's grandfather. Porter, whose nephews included Magic Johnson, was well-known around the city for his contributions to athletics at the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing and with the Special Olympics. WLNS reported before the game that Haney was playing in honor of his grandfather Tuesday, and he came off the bench to score 14 points, with four 3-pointers.
High school sports editor 
