Michigan High School Basketball Bulletin

Michigan Tech gets a shot-blocker

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:19:49 UTC

Clare big man headed across the Bridge.

The defensive anchor of one of the top teams in Class C has made his college decision. 6-8 Clare senior James Wezensky committed today, Wednesday, to Michigan Tech. Mobile with a 7-foot wingspan, Wezensky is a terrific shot-blocker -- his 119 rejections as a junior was the 12th-best single-season mark in state history. He is athletic enough to get out on the floor and defend, and can turn ends and run the court. Wezensky's defense is ahead of his offense.

Wezensky becomes the second in-state frontcourt prospect in Michigan Tech's 2012 recruiting class, joining 6-7 Nic Stoll from Holly.

Young, Tatu have a shoot-out for the ages

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:42:13 UTC

Troy, Clarkston stars combine for 96 points.

Against a team versus whom opposing stars rarely go off, James Young blew up the whole paradigm. Clarkston's typically stiff team defense was victimized by the 6-6 Troy

Jared Purcell/MLiveJames Young showed why he's one of the country's top 20 juniors with a school-record 49 points in Troy's win at Clarkston.

junior's school-record 49 points and the No. 5 team in Class A suffered just its second loss of the season 79-74.

The smooth lefty made 17-of-29 field goals, including 3-for-6 three-pointers, and 12-of-16 field goals. In addition to the career high in points, Young also set it in rebounds with 20. It's impressive and encouraging that most of Young's points came driving or inside. This performance came against a Clarkston team with a Wolves legend in the stands -- Michigan State assistant Dane Fife, who is recruiting Young for the Spartans.

Young wasn't the only player having a career night. 6-1 Clarkston senior Nick Tatu sunk 12 three-pointers -- including two four-point plays -- and scored 47. The amazing thing was he made most of them while defended, and within the flow of Clarkston's offense.

This week's best-bet games in Michigan high school basketball

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:00:00 UTC

It's all about Wyoming (the suburb, not the state).

Tuesday, Feb. 7
Class B No. 17 Detroit Douglass @ Detroit Mumford
PSL playoff action, with deceptive records given Mumford's in the weak West, Douglass out of the rugged East Division. Mumford coach Ben Kelso hasn't won a state title in over two decades, but he still knows what he's doing. So does Douglass coach Nkwane Young, who hasn't won a state title but could soon challenge given the strength of Douglass' soph class, led by guard Darrell Davis. What you probably won't see here are many points scored. Douglass has had seven games where they finished under 50, while it's happened with Mumford six times.

Class A No. 3 Lansing Eastern @ Class A No. 7 East Lansing
Eastern is a game, East Lansing two games, behind Sexton in the CAAC Blue. The Quakers won the first meeting two months ago 85-72. A matchup to watch is 6-4 EL senior John McAdoo checking 6-4 Eastern senior Fredrick Edmonds.

Class B No. 14 Dearborn Divine Child @ Detroit Loyola
Loyola's only loss in the Catholic League West was to Divine Child, which is unbeaten in the league.

Class B No. 21 Sparta @ Class B No. 18 Fremont
A crossover game between the first-place team in the Lakes 8, Fremont, and O-K Blue, Sparta. The two best players on the court are either really big, Fremont's 6-9 senior Lucas McKian, or small, Sparta's 5-6 senior Zach Leach.

Class A No. 1 Clarkston @ Troy
Troy has won three straight and may be better for lightening the load with the departure of two starters. After a post-Christmas slump, 6-7 Troy junior James Young has played like one of the nation's elite 2013 prospects. But he still doesn't do anything in the post, the one spot where the Wolves are noticeably vulnerable.

Bongani Digital Images & Photography Moving to the SMAC and Class A hasn't fazed Dean Kolstad or his Gull Lake teammates.

Wednesday, Feb. 8
Bath @ Class C No. 14 Laingsburg
The best senior centers are Bath's 6-6 Brandon Brown and Laingsburg's 6-6 Lukas Genther, are their games couldn't be more different. Brown is all power, Genther finesse.

Friday, Feb. 10
Class A No. 10 Detroit U-D Jesuit @ Class A No. 8 Warren De La Salle
U-D won the first go-round 54-53, the second of what is now five straight wins as they shoot up the rankings. Senior forward Chris Jenkins was the hero for U-D last Friday against Catholic Central. He could be again if, as when these teams first played, his DLS counterpart Connar Tava finds himself in foul trouble.

Class A No. 12 Kalamazoo Central @ Class B No. 6 Stevensville-Lakeshore
Going into this week, Kazoo Central was a half-game ahead of Lakeshore and Niles for first in the SMAC West on account of playing one more game. The first time these two played, Lakeshore won -- at Central -- 69-63, despite a three-point third quarter. Expect lots of good, veteran guard play in this one.

Class A No. 25 Gull Lake @ Class B No. 21 Sturgis
Wolverine Conference represent! In its first season in the SMAC East, Gull Lake has grabbed first-place in the league. Don't buy into their off-court personas, where senior guard Xavier Prather and 6-5 junior Dean Kolstad are about as nice a couple kids as you'll find. When the ball goes up they evolve into hardcore competitors.

Ann Arbor Huron @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Two proud programs aren't currently ranked, but gotta love a rivalry game. Huron won the first meeting at home -- by a point. Homecourt and a healthy Jimmy Holman could be the difference here.

Class B No. 13 Grand Rapids Christian @ Class A No. 17 Greenville
They won't wow you, but Greenville is veteran, solid, and damn, if they're not one of just three undefeated teams left in Class A. They're a game ahead of GR Christian in the O-K White, having won the first meeting 74-65. If he wants to be remembered with Grand Rapids legends like Drew Neitzel, Matt Steigenga and David Kool -- the city's previous Mr. Basketball winners -- Christian soph Drake Harris needs to start putting some 30+ point monsters on his resume. Why not start now?

Saturday, Feb. 11
Class D No. 1 Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian @ Class B No. 5 Wyoming Godwin Heights
The football scores in the O-K Red aren't indicative of all West Michigan basketball. These teams are both fun to watch, and one of them is going home with with their first loss. Can Tri-Unity keep up with Godwin's speed?

MLive.com Michigan boys basketball rankings

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:00:00 UTC

Lansing also the capital of Class B basketball.

Class A

1. Detroit Pershing
2. Romulus
3. Lansing Eastern

Click here to see the full Class A Top 25

Class B

1. Lansing Sexton

2. Lansing Catholic Central
3. Detroit Crockett

Click here to see the full Class B Top 25

Class C

1. Detroit Consortium
2. Flint Beecher
3. Shelby

Click here to see the full Class C Top 25

Class D

1. Tri-Unity Christian
2. Southfield Christian
3. Bellaire

Click here to see the full Class D Top 25

Michigan high school basketball Class A team rankings

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:12:11 UTC

Pershing still No. 1, but Romulus boosts its "RPI".

1. Detroit Pershing 14-0 (No. 1 in previous week's rankings)
Beat Detroit Osborn 88-41.

2. Romulus 12-2 (No. 2)
Beat Dearborn 79-48; Muskegon Heights 86-51; then No. 6 Saginaw Arthur Hill 76-62.

3. Lansing Eastern 11-2 (No. 3)
Beat Holt 68-62.

4. Saginaw 12-1 (No. 4)
Beat Flint Southwestern 79-44.

5. Clarkston 12-1 (No. 5)
Beat West Bloomfield 70-41; Farmington Hills Harrison 89-49.

6. Petoskey 14-0 (No. 7)
Beat Traverse City Central 53-27.

7. East Lansing 10-2 (No. 8)
Beat St. Johns 71-40; Jackson 75-55.

8. Warren De La Salle 11-2 (No. 9)
Beat then No. 23 Novi Catholic Central 58-56; Orchard Lake St. Mary's 66-58.

9. Saginaw Arthur Hill 11-5 (No. 6)
Lost to Birmingham Country Day 65-55; then No. 2 Romulus 76-62.

10. Detroit U-D Jesuit 9-3 (No. 24)

Beat Birmingham Brother Rice 52-41; then No. 23 Novi Catholic Central 62-60.

11. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 10-3 (No. 11)
Beat Middleville 60-53.

12. Kalamazoo Central 10-4 (No. 12)
Beat Mattawan 82-61; Kalamazoo Loy-Norrix 81-69.

13. Ypsilanti 9-3 (No. 13)

Beat Tecumseh 52-34; Chelsea 60-48.

14. Detroit King 11-4 (No. 10)
Lost to Detroit Crockett 84-61.

15. Detroit Renaissance 12-3 (No. 14)
Beat Detroit Southwestern 74-40.

16. Niles 12-1 (No. 15)
Beat Portage Central 65-57; St. Joseph 68-40.

17. Greenville 14-0 (No. 16)
Beat East Grand Rapiods 79-76; Grand Rapids Creston 49-36.

18. Rockford 11-3 (No. 17)
Beat Grandville 62-49; then No. 18 Hudsonville 36-35.

19. Hudsonville 10-4 (No. 18)
Beat Jenison 71-55; lost to then No. 17 Rockforde 36-35.

20. Rochester 13-1 (No. 19)
Beat Lake Orion 73-67; Birmingham Seaholm 70-46.

21. Zeeland East 13-1 (No. 20)

Beat Hamilton 68-33; Zeeland West 59-39.

22. Bay City Western 9-4 (No. 21)
Beat Midland Dow 58-56; Saginaw Heritage 51-40.

23. Okemos 8-5 (No. 22)
Beat Corunna 81-37; Lansing Eveett 71-41.

24. Fenton 13-1 (NR)
Beat Ortonville Brandon 73-49; Linden 71-30.

25. Gull Lake 11-2 (No. 25)

Beat Marshall 67-45; Battle Creek Central 65-62.

Michigan high school basketball Class B team rankings

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:52:00 UTC

Lansing Catholic, Godwin Heights the last undefeated teams.

1. Lansing Sexton 11-1 (No. 1 in previous week's rankings)
Beat Grand Ledge 78-43.

2. Lansing Catholic Central 12-0 (No. 2)
Beat Corunna 82-46.

3. Detroit Crockett 13-2 (No. 3)
Beat Detroit King 84-61.

4. Birmingham Country Day 10-4 (No. 4)
Beat Saginaw Arthur Hill 65-55; Walled Lake Western 74-52; lost to LaPorte, Ind. LaLumiere 61-45.

5. Wyoming Godwin Heights 13-0 (No. 6)
Beat Grandville Calvin Christian 69-53; Kent City 89-46.

6. Stevensville-Lakeshore 13-1 (No. 7)
Beat Benton Harbor 76-41; Portage Northern 60-27.

7. Muskegon Heights 9-4 (No. 5)
Beat Muskegon Western Michigan Christian 63-22; lost to Romulus 86-51.

8. Dearborn Heights Robichaud 10-2 (No. 9)
Beat Dearborn Heights Crestwood 74-35; Dearborn Heights Annapolis 64-41.

9. Otsego 11-1 (No. 11)
Beat Vicksburg 67-49; South Haven 59-51.

10. Ferndale 10-3 (No. 12)
Beat Rochester Adams 58-53; Berkley 75-44.

11. Cadillac 9-3 (No. 8)
Lost to Traverse City West 69-60; beat Ogemaw Heights 55-37.

12. Harper Woods Chandler Park 11-4 (No. 13)
Beat then No. 16 Detroit Chavez 80-56; Warren Michigan Collegiate 103-67.

13. Grand Rapids Christian 10-3 (No. 14)
Beat Lowell 63-46; Grand Rapids Northview 62-57.

14. Dearborn Divine Child 11-2 (No. 15)
Beat Royal Oak Shrine 47-42.

15. Bridgeport 13-1 (No. 20)
Beat North Branch 62-39; Flint Hamady 62-60.

16. Detroit Community 9-5 (No. 10)
Beat Ypsilanti Willow Run 88-51; lost to River Rouge 50-48.

17. Detroit Douglass 10-6 (No. 18)
Beat Detroit Central 60-43.

18. Fremont 10-1 (No. 22)
Beat Spring Lake 51-45.

19. Detroit Chavez 10-3 (No. 16)
Lost to then No. 13 Chandler Park Academy 80-56; beat Dearborn Ford Acdemy 100-72.

20. Sturgis 10-3 (No. 17)
Beat Battle Creek Lakeview 76-62; lost to Marshall 54-49.

21. Sparta 10-3 (No. 19)
Lost to Cedar Springs 33-31; beat Coopersville 57-30.

22. Buchanan 11-2 (NR)
Beat then No. 21 Dowagiac 70-68; Cassopolis 70-38.

23. Clawson 13-1 (No. 24)
Beat Clintondale 58-49; Marine City 72-36.

24. Sault Ste. Marie 13-1 (No. 24)
Beat Pickford 74-40; Cheboygan 74-43.

25. Dowagiac 10-3 (No. 21)

Lost to Buchanan 70-68.

Michigan high school basketball Class C team rankings

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:34:24 UTC

Three newcomers to the top 25.

1. Detroit Consortium 8-4 (No. 1 in previous week's rankings)
Beat then No. 16 Detroit Allen 84-46.

2. Flint Beecher 14-0 (No. 2)
Beat Harper Woods 63-42; Mt. Morris 60-35.

3. Shelby 12-0 (No. 3)
Beat Mason County Central 54-41; Montague 61-32.

4. Pewamo-Westphalia 11-0 (No. 4)
Beat then No. 21 Laingsburg 49-45; Fowler 70-40.

5. Traverse City St. Francis 9-1 (No. 5)
Beat then No. 18 Elk Rapids 69-62; Kalkaska 75-28.

6. Madison Heights Madison 12-1 (No. 6)
Beat Warren Mott 80-74; Port Huron 88-64.

7. Madison Heights Bishop Foley 11-1 (No. 7)
Beat Macomb Lutheran North 74-51; Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook 65-36.

8. Clare 14-1 (No. 8)
Beat Sanford-Meridian 48-35; Coleman 65-36; Gladwin 67-35.

9. River Rouge 10-5 (No. 15)
Beat Lincoln Park 64-41; Detroit Community 50-48.

10. Detroit Loyola 10-3 (No. 12)
Beat Allen Park Cabrini 71-53; Royal Oak Shrine 63-45.

11. McBain 12-2 (No. 13)
Beat Beal City 65-50; Pine River 62-34.

12. Harbor Beach 13-1 (No. 11)
Beat Laker 45-37; Sandusky 46-43.

13. New Haven 11-2 (No. 20)
Beat Warren Lincoln 78-54; then No. 23 Mt. Clemens 65-59.

14. Laingsburg 9-3 (No. 21)
Lost to then No. 4 Pewamo-Westphalia 49-45; beat Fulton 58-43.

15. Melvindale ABT 10-5 (No. 17)
Lost to Saginaw Buena Vista 68-60; beat then No. 9 Detroit Midtown 68-65.

16. Detroit Midtown 7-1 (No. 9)
Lost to then No. 17 Melvindale ABT 68-65.

17. Detroit PEC 10-2 (NR)
Beat Detroit University Prep 69-49; then No. 10 Southfield Bradford 71-48.

18. Schoolcraft 10-3 (No. 14)
Beat Galesburg-Augusta 68-43; lost to Kalamazoo Hackett 80-70.

19. Mt. Clemens 10-4 (No. 23)
Lost to then No. 20 New Haven 65-59.

20. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 9-3 (NR)
Beat Muskegon Catholic Central 66-44.

21. Saginaw Buena Vista 8-5 (NR)
Beat then No. 17 Melvindale ABT 68-60.

22. Detroit Allen 11-4 (No. 16)
Lost to then No. 1 Detroit Consortium 84-46.

23. Elk Rapids 8-3 (No. 18)
Lost to then No. 5 Traverse City St. Francis 69-62; beat East Jordan 67-44.

24. Negaunee 12-1 (No. 24)
Beat Munising 55-40; Gwinn 69-45.

25. Flint Hamady 13-1 (No. 22)
Beat Burton Atherton 74-37; lost to Bridgeport 62-60.

Michigan high school basketball Class D team rankings

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:18:37 UTC

Kalamamazoo Phoenix cracks top 10.

1. Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian 13-0 (No. 1 in previous week's ranking)
Beat Howard City Tri-County 69-22; Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 84-58.

2. Southfield Christian 12-2 (No. 2)
Beat Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 77-43; Grosse Pointe University Liggett 77-73.

3. Bellaire 12-0 (No. 4)
Beat Inland Lakes 72-32; Central Lake 71-23.

4. Boyne Falls 11-1 (No. 5)
Beat East Jordan 62-54; Alba 75-37.

5. Fulton 11-2 (No. 3)
Beat Carson City-Crystal 58-23; lost to Laingsburg 58-43.

6. Pellston 12-1 (No. 7)
Beat Mancelona 69-46; Inland Lakes 73-34.

7. Carsonville-Port Sanilac 12-0 (No. 8)
Beat Memphis 46-26; Port Hope 65-24.

8. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 10-3 (No. 6)
Lost to Bridgeport 48-43; Shepherd 43-34.

9. Kalamazoo Phoenix 5-4 (No. 20)
Beat Carleton Academy 92-49; then No. 9 Climax-Scotts 64-60.

10. Climax-Scotts 13-1 (No. 9)
Beat Tekonsha 77-37; lost to then No. 20 Kalamazoo Phoenix 64-60.

11. Munising 12-1 (No. 10)
Lost to Negaunee 55-40; beat Superior Central 55-40.

12. Cedarville 11-1 (No. 11)
Lost to Charlevoix 80-57; beat DeTour 69-51.

13. North Adams-Jerome 13-1 (No. 12)
Beat Camden-Frontier 86-63; Jackson Christian 69-56.

14. Posen 14-1 (No. 13)
Beat Au Gres-Sims 56-55; Arenac Eastern 60-50.

15. Carney-Nadeau 11-2 (No. 19)
Beat No. 16 Powers North Central 40-39; Rock Mid-Peninsula 55-38.

16. Powers North Central 10-2 (No. 16)
Lost to then No. 19 Carney-Nadeau 40-39; beat Crystal Falls Forest Park 51-44.

17. McBain Northern Michigan Christian 10-3 (No. 14)
Beat Evart 75-55; Marion 58-13.

18. Bear Lake 13-1 (No. 15)
Beat Walkerville 64-25; Onekama 75-40.

19. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist 9-3 (No. 18)
Beat Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 68-49.

20. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart 9-4 (No. 17)
Lost to Saginaw Nouvel 46-42; beat Blanchard Montabella 54-38.

21. Clarkston Everest 11-2 (No. 21)
Beat Riverview Richard 39-27; Detroit Cristo Rey 42-33.

22. Ewen-Trout Creek 10-1 (No. 22)
Beat Ontonagon 75-52; Houghton 70-63.

23. St. Joseph Michigan Luthern 10-2 (No. 23)
Beat St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 68-33; Covert 69-65.

24. Marcellus Howardsville Christian 11-1 (NR)
Beat Centreville 50-49; Three Oaks River Valley 49-40.

25. Battle Creek St. Philip 10-3 (No. 25)
Lost to Bronson 58-50; beat Pittsford 46-39.

Bank Hoops' major college player of the week

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:21:54 UTC

February is beginning to look a lot like January for Providence's stud freshman.

LaDontae "Buckets" Henton was the January freshman of the month, ending the month and starting this week last Sunday with 33 points against South Florida. The 6-6 Providence freshman from Lansing Eastern made 10-of-14 shots, including 4-for-5

Associated PressLast week LaDontae Henton, a Providence College freshman from Lansing Eastern, played 122 minutes and made 21-of-29 shots.

three-pointers, and 9-of-11 free throws in that one, grabbing seven rebounds as well.

On Wednesday the Friars earned a rare Big East win, beating Rutgers 78-67. Henton, as he did against Florida, played all 40 minutes, scoring 15 on 5-of-7 field goals with nine rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots.

Saturday, Providence was just short against West Virginia, 87-84 in overtime. Henton scord 17 points on 6-for-8 field goals, including 5-of-6 three-pointers, with six rebounds and two steals. He didn't play 40 minutes in this one, it was 42.

So for the week, Buckets certainly lived up to his nickname, making 21-of-29 field goals, including 9-of-14 three-pointers.

Bank Hoops' small college player of the week

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:56:05 UTC

Country Day alumnus sets Davenport record.

James Nelson, a 6-2 senior from Birmingham Country Day, scored 31 points Saturday in Davenport's 82-63 win over Lourdes. In the process, he surpassed Nathan Cox for the most career field goals in Davenport history. He now has made 592 from the floor. Also

Davenport UniversityNo Davenport player has made more field goals than James Nelson.

against Lourdes, Nelson added six rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Earlier in the week, Nelson had 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in an 80-63 defeat of Concordia. Davenport is 23-3 and ranked No. 3 in the nation for NAIA II.

Bankhoops.com Spring Minicamp is April 1 in Lansing

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:15:00 UTC

Sunday, April 1 at Aim High in Lansing The state's longest running instructional/exposure minicamps are now in their eighth year, providing the perfect mix of high-end instruction, top-drawer competition and wide-spread exposure. The spring event is an ideal chance for unsigned seniors to get another look, younger players to get their names out to college coaches and hone their games...

Sunday, April 1 at Aim High in Lansing

The state's longest running instructional/exposure minicamps are now in their eighth year, providing the perfect mix of high-end instruction, top-drawer competition and wide-spread exposure. The spring event is an ideal chance for unsigned seniors to get another look, younger players to get their names out to college coaches and hone their games for the coming AAU season.

The camp consists of drills in the morning conducted by high school and college coaches, three games (with registered officials) after lunch.

The camp if for boys currently in grades 8-12.

NCAA Division 3, NAIA Division 1 and 2 and junior college coaches will be in attendance. Player evaluations and contact from the Bankhoops.com staff will be sent not just to the scouting service's 140 college clients, but to all programs in the Midwest and every Division I team in the country. Camp coverage will also appear on MLive and Bankhoops.com.

Camp alumni have gone on to play at schools like: Adrian, Albion, Alcorn State, Allegheny, Alma, Aquinas, Bucknell, Calvin, Central Michigan, University of Chicago, Chowan, Cleveland State, Concordia, Cornerstone, Davenport, Delta, Denison, DePauw, Detroit, Eastern Michigan, Elmhurst, Ferris State, Gardner-Webb, Grand Valley State, Goshen, Hillsdale, Hope, Illinois Tech, Indiana Tech, Kalamazoo, Kenyon, Lake Forest, Lake Superior State, Lawrence Tech, Lehigh, Madonna, Marygrove, UMass-Lowell, Michigan, UM-Dearborn, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota-Duluth, UMKC, Mott, Mt. Vernon Nazarene, UNC-Greensboro, Northern Michigan, Northwood, Oakland, Oberlin, Olivet, Palm Beach Atlantic, Penn, Rochester, Saginaw Valley State, Saint Anselm, Siena Heights, Southwest Baptist, Spring Arbor, Texas Southern, Tiffin, Trine, Trinity Christian, Toledo, Vincennes, Wagner, Wayne State, West Liberty State, Western Michigan, Wilberforce, William & Mary, Williams and Wright State.

The camp fee is $100 per player (group rates available) and includes jersey and lunch.

To register click here

For more information, contact sbell@bankhoops.com

Friday night's stars in Michigan high school basketball

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:18:44 UTC

Will anyone the 31-29 2OT Milford-Hartland epic make it?

Detroit Cesar Chavez' Kevin Logan went nuts with 43 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Chavez defeated Henry Ford Academy, which is from Detroit but not Detroit Henry Ford of the PSL, 100-72.

Detroit Osborn is in the PSL. They won their league tournament play-in game from Detroit CMA 60-50. 6-7 senior Eric Wise had another loopy line of 18 points, 20 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. 6-4 senior Marquise Dorsey had 28 points, 15 boards.

6-7 junior James Young had 36 points and 10 rebounds for Troy, which topped Rochester Adams 59-54.

He's good enough to have three names, 6-5 Taylor Truman sophomore Aaron Foster-Smith finished wit 31 points and eight rebounds as Truman held on against Lincoln Park 60-58.

Senior guard Paris Pereira had 30 points in Rochester's 70-48 win against Birmingham Seaholm.

Senior guard Chris Hass scored half of his 28 points in the first quarter and Pellston beat Inland Lakes 73-34.

6-6 Bath senior Brandon Brown continued with the Class C Kevin Love lines, finishing with 26 points and 16 rebounds in a 68-46 win against Carson City-Crystal.

Jakob Somerville had 31 points and 10 rebounds for Mason, which beat Lumen Christi 64-54. Impressive at the line where he went 14-of-14.

Senior guard Max Aleshire scored 30 points for Madison Heights Bishop Foley, a 66-33 winner over Cranbrook.

A nice one-two punch out of the East Lansing backcourt in a 75-55 win at Jackson. Junior Javon Haines had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists while senior Tracy Edmond scored 24.

More good guard play in the L.A. Butler signee Chris Harrison-Docks went for 23 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals in Okemos' 71-41 defeat of Everett.

6-8 CMU signee John Simons had his second straight 29-point game for Cadillac, which beat Ogemaw Heights 66-37.

6-7 Michigan Tech signee Nic Stoll finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Holly's 63-52 win against Ortonville-Brandon.

Bank Hoops' major college player of the month

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:32:08 UTC

Drake forward shooting it well.

It was January in Iowa, but that didn't cool the hot hand of Drake's Ben Simons in Missouri Valley Conference play. For the month, the 6-8 junior from Cadillac averaged

Associated PressBen Simons has reason to be happy. The Drake junior forward from Cadillac has doubled his scoring average from last season

17.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Over nine game,s he shot .518 from the field, .412 from three-point range and .958 from the free throw line.

Simons ended the month with an epic performance in January 28's triple-overtime game against Wichita State. He played 53 minutes and scored 29 points on 11-for-22 shooting. Drake beat the then first-place Shockers 93-86. It was the highest-scoring game by a Bulldog in over four years.

"He was incredible," Drake coach Mark Phelps said. "We have some sets where it looks like he's running around like a chicken with his head cut off. There is some method to that madness, but he obviously has great cardiovascular conditioning."

Simons has been at his best against likely NCAA Tournament teams. Prior to the Wichita State game, his season high point total was 24 in a win over Iowa State.

Simons is one of the Michigan prep alumni at the Division I level who has most improved from last year. Overall this season, he's doubled his scoring output from his sophomore campaign to 16.1 points per game, without affecting his shooting percentages.

Bank Hoops' small college player of the month

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:46:43 UTC

Snuggs holding it down for nation's No. 2 team.

Nate Snuggerud, a 6-5 junior from Zeeland East, was a stalwart inside for Hope College in January, when the Flying Dutchmen went 8-0 in MIAA games. During that stretch Snuggerud averaged 18.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, as Hope

Emily Zoldaz | The Grand Rapids PressHope College junior Nate Snuggerud (right) is the leading scorer and rebounder for the No. 2 team in NCAA Division III.

climbed to No. 2 in the nation in Division III.

Snuggerud closed the moth strong, with 28 points and 10 rebounds at Trine, then a career-high 31 points with seven boards against Alma. He was named the MIAA's player of the week for his efforts.

For the season, Snuggerud is Hope's leading scorer and rebounder at 15.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while shooting .589 from the field.

No. 4 P-W survives CMAC showdown, still undefeated

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:31:31 UTC

It's not just the big schools in the Lansing Area playing outstanding basketball.

Pewamo-Westphalia's Nick Spitzley is the top sophomore guard prospect in the Lansing Area. Laingsburg did a good job of limiting him, but he emerged when the undefeated Pirates needed him most.