East Lansing - The Breslin Center

Vikings Withstand Style Shock, Hold On For Win
When Lakewood took the floor to get things going at the Holiday Hoops Classic, they knew they would be in for a basketball game that would test their patience.  The Red Arrows from Lowell did that and with good success I might add.  Lowell runs an offense similar to Princeton in the college ranks.  They must execute a certain number of passes even before looking for the shot, unless the shot is wide open.  It's an offense based on precision and driving the opposition mad. 

After the first half, Lakewood managed to scrounge up a minimal lead with a score of 13-10.  Lowell did a great job of running their specialized offense but on the defensive end is where they really kept the game close.  Every loose ball, every shot and every pass was contested with great energy. 

The 2nd half pace picked up a little with the teams combining for 25 points each quarter vs. the 13 and 10 of the first and second.  Lakewood took a 6 point lead into the fourth quarter but Lowell was far from washed up.  Both teams traded baskets back and fourth until about midway through the final period where Lowell made their final move.  Lowell's Brett McMahon nailed a three ball with just over two minutes to go to cut the lead to 3 at 38-35.  It was the last bucket of the game for either team.  Lowell had several chances to tie the game, aided by several misses at the free throw line by Lakewood.  Lakewood's Michael Barbour sealed the deal with a steal, with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game.  The Vikings again missed at the charity stripe but their wasn't enough time for Lowell to get a good shot off as they launched a last gasp, full court prayer. 

Lowell was led by both McMahon and Justin Harden who both went for 10 points.  Lakewood was led by Nick Hilley who poured in 13 points.  Nic Wieland and Brad Elliot scored 7 a piece.  Lakewood's next game will be a conference showdown with a hot Haslett team on the 5th.

 

The Gradys Spoil Sexton's Holiday
James Denning started things off right for Sexton with a basket and a 2-0 lead but that is where things turned sour and in a hurry.  East Grand Rapids' Kelvin Grady nailed two unanswered three pointers and went off for 11 first quarter points.  After a Ben Homrich basket by the Pioneers early in the 2nd quarter, the lead for East Grand Rapids had ballooned to 25-8.  EGR led by 23 at the break, led by Kelvin Grady's 22 points.  The Big Reds just did not have an answer for the Grady cousins and 'Big Man' Justin Anyijong.  When Kelvin and DeMarcus weren't slashing and hitting from everywhere, Anyijong was cleaning up the glass and putting home everything within the vicinity of the basket. 

Things went from bad to worse in the 2nd half.  The lead reached 30 or more for most of the 2nd half when EGR called off the dogs.  The Pioneers slowed the pace late in the third quarter and called off the dogs for good with a little over 5 minutes to go in the game.  Kelvin Grady had been pulled earlier but the starters left in mass exodus midway through the final period.  It was a classy move, with the lead past 30.  EGR's head coach, Ed Crisman left in DeMarcus Grady to run the point and control the offense but even he was pulled a few minutes later.  The reinforcements kept the big lead intact and finished the game with a 74-48 victory. 

Kelvin Grady finished with 23, DeMarcus with 15 and the man in the middle, Anyijong put home 18 points.  Javaughn Manuel led Sexton with 13 points, while Deleon Dearing added 8 points.  East Grand Rapids did a tremendous job of controlling the tempo.  They ran when they wanted to speed things up and did a great job of running the half court offense as well, which doesn't hurt with Grady at the point and Anyijong virtually unstoppable underneath.  Sexton got suckered into the running game early and tried to keep pace with the Pioneers but instead fell farther and farther behind with early possession shots.  Sexton now has a good amount of time to recoup and focus on the conference slate which kicks off into full swing on the 5th, with Jackson coming to town.

 

Rams Lose Control In Final Minutes, Suffer Heart Breaker
The East-West showdown between Holt and Romulus was one of the event's most exciting contests, arguably the most exciting game behind the OLSM, Flint Southwestern game later in the evening.  While Romulus was scoring by committee early on, the Rams were powered by Joseph Powers and Paul Crosby, the Forward and Center combo were dominating, Crosby from the inside and Powers from the outside.  With 35 seconds to go in the opening quarter, Powers hit a 3 pointer to break a 14-14 tie and go into the first intermission up 17-14.

The 2nd quarter was a back and forth slugfest.  Powers hit another three to extend the lead to 20-16.  Alex McMillan then answered with a three ball of his own for Romulus.  A few moments later A few exchanges later, McMillan nailed another three to put his squad up by 3 at 25-22.  Holt's Matthew Naeyaert immediately answered with a triple of this own.  Naeyart, with the three went on to score the Rams' next 7 points.  Up 33-31 with just seconds to go before halftime, Holt's Cody Nash-Kniffen put home a nice shot, giving his team a 4 point lead at the break.  Holt had the better half but had to work a little bit harder for it, Romulus was hanging around with deadly precision from beyond the arc.  Powers was the big man on campus in half number 1 with 14 points.

The second half was just as much of a treat as the first.  With Holt up by 6 early in the third, Romulus Sophomore guard, Valdez Green nailed two consecutive three pointers to even things up.  Down by a bucket, The Eagles' Dominique Buckley scored 5 unanswered, putting hit team up by three.  Holt then tied things up with another Powers' three.  After trading two pointers, Naeyaert put the Rams back up by three with a trey of his own.  Powers scored the last two buckets for the Rams and gave his team a 52-50 lead heading into the final quarter.  While Powers and Naeyaert turned things up a notch in the third, Crosby, who had been dominating in the first half, was quiet in the third.

After Naeyaert had given his team the lead back with a free throw, with just minutes remaining, Romulus struck again from 3 point land.  Dominique Buckley put his team in front 65-63 with the first trey.  Dwayne Edwards then had a monster block on the other end for Romulus which sparked the fast break, which resulted in an open three point basket for Green, putting the Eagles up by 5.  Naeyaert brought his Rams back to within 3 twice but where the Eagles had failed through most of the game and they were clutch in the waning moments.  Rashard Porter and Rod Walker were a perfect 4-4 from the line to ice it.  Before Walker's free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining, the Rams actually had a chance to tie things up but a desperation three point attempt by Powers went errant, with an Eagle in his face.

It was a heart breaker for Holt, even though they hadn't led by a lot, they were up for a majority of the game, but it was their inability to limit Romulus's three point shooting that led to their demise.  The tide of the game turned when the pace changed from a half court offense to a run and shoot contest with Romulus's athletes taking charge.  It was the type of game that limited Crosby's effectiveness, which is a shame because he performed well underneath, especially on the defensive end.  In all, Romulus drained nine three pointers.  Valdez Green and Joseph Powers led all scorers with 21 a piece.  Naeyaert finished with 15 and Crosby with 12.  For Romulus, Porter, finished with 16, while Dominique Buckley had 9.   Holt drops below .500, however don't expect them to be there for long.  This team still has the makings of one of the area's best and should be a prime contender for the Capital Area 1 crown.  They square off against Grand Ledge on the 5th. 

 

St. Mary's Makes An Improbable 4Q Comeback, Stuns SWA
This was the one that everyone was waiting for and it didn't disappoint.  The game between two of the state's best, was blow for blow in the first half but in the second it was give it your best shot in one quarter and wait for the other team to return the favor in the other. 

In the first half, it was all about the 'supporting' cast.  For those that came to see OLSM's Kalin Lucas and SWA's Anthony Crater shoot the lights out, they had to wait a little bit longer than expected, at least for the former.  Lucas and 'Noopy' had trouble finding the bucket early on but didn't have trouble find their teammates.  The Eaglets' Jon Tassin and Justin Siller picked up the slack for their shooting star in the first half.  On the flipside it was Leviante Davis dominating underneath for the Knights.  Davis is a big man by all means but his is an agile big man with the athleticism of a forward.  Flint Southwestern's Erving McFadden gave his squad a 32-31 lead at the break, with a bucket in the half's final moments.  The first half was not without controversy.  The game actually had to be stopped because of a scoring error.  Southwestern had gone several minutes without being awarded three points.  By the time it was realized, it turned into a little bit of a mess with the statisticians having to be brought in.  3 points were added to SWA's total but 2 points were taken away from St. Mary's, something that the Eaglets were not pleased with to say the least. 

The 2nd half was a half of two polar quarters.  SWA roared out to a 13 point lead after the third quarter after scoring 21 points and holding the Eaglets to 9.  Crater was still being held in check but was distributing the ball well to get his teammates involved.  Lucas on the other side was still under wraps and the crowd was left wondering what the final period would bring with SWA up 53-40. 

Well, for those that wanted a clash of the titans, they got what they had paid for in the final quarter.  The fourth quarter turned into the Kalin Lucas show, much to the delight of the crowd and a watching Tom Izzo, Kalin's future coach. 

Jon Tassin started the big comeback in the fourth quarter with a bucket, cutting the led to 11.  Kalin Lucas then went for 6 straight points for the Eaglets but the lead was still 8 for the Knights.  Justin Siller then put home 6 points for his team but the Knights kept pace and the lead still stood at 8.  Leviante Davis's inside presence was the one saving grace for Southwestern early in the fourth.  It was a pace that they couldn't keep.  Lucas scored 7 unanswered points and with 2 and a half minutes remaining, the Eaglets trailed by just 1 at 62-61.  With 1:17 to go in the game, the game had come full circle.  St. Mary's had taken the lead 64-63 on another Lucas basket.  the Knights weren't going quietly.  The Knights took the lead right back after two clutch McFadden free throws.  Lucas then shot a dagger into the hearts of the Knights, with a three ball, putting the Eaglets up by 2.  DeMarkus Bracy brought his team right back with a layin and then stole the inbounds pass while sitting on the floor after he fell.  The ball fell right into his lap.  With under half a minute to go, the Knights would have a chance to win it.  The Eaglets blocked the attempt and then immediately called timeout with just 10.6 seconds remaining.  Then came the 'drive and dish'.  Of course the ball was put into the hands of Lucas, with just a few ticks remaining, he drove to the hoop, kicked the ball out to an open Jon Tassin, who nailed the three pointer from the left side.  The culmination had completed with the Eaglets making the improbable comeback, when they were left for dead early in the fourth.  Southwestern had 1 last attempt with 1.2 seconds to go but they had to do it from full court.  It was a little too close for comfort as Crater launched a full court shot that hit the front of the iron. 

Lucas finished with 21 points but the amazing stat was that 18 of them came with 7 minutes left in the game.  Tassin finished with 19 and Siller with 12.  The Knights were led by Davis's 21 and DeMarkus Bracy's 13.  Crater had a forgettable night with just 4 points, a total you won't see to often in his career.  The Knights will have to get past this disappointing loss, their first of the season quickly.  They enter the new year against conference power and defending state champ, Arthur Hill at the Hill.