Saturday, March 27, 2010

Top Players Next Year

Best Player: Brad Stewart Riverview

Most Exciting: Andre Duffin Milan

Best Shooter: Edmond Shinavarre SMCC

Best Handles: Jesse Wint Huron

Best Shot Blocker: Devaun Posey Airport

Best Rebounder: Mike Kowalski Riverview

Best Sophomore: C.J. Turnage Milan

Best Breakout Season: Torin Wetzel SMCC, Scott Theisen Flat Rock

Best Player You Never Heard Of: Billy Ames Huron

Friday, March 19, 2010

2009-10 Final Thoughts

I thought the league was very athletic this year.

While the debate rages on, the Huron league was no better or no worse than the recent past.

Three district championships for the league isn't bad.

It doesn't look like there will be any coaching changes prior to next year.

The stars of the Huron League this year look like they will be headed to Division III or NAIA schools next year.

No matter how you slice it you win championships with seniors and defense.

When you win, its talent. When you lose, its coaching.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Falcons Bow Out in Regional Final

SMCC missed a golden opportunity to advance into the state quarterfinals on Wednesday night as they lost to the 23-2 Pirates of Napoleon 45-43. Jon Pederson's three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short and brought the Falcon's season to an end.

Napoleon opened the game by nailing a trio of three-pointers and led after one quarter 13-8. The Falcons struggled from the line early on by missing five freethrows in the period.

The game continued at a slow pace in the second quarter as the teams struggled to score. The Pirates led 18-14 at the half.

In the third quarter the pace of the game picked up immensely with both teams scoring regularly and Napoleon leading 31-29.

Entering the fourth quarter SMCC seemed to have the momentum when they tied the game at 31-31. The Pirates went on to score the next seven points to take a 38-31 lead with 3:11 to play. The Falcons frantically picked up the defense led by the senior Pederson to get back into the game.

The Falcons were able to close the gap late by hitting some timely shots and Napoleon struggling at the charity stripe (11-21).

The Falcons were led by Edmond Shinavarre's 13 points and Keenan Wetzel's 11. Pederson led the defense with several steals and pass deflections while chipping in 7 points. The Falcon's finished the season at 13-11.

Napoleon had a balanced scoring attack that featured six three-pointers by four different players. Senior guard C.J. Adams led the Pirates with 13 points.

Napoleon advances to the quarterfinals at Richland Gull Lake and will play Bridgeman which defeated Fennsville this evening 45-44.

Wednesday Regional Final Score

Napoleon 45 SMCC 43

Tournament Challenge (Its Free!)

Only 1 day left to get your entries in. The winner will be made famous in these very pages. There are some interesting entries.

I decided to put together a Tournament pool for the NCAA Tournament. This is going to be a private pool for those who read the Huron League Basketball Blog. This is purely for bragging rights and no money will be involved. You can win $25,000 if you are the overall winner on ESPN.

If you interested please go to this site and create an entry. http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/frontpage

Go into the groups area. You will be looking for the "Huron League Blog" group. The private password will be "spartyon" Fill out your bracket and go from there. Brackets must be completed by Thursday morning.

Chris

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Wednesday Regional Final Game

Class C @ Adrian Madison

SMCC (13-10)/ Napoleon (22-2) 7 pm The Pirates of Napoleon are 22-2 and are led in scoring by C.J. Adams and Heath Sullivan. Napoleon also has two others capable of scoring in Tyler Piotrowski and Keith Wood. The Pirates only losses were to Cascade League rival Hanover-Horton, who is still alive in Class C. SMCC will once again be led by Keenan Wetzel and Edmond Shinavarre. The Falcons have also relied heavily on their role players this season and most recently during their nice five game winning streak. Coach Randy Windham has settled in nicely into the unenviable position of following a basketball legend in Ray Lauwers. Windham will go for a Regional Championship in his first season at the helm and will look to join SMCC's girls coach Rick Niemi in the quarter-finals. Pick: Falcons by 1 OT

Monday, March 15, 2010

Huron's Dream Season Ends

Huron fell tonight 41-36 to Detroit Douglas in the semi-final game hosted by Riverview. The PSL Southwest Division champs used their quickness, size and an effective matchup zone to neutralize the Chief's leading scorer Zac Richardson.

Huron trailed 13 -12 at the end of the first quarter and the game was tied 21-21 at the half. Douglas pressed most of the first half but were unable to gain an advantage.

In a surprising move Hurricane coach Nkwane Young switched to a matchup zone in the 2nd half. Huron was held to only 1 point in the 3rd quarter but Douglas was only able to build a 3 point lead at the end of three quarters.

Douglas controlled most of the 4th quarter but were never able to build a lead larger than six points. Huron used some opportunistic plays and timely freethrow shooting to get themselves back to within three points with 8 seconds to play and the ball in their posession. Jim Kalbfleisch ran a nice play for Richardson in an attempt to tie the game on a three point attempt but his shot fell short.

Dave Stockert led the Chiefs with 15 points as the Chiefs finished with the best record in school history at 23-1. Detroit Douglas moves to the Regional Final on Wednesday and improves to 18-5 on the season.

Monday Night Regional Scores

Lansing Sexton 76 Milan 38

Detroit Fredrick Douglas 41 Huron 36

SMCC 51 Bronson 40

Sunday, March 14, 2010

NCAA Tournament Challenge

Hey Huron League Fans,

I decided to put together a Tournament pool for the NCAA Tournament. This is going to be a private pool for those who read the Huron League Basketball Blog. This is purely for bragging rights and no money will be involved. You can win $25,000 if you are the overall winner on ESPN.

If you interested please go to this site and create an entry. http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/frontpage

Go into the groups area. You will be looking for the "Huron League Blog" group. The private password will be "spartyon" Fill out your bracket and go from there. Brackets must be completed by Thursday morning.

Chris

Monday Night Regional Games

Class B Regional @ Columbia Central

Milan/Lansing Sexton 7:30 PM. Lansing Sexton is 18-5 and coached by former MSU Spartan Carlton Valentine. They are led by Tyrin Wade, Denzel Valentine and Anthony Clemens. Sexton won they Capital Area Conference's Red Division. Milan enters this game with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Most everyone locally believes that Milan is probably a year away. Look for them to be relaxed and confident on Monday night. Milan should be able to match Sexton's athleticism. Pick: Big Reds by 5. The Big Reds of Lansing Sexton

Class B Regional @ Riverview

Huron/Detroit Douglas 5:30 PM The Hurricanes enter Mondays regional as champions of the Detroit PSL Southwest Division. Douglas is coached by Nkwane Young and is led on the floor by a pair of 6'4" players in Timothy Bates and Dennis Hogan. The Hurricanes love to press and play uptempo basketball. Huron has a tendency to play to the level of their competition. Look for the Chiefs to just play their game by taking care of the ball and playing solid defense. Huron will need their stars to step up along with their key players off of the bench. Pick: Chiefs by 1 OT


Class C Regional @ Adrian Madison

SMCC/Bronson 6:00 PM The Vikings of Bronson bring in a 10-12 record to the Regional at Madison. Bronson plays in the St. Joseph Valley League and finished 3rd in the four team league. The Vikings have a balanced offensive attack and are led by Matt Miller and 3-point shooter Dalton Kane. SMCC is playing like the team that many envisioned when they were picked by the Blog pollsters as the team to beat in the Huron League. The Falcons will need solid games from their offensive leaders and will need to control the boards if they expect to advance to Wednesdays Regional Final. Pick: Falcons by 4

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Huron League Thoughts and Questions

Congratulations to Randy Windham and Josh Tropea on winning district championships in their first seasons at SMCC and Milan.

Milan Sophomore Andre Duffin is the real deal.

Huron's Zac Richardson was out of his mind last night against Jefferson.

Edmond Shinavarre and Keenan Wetzel of SMCC are playing like stars.

Milan's C.J Luvene took over in the 4th quarter against Chelsea.

Huron is 26-0 at home over the last two seasons.

SMCC and Huron have winnable Regionals.

Milan has a tall task in their Regional at Columbia Central.

Can the Huron League win its first regional in 15 years?

Huron League Boasts Three Champions!

After the first week of tournament play the Huron League crowned three champions in District play.

Huron was able to win the district it hosted as expected by knocking off an upstart Jefferson squad. Zac Richardson scored 28 for the victors who held off an inspired Bear team bent on pulling off the upset. The Chiefs will play Monday in Riverview at 5:30 pm against Detroit Fredrick Douglas who defeated Detroit Southwestern.

SMCC entered the district at Blissfield as an underdog to Dundee and Whiteford but showed that the Falcons have plenty of talent and play better competition during the course of the season. Edmond Shinavarre's 3-pointer with 2 seconds left sealed the victory. SMCC will play in the Regional at Adrian Madison on Monday at 6 pm against 10-12 Bronson in what appears to be a winnable game.

Milan entered the Class B district at Chelsea as a longshot to win the title. The Big Reds were most likely to fall to a trio of teams that included the hosts along with Willow Run and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard. The youngsters from Milan led by sophomore sensation Andre Duffin will play in the Regional hosted by Brooklyn Columbia Central on Monday at 7:30 PM against 18-4 Lansing Sexton.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Friday Night District Scores

Milan 53 Chelsea 50

Huron 49 Jefferson 36

SMCC 58 Dundee 56

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Friday Night District Games

Class B at Chelsea

Milan/Chelsea 7 pm This should be an interesting matchup between these two teams. Chelsea has played well at times while stuggling at times as well. The Bulldogs have a quality coach and a nice tradition. Milan has been up and down this season but are a tough team to beat when the 3 ball is falling. This would be a great win for the league but playing a Chelsea will be tough. Pick: Bulldogs by 3

Class B at New Boston Huron

Jefferson/Huron 7 pm These teams have played twice this year with the Chiefs winning both games. On paper this looks like a blowout but Jefferson has a nice three game win streak going. The physical Bears would like nothing more than to pull off the biggest win in school history. The Chiefs need to remain focused for four quarters. They can't keep turning things on in the 4th quarter and expect to win. Pick: Chiefs by 7

Class C at Blissfield

SMCC/Dundee 7 pm These teams met early in the season with Dundee winning by 3 in Monroe. The Vikings have a solid starting five and two star players. The Falcons have found their identity and could salvage an average season by winning the district. Both teams have quality coaches who will put their teams in a position to win. This is a game I might go down and see because it should be a barn-burner. Pick: Falcons by 1 2OT

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Wednesday Night District Scores

Adrian 66 Airport 56 Final OT

Robichaud 78 Riverview 62

Milan 55 A2 Skyline 42 Final

Jefferson 35 Erie Mason 33 Final

Huron 62 Trenton 51 Final

SMCC 55 Whiteford 53 Final

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Wednesday Night District Games

Class A at Saline

Airport/Adrian 8 pm The Jets continue to play well and will face their second straight SEC foe. Adrian has hovered around the .500 mark all season and the Jets have a farely favorable matchup in this game. Look for Baseball season to be put on hold a little longer in Carleton. Pick: Jets by 2

Class B at Huron

Jefferson/Erie Mason 5:30 pm This will be the third time these two teams have met with the Eagles winning the early season matchup and the Bears winning just last week. Coach Scharf has the Bears contiually playing hard and they are starting to believe in themselves. Look for Jefferson to stick around for another game. Pick: Bears by 3

Trenton/Huron 7:00 pm These two teams met in January and the Chiefs won big. With Huron's rival out of the way the Chiefs can put away the emotion and let hard work and talent win this game. Look for Huron to avoid a let down and be in the district final on Friday. Pick: Chiefs by 9

Class B at Chelsea

Ann Arbor Skyline/Milan 5:30 pm For the first time this season the Big Reds will play a team that has more youth than themselves. The Eagles are a 2nd year school with only freshmen and sophomores on the roster. They have played mostly a JV schedule but ride a 5 game winning streak against varsity opponents. Milan will not take the Eagles lightly in the semi-final in hopes of building momentum for next season. Pick: Big Reds by 5

Class B at Dearborn Heights Robichaud

Riverview/Robichaud 6 pm Riverview will take on the host who won the first season of the Western Wayne Athletic League's Red Division. This isn't your typical Bulldog team and the Bucs should find themselves with an opportunity to reach the district final. Much will depend on Riverview's ability to get to the freethrow line. This is a tough one to pick but I will give the nod to the home team. Pick: Bulldogs by 1 OT

Class C at Blissfield

Whiteford/SMCC 5:30 pm This will be a matchup of two different styles. Whiteford will look to get up and down the floor while the Falcons will look to use their size and shooting to their advantage. These two teams don't play very often and it should be an interesting matchup. Look for Randy Windham to get his first tournament victory. Pick: Falcon by 3

Monday, March 8, 2010

Huron Moves to 21-0

The Huron Chiefs upped their record to 21-0 after beating Flat Rock Monday night 46-33. Huron was led by Zac Richardson's 18 points while Dave Stockert chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Flat Rock, which led 18-17 at halftime was led by Andrew Scarton's 19 points. Scarton scored his 1000th point on a freethrow late in the 4th quarter.

The Rams led midway through the 3rd quarter 24-19 when Huron went on a 27-9 run to close out the game.

Flat Rock finishes the season at 7-14. Huron moves onto Wednesday's District semi-final against 2-18 Trenton.

Monday Night Scores

Class A at Saline

Airport 56 Saline 53 Final

Class B at Huron

Huron 46 Flat Rock 33 Final

Jefferson 48 Grosse Ile 45 Final

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Downriver 7th Grade Basketball League Results

Waltz Warriors 52 Flat Rock 21

Taylor Outlaws 35 Waltz Warriors 33

Kill or Keep the Blog?

Just thought I would throw out a little poll to determine if this silly little blog was a good idea or not.

I'm not big into controversy and I could really care less if the blog continues after the season ends so help me decide.

The crying on here has been a bit much and you only get to see about half of it.

I like to think the player bashing has been kept off for the most part. I also like to think I have help create a little more interest in basketball around the Huron League.

The football blog will continue next season and I have to say I enjoyed doing it much more than the basketball blog.

So please let me know your vote and post a comment if you like.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Monday Night District Games

Jefferson/Grosse Ile @ Huron 5:30 pm. This game is a chance for both teams to use as a momentum booster for next season. The Islanders have already beaten the Bears twice but this is a Jefferson team that has been playing better lately. Jeffeson will need to get some balanced scoring out of it's lineup and rebound the ball effectively if they are to win. Grosse Ile needs to use their speed and shooting ability if they plan on getting their 3rd victory over the Bears this season. Pick: Bears by 2.

Flat Rock/Huron @ Huron 7:00 pm. This is the third installment of what has been a great series this season and last. Huron has manged to win the first two games but the Rams are eyeing an opportunity to ruin their rivals finest season in school history. This is a matchup between two very good players but look for another player to decide the outcome. If you want to see two teams that don't particularly care for each other and have already played two barn burners this year then come out for the game. This is a tough one to pick but I have to say it is tough to beat a team three times in one season. Pick: Rams by 1 OT

Airport/Saline @ Saline 8 pm. Saline has struggled this season but they play in a competitive league which should prepare them for the Jets. Airport has been playing some fine basketball as of late but their size may hurt them on Monday Night. The Jets will need to have a solid shooting night if they are to win this game. The Hornets will have an advantage by having the homecourt advantage but look for Airport to win a close game on the road. Pick: Jets by 1

Huron League Thoughts and Questions

Has anyone seen the Andrew Scarton dunk videos on youtube? It's pretty entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMxOMBY1Btg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdtq1GW7m_g&NR=1

It was nice to see Jefferson get a win after what seemed like an endless losing streak. (I know how that feels)

When was the last time a Huron League team went 20-0? I know the answer:)

Solid win for Milan over Dundee, with or without Wolfenberger.

I'm sorry I missed the Airport/Huron game. Sometimes there are more important things than sports.

Look for SMCC to have a big season next year.

Defense and rebounding still win games.

How many district champs will the league have?

Look for detailed district preview games and predictions sometime early Sunday morning.

Friday Night Scores

Airport 57 Trenton 52

Thursday, March 4, 2010

All Huron League Blog

Well the season is officially over and it is time to unveil my All Huron League picks.

Player of the Year Zac Richardson Huron, Quite simply put, the best player on what was easily the best team in the league for a second straight year. Richardson averaged 21 points, 3.3 steals, 3 assist and 3 rebounds for the undefeated 14-0 Chiefs. Richardson shot 39% from 3 point land and 46% overall. He was also an 81% shooter from the freethrow line. The Chiefs completed a perfect 20-0 season in 2010 a feat which has only been done a handful of times in the Huron League.

Andrew Scarton Flat Rock, The slick PG from Flat Rock dazzled everybody in the league this year with his Hot Sauce handles, mad hops and unlimited shooting range. Scarton was easily the funnest player to watch in the Huron League the last two seasons.

Brad Stewart Riverview, The junior PG from Riverview has an uncanny knack to get to the freethrow line. Stewart's Bucs finished 11-3 in the Huron League and should be the team to beat next year in the league.

David Stockert Huron, perhaps the most improved player in the league. Stockert was a force on the boards and was an intimidating shot blocker on defense. The senior center averaged 13 ppg and shot 65% from the field.

Tyler Baker Airport, undoubtedly the leader of the Jets senior laden line up. Baker continued the solid tradition of Bakers at Airport by leading the Jets in virtually every statistical category except scoring.

Keenan Wetzel SMCC, Wetzel is probably the best pure shooter in the league. He led the Falcons in scoring and it 3 point field goals made despite being the focus of every defense in the league

Coach of the Year Jim Kalbfleisch Huron, Kalbfleisch led the Chiefs to their first undefeated season in school history and back to back Huron League Championships. The savvy veteran won't dazzle you with a likeable personality but his players are ferociously loyal and he does nothing but win every close game.

Thursday Night Scores

Huron 67 Airport 65 2OT

Milan 65 Allen park 53

Dundee 66 Flat Rock 52

Riverview 57 Carlson 56

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Stewart is Fan's Choice

Brad Stewart has been chosen by the voters on the Huron League Blog as the Huron League Player of the Year. The junior PG led the Bucs to an 11-3 record in the Huron League and a solid 2nd place finish behind Huron.

Stewart averaged 21 ppg and shot a remarkable 149 freethrows in league play and connected at a 75% clip. Stewart hit on 49% of his field goal attempts and shot 35% from 3 point land.

Stewart won the award by getting 37% of the 289 blogger votes. Congratualtions to Brad on a fine season.

Thursday Night Games

Airport @ Huron Pick: Jets by 3

Dundee @ Flat Rock Pick: Vikings by 3

Allen Park @ Milan Pick: Jaguars by 1

Carlson @ Riverview Pick: Bucs by 4

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Tuesday Night Scores

Southgate 64 Riverview 54

SMCC 61 Blissfield 38

Milan 70 Dundee 40

Jefferson 59 Erie Mason 46

Tuesday Night Games

Dundee @ Milan Pick:Vikings by 5

Riverview @ Southgate Pick: Titans by 1 OT

Grosse Ile @ Trenton Pick: Red Devils by 3

Jefferson @ Erie Mason Pick: Bears by 1

SMCC @ Blissfield Pick: Falcons by 1