OAKLAND COUNTY TEAMS TRY TO NAVIGATE DISTRICTS
Oakland County has had its share of hardwood success on the boys side in recent years, led by the continued excellence of North Farmington basketball, the ascendancy of the Catholic League Central squads, as well as revitalization of the longlost glory of Ferndale hoops under Juan Rickman.
The Eagles claimed the Division 2 title a year ago, capping a run of recent success, but had to retool this season, after losing the majority of last year’s title team to graduation. In and out of the top 10 in Division 1 all season, Rice could certainly go on an extended run, too, after one that was alltoo-short a season ago, while Orchard Lake St. Mary’s goes into the postseason No. 1 after winning the Catholic League title on the heels of last year’s surprising run to the semis.
And, every postseason, there’s as surprise team, too, like last year’s Rochester Adams squad, which made it to the quarters.
Here’s a look at which Oakland County teams might start off the postseason right in this week’s district play:
Division 1 DISTRICT 14
• Host: South Lyon East
• Teams: Northville (11-11), South Lyon (10-12), South Lyon East (13-9), Novi (13-9), Detroit Catholic Central (13-8)
• The skinny: In terms of balance, this is one of those districts where there’s no walkover, no byes disguised as a mismatch. The two South Lyon teams were middle of the pack in the LVC, while Northville and Novi were the same in the KLAA West. The outlier is a CC team that was middle of the pack in the CHSL Central, and flirted off and on with a top-10 ranking. Add in a bona fide scorer in TJ Nadeau and a coach in Tory Jackson who took Grand Blanc to the semis, and it’s hard to pick against the Shamrocks.
• Pick: Catholic Central
DISTRICT 23
• Host: Birmingham Groves
Teams: Oak Park (4-14), Royal Oak (9-12), Berkley (13-7), Warren Mott (3-17), Birmingham Groves (11-11)
• The skinny: Oak Park coach Durand Shepherd warned everyone in the postseason that if they were healthy, the Knights would be a tough out, and — if healthy — they do have the wherewithal to make things interesting. They were within three in their final league game, against a Groves team that finished just two spots ahead of them in the OAA Red standings. Berkley’s got the distinction of being the only team to beat OAA White champ Troy, in an overtime game on opening night, and finished third in the OAA Blue, but if the hosts get past that Wednesday matchup with either Oak Park or Royal Oak, they’ve got too much scoring with Josh Gibson and company.
• Pick: Groves
DISTRICT 24
• Host: Livonia Stevenson
• Teams: Livonia Franklin (10-12), Southfield A&T (3-19), Redford Thurston (12-10), Farmington (12-10), North Farmington (172), Livonia Stevenson (10-12)
• The skinny: Another district with a bunch of .500-ish teams, and one outlier. This one is a North Farmington team — one that won a share of its second straight OAA Red title — that is bound to have a little residual resentment about the way last year ended in the postseason, albeit with a much different roster. Anyone but the Raiders would be an upset.
• Pick: North Farmington
DISTRICT 25
• Host: Lakeland
• Teams: Walled Lake Northern (7-15), Walled Lake Western (4-18), Walled Lake Central (19-3), Lakeland (7-15), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (19-1), West Bloomfield (16-5)
• The skinny: Last year’s all-LVC district at Milford was a fun one to predict, and this one would be the same, if they hadn’t swapped the Mavs out for another red-and-white clad squad, this one the No. 1-ranked Eaglets of St. Mary’s, along with OAA Red co-champ West Bloomfield. Provided there are no upsets along the way, Friday’s final could be a doozy between the two newcomers.
• Pick: OLSM
DISTRICT 26
• Host: Hartland
• Teams: Brighton (11-11), Hartland (1210), Milford (15-7), Howell (12-10), Fenton (16-6)
• The skinny: It’s like the Mavs got sent back to the KLAA West, where they were miserable for years as the lone county team, away from all of their natural rivals. Last year’s district champs, the Mavs finished the regular season on a six-game win streak to finish third behind the two LVC cochamps, Walled Lake Central and Waterford Mott, but lost by nine to the lone team from this bracket they’ve already faced, Fenton, the Flint Metro League Stripes Division champ. It’s more or less of a toss-up district, where any team COULD win.
• Pick: Milford
• Host: Grand Blanc
• Teams: Holly (12-10), Lapeer (4-18), Grand Blanc (13-8), Oxford (14-8), Davison (17-4)
• The skinny: The two local squads, Holly and Oxford, had similar campaigns, where they had a chance at their league title, right to the end, but finished second. Davison was the same way, carrying a nine-game win streak into a Feb. 13 game against eventual Saginaw Valley League champ Saginaw Heritage, that the Cardinals’ only blemish since the first week of the calendar year. Grand Blanc, last year’s semifinalist, was only a half-game behind, tied with Arthur Hill, and a game ahead of Saginaw, last year’s D2 semifinalist.
• Pick: Davison
DISTRICT 28
• Host: Waterford Kettering
• Teams: Lake Orion (157), Waterford Kettering (517), Clarkston (11-11), Pontiac (13-8), Waterford Mott (19-3), Auburn Hills Avondale (16-6)
• The skinny: This bracket contains the co-champion of the LVC (Mott), the OAA Blue champ (Avondale) and one of the two second-place teams in the OAA White (Lake Orion). Yet the narrative will still revolve around whether or not Clarkston — the 6th-place team in the OAA Red — can continue its streak of 38 straight seasons with either a league or district title, one that includes three straight district crowns, and eight in the past 10 seasons. They have the shooting, certainly, as do Avondale and Pontiac, but Mott — which has lost four straight district finals (two to Clarkston, one to OLSM, one to COVID) — has been knocking on the door, and may have the best player nobody talks about in Kobe Menyweathers.
• Pick: Mott
DISTRICT 29
• Host: Troy Athens
• Teams: Birmingham
Seaholm (6-16), Bloomfield Hills (5-17), Troy (21-1), Troy Athens (14-8), Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (15-6)
• The skinny: Led by their Big 3, the Troy Colts haven’t lost since that opening-night OT loss to Berkley, ripping off 21 wins in a row, and clinching their first division title since 2017. In a lot of other districts around the state, they’d probably be the favorite, even if they do have to drive to That School Down the Road to play the games, including against rival Athens in Wednesday’s semis. But, this district contains one of the CHSL behemoths (at least there’s only one, unlike last year, when two were stacked in the district at Bloomfield Hills) in Brother Rice, so it’s hard to pick against a team that had three of its six losses come against the No. 1 team in the state, and the only loss outside the CHSL family coming against a 15-win East Kentwood squad.
• Pick: Brother Rice
DISTRICT 30
• Host: Rochester Adams
• Teams: Stoney Creek (615), Utica Eisenhower (1111), Romeo (9-13), Rochester (7-15), Utica (20-2), Rochester Adams (14-7)
• The skinny: Led by high-scoring Mason Brodi, the Utica Chieftains won the MAC Blue Division and the Blue/Gold tournament title, all before dropping their first two games of the season to Warren De La Salle and Chippewa Valley in the past week. Eisenhower tied for third in the MAC White, while Romeo was fifth. Rochester and Stoney Creek both struggled in the OAA Blue Division, but Adams kept its mojo rolling from last year’s quarterfinal appearance, under new coach Isaiah Novak, finishing the season strong (6-4 in last 10), despite the tough schedule in the OAA Red. If Peter Kardasis is gonna keep scoring like he has been, the Highlanders are going to be a very tough out for anyone in this district.
• Pick: Adams
Division 2 DISTRICT 59
• Host: Detroit Pershing
• Teams: Hazel Park (715),
Detroit Pershing (118), Ferndale University (318), Detroit Osborn (10-11), Warren Lincoln (17-4), Ferndale (13-8)
• The skinny: If you didn’t read the fine print too closely, it might be tempting to pencil in the defending Division 2 champions from Ferndale into the regional bracket, expecting the Eagles to win another district title. And certainly, the Eagles are capable of making another postseason run, considering how well they adapted after losing nearly everyone from last year’s title team. But it overlooks the fact that No. 4-ranked Warren Lincoln is in this year’s bracket — a considerably tougher draw that last year’s at Hazel Park — and is still stinging from a three-point loss in the MAC Red/White championship game at the hands of Grosse Pointe South. Expect both Ferndale and Lincoln to make Friday’s title game, but it’ll take a whale of an effort for the Eagles to get through.
• Pick: Ferndale
DISTRICT 61
• Host: Detroit Country Day
• Teams: Macomb Lutheran North (8-12), Warren Michigan Collegiate (911), Madison Heights Lamphere (10-12), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (3-17), Center Line (18-3), Detroit Country Day (9-13).
• The skinny: It’s very possible that the host Yellowjackets make it to the finals, after putting on a late-season push with a four-game win streak at the end of the regular-season, but Lamphere — despite a late-season slide where they lost six of seven — could make it tough. Either way, whichever one gets to the finals will likely face a Center Line team that’s coming off a MAC Silver/Bronze tournament title, after finishing second in the Bronze regular season.
• Pick: Center Line
DISTRICT 62
• Host: Ortonville Brandon
• Teams: Almont (148), Lake Fenton (15-7), Goodrich (17-5), Ortonville Brandon (4-15), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (16-5)
• The skinny: While this bracket contains the Flint Metro champ (Goodrich) and runner-up (Lake Fenton), it’s also got a Notre Dame Prep team that’s quietly built a solid postseason reputation over the last few seasons, including a regional title win over the Martians two seasons ago. The Irish losses came against Grosse Pointe South, Adams, Groves, Troy and Mott, three of which collected regular-season hardware. The first three of those losses was by a total of eight points, as well.
• Pick: Notre Dame Prep
Division 3 DISTRICT 90
• Host: Detroit Central
• Teams: Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (7-11), Madison Heights Madison (1-19), Hamtramck Oakland International Academy (3-16), Detroit Central (8-10), Center Line Prep Academy (16-6), Detroit Loyola (9-13)
• The skinny: The term ‘favorite’ might be a strong concept here in a bracket that’s littered with teams that struggled through the regular season, but Center Line Prep — the only team over .500 in the bracket — probably fits, after finishing second in the Detroit Metro Athletic Conference’s Upper Division. If they get past Liggett (or Madison) in Wednesday’s semifinal, the toughest competition will probably be a Loyola team that finished tied for third in the CHSL’s AA Division.
• Pick: Center Line Prep
DISTRICT 91
• Host: Madison Heights Bishop Foley
• Teams: Detroit Communication & Media Arts (3-14), Southfield Bradford, Madison Heights Bishop Foley (8-14), Clawson (4-18), Detroit Old Redford (15-7), Royal Oak Shrine (12-9)
• The skinny: Once 8-5 on the season, Foley lost its final eight in the regular season, while rival Shrine finished on a six-game win streak. Clawson won three of its final five after a winless two-month stretch, while Bradford started 0-7, before going 5-4 the rest
of the way. But Old Redford ended the regular season on a seven-game win streak that included a onepoint win over D2 No. 5 Romulus Summit Academy in the Charter School Conference tournament final, after a fourth-place finish in the league regular season.
• Pick: Old Redford
DISTRICT 92
• Host: New Haven
• Teams: Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (76), Mt. Clemens (9-10), Clintondale (18-4), New Haven (12-10), Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (18-4)
• The skinny: Clintondale won the MAC Bronze, but fell to Center Line in the Silver/Bronze tourney final. If the Dragons can get past a New Haven team that played four divisions up in the MAC (White), that could put them on a collision course with a Lutheran Northwest squad that won the MIAC Blue Division. If Andrew Kasat, Joshua Perkins and Co. can keep scoring like they have been, Northwest could win this.
• Pick: Lutheran Northwest
Division 4 DISTRICT 123
• Host: Southfield Christian
• Teams: Southfield Christian (6-16), Warren Michigan Math & Science (15-6), Southfield Manoogian (5-11), Detroit Davis Aerospace (10-7), Detroit Douglass (17-5), Bloomfield Hills Roeper (15-6)
• The skinny: A couple of years ago, when Southfield Christian and Douglass were both rolling, producing all-staters and Mr. Basketball candidates, this would’ve been a heck of a bracket. But Detroit PSL Gold champion Douglass looks like the outlier in this grouping.
• Pick: Douglass
DISTRICT 124
• Host: Webberville
• Teams: Morrice (5-17), Novi Christian Academy, Webberville (9-11), West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy (4-17), Brighton Livingston Christian (16-5)
• The skinny: The independent Livingston Christian
has already posted wins over Morrice, Webberville and Novi Christian in recent weeks, and there’s no reason to believe the Falcons won’t carry it on to the postseason.
• Pick: Livingston Christian
DISTRICT 125
• Host: Auburn Oakland Christian
• Teams: Auburn Hills Christian (2-10), Chesterfield Austin Catholic (910), Marine City Cardinal Mooney (13-9), Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (157), Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (11-11)
• The skinny: After losing to Waterford Our Lady in the CHSL St. Anne’s tournament semifinal, Intersectional 1 regular-season champ — and a D4 semifinalist a year ago — Cardinal Mooney ended the season on a three-game win streak, setting them up for a run through a district to likely face an Oakland Christian team that finished third in the MIAC Blue.
• Pick: Cardinal Mooney
DISTRICT 126
Hills
• Host: Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes
• Teams: Clarkston Everest Collegiate (11-11), Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (13-7), Pontiac Academy for Excellence (6-11), Burton CenterPoint Christian (9-7), Dryden (19-3), Genesee Christian (16-6)
• The skinny: After a 4-5 start, Genesee Christian ripped off a 12-game win streak before falling to Lutheran Northwest on Thursday. That streak started with a win over Everest Collegiate squad that finished in a three-way tie for second in the CHSL’s Intersectional 1, but ripped off a six-game win streak of its own to claim the St. Anne’s tournament title. A seven-game win streak carried WOLL — the Intersectional 2 champ — past Mooney in the St. Anne playoff, before falling to Everest — the team that they’ll face again in Monday’s opener. North Central Thumb League Stars champ Dryden is no slouch, either.
Pick: Everest