Boys Holiday Classics Preview.
Written Sunday December 22nd at 10:51 AM
Here are the Boys classics.
Coaches against Violence Showcase @ Redford Union
Monday
Detroit University Prep 52, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 46 O/T
The Warriors have been playing better but the record doesn’t show it at times. Southfield Arts and Tech fell to 3-5 with a tough 52-46 loss to Detroit University Prep on Monday night. Coach Terrance Porter’s team will have a chance to bounce back when they head west to play Lincoln Park at Kalamazoo Central.
@ Kalamazoo Central
Saturday
SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH vs Lincoln Park
The Warriors will head west to Kalamazoo to play Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park has been solid all season and will provide a test for Southfield Arts and Tech. Coach Terrance Porter will have his hands full in this matchup to say the least.
North Farmington Holiday Extravaganza
Friday
HARPER WOODS vs River Rouge
The Pioneers have been really bad losing four straight games. It won’t get any easier for Coach TaJuan Porter’s team when they play River Rouge who is unbeaten and has had two tests with the others being blowouts. The Panthers are hot right now while Harper Woods has been limping. This is going to be a really tough matchup for the Pioneers.
ADAMS vs Warren DeLaSalle
This is a really interesting matchup of two teams that are struggling to find their way in the basketball landscape. Adams had a monster win at Lake Orion to start the season but it snowballed with losses to Saginaw Heritage, Chippewa Valley, and Stoney Creek. The Highlanders managed to win over North Farmington and Hartland but took losses to West Bloomfield and Avondale in the Red. Coach Isiah Novak has this team believing and working. Warren DeLaSalle has played a tough schedule and has a new coach in former North Farmington assistant Denarryl Rice taking over the program. The Pilots have tough losses to Macomb Dakota and Groves to name a few. This should be a really interesting matchup as mentioned on Friday.
Saturday
NORTH FARMINGTON vs Chicago Thornton
This is a really interesting coaching matchup between Raiders Coach Todd Negoshian and Chicago Thornton Coach Reggie Hamilton. North Farmington has been up and down lately after two tough losses. Chicago Thornton has been solid. This should be a really interesting matchup between these two teams.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS vs South Lyon East
There is no doubt that the Blackhawks have took leaps and bounds and are better than last season. Bloomfield Hills has been winning games via blowout or tight. Coach Brian Canfield’s team took a really tough 44-42 loss to Royal Oak in their last game. Bloomfield Hills should get tested against a good South Lyon East squad who had to survive Pontiac 66-63 in their last game. This should be a really good game between these two proven teams.
AVONDALE vs Warren Fitzgerald
I know Coach Jaret Thomas loves to play tough matchups but this could be really interesting when they play Warren Fitzgerald. The Spartans have been dominating people ask Harper Woods but their only loss was a two point defeat to Grosse Pointe South. Warren Fitzgerald is athletic and well coached under Coach Venias Jordan. The interior matchup could be key and if the Yellow Jackets can slow down the Spartans like Grosse Pointe South did then they could have a chance to pull this off.
Sunday
TROY vs Belleville
The Colts have been up and down all season despite the heroic efforts of their star player Mason Parker. Coach Gary Fralick will be tested when they play Belleville in a really tough matchup. Originally Troy was suppose to play Walled Lake Northern but according to a source it was changed to Belleville which makes it a much tougher matchup. The Tigers have a win over North Farmington in the regular season. It’s going to be a tough matchup for the Colts.
FARMINGTON vs South Lyon
The Falcons have been a really weird team to figure out. Farmington has looked very good most of the season but the loss to Seaholm was really questioned. The Falcons beat Harper Woods by almost 50 points in their last game. South Lyon is a really good program, well coached, well disciplined. This should be a really good game.
St. Clair Community College Showcase
Saturday
TROY ATHENS vs Waterford Kettering
This should be a fun coaching matchup between Coach Mitchell Vercellino and former Oxford girls basketball Coach Steve Emmert. Both teams have been improving despite their records. The Captains has shown progress despite falling to Detroit Central in Waterford. The Red Hawks have shown a ton of improvement in their last two games beating Harper Woods and taking Lake Orion to the wire with their 1-3-1 zone defense. This should be a really interesting matchup of two different styles going at it.
Aquinas College Alumni Showcase @ Aquinas College
Saturday
CLARKSTON vs Wyoming Godwin Heights
This is a really interesting matchup taking place at Aquinas College with the Wolves playing during the holidays. Clarkston is coming off their first loss to Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit on their home floor, they will play a good Godwin Heights team that has won two straight since an 0-2 start. This should be a really interesting matchup for Clarkston heading west to Grand Rapids.
Mitten Recruit Classic @ Pontiac
Saturday
PONTIAC vs FARMINGTON
The Falcons have been up and down when it comes to consistency and which Farmington team will show up. The Phoenix have been a solid team all season. This should be a fun matchup of two OAA teams that are looking to make some noise in their respective divisions. This should be a good matchup.
WEST BLOOMFIELD vs Center Line
The Lakers have played a tough schedule which the record indicates. West Bloomfield has had games where they looked good and at times they looked really bad. Coach Arnette Jordan’s team will head to Sy Green gym to take on a very good Center Line squad who’s only loss came to Warren Fitzgerald. The Panthers are a really dangerous team and will give West Bloomfield everything they can handle. This is going to be a tough matchup for Jordan and the Lakers.
Motor City Roundball Classic @ Ferndale
Friday
BLOOMFIELD HILLS vs Grosse Pointe South-1:50 PM
This should be a really interesting matchup. The Blackhawks are coming off a tough 44-42 loss to Royal Oak and are looking to bounce back. Bloomfield Hills will be taking on a solid Grosse Pointe South squad that has two losses to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and their arch rivals Grosse Pointe North. The Blue Devils are a hard working team in the Macomb Area Conference. It should be a really interesting matchup especially at the guard spots. It should be a fun matchup.
FERNDALE vs Grand Rapids Northview-7:55 PM
This is shaping up to be a really interesting matchup of two teams that have a ton of expectations coming into the season but the records indicate that they haven’t met them. The Eagles are a hot and cold team that has played a brutal schedule but they need to be considering they have Warren Lincoln in their district. Grand Rapids Northview has lost two of their last three games. This should be a good matchup of two teams looking to have a strong 2024.
Sunday
BERKLEY vs American International Academy (Inkster)-10:45 AM
The Bears have been struggling as of late when it comes to close losses. This is a good opportunity for Coach Joe Sermo to turn things around playing American International Academy. The Vikings are going to be playing their third game in four days heading into this matchup. Berkley has been struggling to find consistency but this game presents an opportunity to turn things around.
HARPER WOODS vs Fraser-12:15 PM
The Pioneers have just been really bad in the last four games. It is unknown how they would do against River Rouge which is going to be a really tough matchup for them on that Friday. Harper Woods will take on a Fraser squad that is improving under former Stoney Creek coach Steve Norgrove. The Ramblers have been up and down but Norgrove has his players believing in his system. This will be a really tough matchup for Coach TaJuan Porter and Harper Woods.
ROCHESTER vs Redford Thurston-1:50 PM
The Falcons are coming off a really tough loss to Pontiac and will have a really tough matchup awaiting them when they play Redford Thurston. The Eagles started 0-3 which included a loss to Farmington but have won four straight since that game. This will be a tough matchup for Coach Nick Evola and the Falcons playing a team that has really improved lately. To make it worse for Rochester is that Jake Tandy is out for a month with an injury.
FERNDALE vs Romulus Summit Academy-7:55 PM
The Eagles will be coming off a tough matchup with Grand Rapids Northview will have another tough matchup with Romulus Summit Academy who is one of the best teams in the State. Ferndale will be at home which helps but this will be a really tough one for the Eagles and Coach Juan Rickman. This game should help as they prepare to see Warren Lincoln in the postseason come March.
Monday
GROVES vs River Rouge- 3:20 PM
The Falcons are coming off a really tough 75-70 overtime loss to Detroit Martin Luther King. Groves will look to go into this matchup with River Rouge hoping to snap the Panthers unbeaten start. River Rouge will see Harper Woods in North Farmington. The Falcons and Coach Marc West are looking at this opportunity as a bounce back game after what happened on their home floor. It should be a really interesting matchup.
AVONDALE vs Detroit Martin Luther King- 4:55 PM
The Yellow Jackets are going through a gauntlet with the non conference schedule along with the Red but you add another tough game with Detroit Martin Luther King, a team that beat Groves in overtime in their building. That makes it tough for Coach Jaret Thomas. It should be a really interesting matchup between these two teams.
ADAMS vs Detroit Cass Tech-6:25 PM
The Highlanders after having a very tough matchup with Warren DeLaSalle will have another tough matchup with Detroit Cass Tech. The Technicians have a win over Macomb Dakota but lost to Detroit Renaissance. Detroit Cass Tech is very athletic and well coached under Coach Steven Hall. Adams will need everyone to step up if Coach Isiah Novak wants to pull this one out. It’s a very difficult matchup that is for sure.
WEST BLOOMFIELD vs Detroit Renaissance-7:55 PM
The Lakers will have another tough matchup after playing Center Line in Pontiac with playing a really tough Detroit Renaissance squad. The Phoenix lost by one to Romulus Summit Academy, and two out of state teams but did beat Detroit Cass Tech and Detroit Mumford. West Bloomfield will need to defend if they have any chance to upset the Phoenix and their defense has had some issues this season for Coach Arnette Jordan. Defense is the key in this game.