The story of the Class A State final game was size. Saginaw had it and
Redford didn't. With brawn and skill on the inside in the form of Josh Southern and Draymond Green, Lou Dawkins' squad controlled the paint area on
both ends of the floor
Saginaw pressed the Redford all game long, but Corperryale Harris and company
were fairly effective at breaking it. The problem was the Huskies kept
hoisting hurried shots that didn't find the mark. With no virtually no
presence on the offensive glass early on, that was a recipe that impatience
was a recipe for disaster.
Redford's only chance was to ride the coat tails of a big day from Manny Harris. The
Mr. Basketball recipient was ailing from a hyper-extended knee suffered in
the previous game, but he did his best he could against a great deal of defensive
attention. It didn't take long for him to show that his game at less
than 100% is still better than most, as he scored eight of the Huskies' first
eleven points. Unfortunately for Redford, the role players didn't perform
as well as they had in recent games. The rushed shots and lack of size
began conspiring very early on, allowing Saginaw to score 19 first quarter
points, 16 of which came in the paint.
It was more of the same for the Trojans in the second quarter, as they poured
in another 17. Their only points outside of the paint came on a Bobby
Lewis jumper and a three-point bomb from Green that put the Trojans up 35-20
with 1:31 to go. Harris answered the bell to keep the Huskies in it,
scoring five of his squad's final six points, including a three-pointer before
the horn, to send Redford into the locker room down 36-26.
After the break, Redford made its final push of the game. Jerome Tyson
opened the second half with a big three pointer, before following that up with
another jumper. Harris then continued his basket attacking ways, drawing
a foul in the process to earn another trip to the free throw line. With
5:45 left in the third the Huskies had cut the lead to five (38-33). That,
however, is as close as they would get.
Another Draymond Green three-pointer ignited a 9-0 run down the stretch that
put the Trojans up 54-38 heading into the fourth. Saginaw continued the
onslaught early in the final stanza thanks to the combined efforts of Southern
and Green. The post duo scored all the points on a 9-4 run that put the
game out of reach. From there the Trojans coasted to the 79-57 victory.
On the game Manny Harris led all scorers with 31 points (including 16/17 from
the line). The Trojans were led by Draymond Green's outstanding floor
game, which consisted of 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Josh
Southern also made a big contribution to the winning effort with 15 points
and 15 boards. For the full boxsccore, click here.
In the nightcap, Kelvin Grady and East Grand Rapids took on perennial power
Detroit Country Day. The future Michigan floor general got on track from
the perimeter very early in the contest. With his team trailing 9-6 with
5:15 to go in the first, he found the mark from deep three times before the
end of the first quarter. His three-point barrage keyed an 11-5 run that
put his club up 17-14 heading into the second.
Grady helped pushed the lead to six midway through the period, but Country
Day's team Leader, Darnell Brown, refused to let East Grand Rapids pull away. Brown
erupted of nine points in the period, including a three-pointer just before
the buzzer, to put his first half tally to 12 and send his team into the break
trailing by a single basket (36-34).
Kelvin Grady opened the second half with a jumper to give EGR a little breathing
room, but the advantage short-lived. Country Day center Deshonte’ Riley
started a 5-0 run that was capped off by a Darnell Brown three-pointer that
gave the Yellow Jackets their first lead (57-55) since early in the first. East
Grand Rapids responded, however, and the two teams exchanged leads for the
rest of the quarter. When the dust settled, EGR was nursing a one-point lead
(51-50) heading into the fourth.
The jostling continued until the two teams were tied at 58 with 2:29 to go. That's
when Country Day used quick hands defensively and dribble penetration offensively
the key a 7-0 run to put the Yellow Jackets in control. At the end,
it was Darnell Brown that sealed the game with four free throws down the stretch
to preserve the 66-61 victory and give Country Day its seventh state title.
Brown led all scorers on the night with 22 points and eight rebounds. Kelvin
Grady paced East Grand Rapids with 20 points and seven assists. For the
full Boxscore, click here.