Jeff Burris looks to dish | Powers Media

After a quartet of extremely entertaining state tournaments, West Michigan brought home two boys basketball state championships in 2010.   And even as state championships go, these two were of particular significance.

In Class-A, Kalamazoo Central avenged their 2009 state championship loss with a 74-65 victory over Ann Arbor Huron, winning their first state championship in 59-years in the process.  Interestingly, that championship in 1951 was their third consecutive.  Speaking of three consecutive state championships, the 1951 Maroon Giants were the last team to accomplish that feat until 2010, when Muskegon Western Michigan Christian beat Marine City Cardinal Mooney 66-56 for their third Class-D championship in a row.

First championship in almost 60-years.  Third championship in a row.  Whether you’re a Kalamazooan or a Muskegonite, it’s time for a celebration.

Congratulations K-Zoo Central and WMC on a great 2010 boys basketball season.  Below you will find complete coverage of your championship victory.  Bookmark this page, and link to it from your Facebook pages, to remember every smidgen of your incredible accomplishment.

Kalamazoo Central beats Ann Arbor Huron

• Redemption tastes mighty sweet for Kalamazoo Central — Kalamazoo Gazette
• Kalamazoo Central puts on clinic in unselfish play — Kalamazoo Gazette
• One Giant Feat: Kalamazoo Central captures first title since 1951 — Kalamazoo Gazette
• Kalamazoo Central captures first title since 1951 — Detroit News
• Aw Rats: Ann Arbor Huron falls to Kalamazoo Central — AnnArbor.com
• Relive the game in its entirety on video — MHSAA.tv

Western Michigan Christian beats Marine City Cardinal Mooney

• Bruinsma leads WMC to third straight title — Your boys at WMA
• Western Michigan Christian captures third straight — Muskegon Chronicle
• WMC’s three-peat will only get more impressive with time (photos) — Muskegon Chronicle
• Evan Bruinsma plays like Class-D Player of the Year — Muskegon Chronicle
• Muskegon WMC makes it three straight with victory — Mlive.com
• Bruinsma leads Muskegon Christian to title — Freep.com
• Relive the game in its entirety on video — MHSAA.tv

Congratulations, guys, from your fans at WMA!

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WMC's Evan Bruinsma lead the way for the Warriors

One more game to make history.  The last time a boys basketball team from West Michigan won three consecutive state titles, Kalamazoo Central in 1949-51, people watched the game on this doohickey.  You wanna talk greater Grand Rapids area?  Well, then you’re talking Grand Haven in 1933-35, when they didn’t even have anything to watch.  Now, after one of the most thrilling contests of the season, Western Michigan Christian has the opportunity to do it again.

It. Was. Not. Easy.

After playing much of the game with a good-sized lead, in the end the Warriors won by about six inches — the distance by which Covert guard Amere May Jr. missed a game-winning jumper as the buzzer sounded. Western Michigan Christian held on for a 62-61 victory, in a game that people will continue talking about for years.

(On that note, will somebody please pat me on the back, or buy me a Coke or something?  I was darn near prescient yesterday.)

Western Michigan Christian erupted early, playing their way to a 19-10 first quarter lead (a lead, it turns out, that would sustain them the entire game).  C0vert managed to stem the bleeding during the second quarter, playing WMC even to go into halftime down 37-28.  Covert made up ground for the first time in the third quarter, ending the period down only eight (51-43).  That’s when the fun started.

Backs against the wall, the cornered Bulldogs rallied.  They chipped steadily away at the Warriors lead, playing with an intensity unmatched by either team throughout the first three quarters.  Their flurry of basketball urgency was almost enough, too.  They came up only inches short.

May lead the way with a game-high 26-points on 11-for-25 shooting, while teammate Demonte Atkins tallied 17-points.  For Western Michigan Christian, all-state forward Evan Bruinsma lead with 18-points and 13-rebounds, while London Burris and Omari Lewis each scored 14-points.

Insider’s perspective

After following the Warriors for a couple years now, the Muskegon Chronicle’s Ron Rop caught something interesting near the end of Thursday’s game:

His (WMC coach Jim Goorman) team had not played one second of zone all season long, but did against the Bulldogs. Goorman went to a 2-1-2 zone and also used a Box-and-1 against May…

Is this something worth writing home about?  Probably not.  May is a unique talent, and the Warriors are unlikely to repeat their zone-liness in the finals against Marine City Cardinal Mooney.  But it’s worth keeping an eye on, if only as proof positive that WMC has the intelligence and savvy to maintain poise in the most unusual situations.

Looking to the future

All that stands between Western Michigan Christian and a historical three-peat is Marine City Cardinal Mooney, who beat Eben Junction Superior Central 66-55 in the second Class-D semifinal.  The Cardinals are an excellent team in their own right, but after surviving Covert the Warriors are well set up for a victory.

Pay attention on Saturday, because this very well could be one of those times about which we’ll all reminisce for the next fifty-odd years, saying “I remember when…”

Congrats on making it to the finals, WMC.  You’ve played some fantastic basketball, and you should be very proud of your season.  But we as fans know you’re not satisfied.  And neither are we.

There’s history to be made.

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Covert's Amere May Jr. should have a big game

The basketball that the average fan wants to watch and the basketball that the average coach wants to coach are fundamentally different.  The latter is a style of the game predicated on exact execution of strategically designed plays on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor, while the former is a track meet, wherein players run their tails off up and down the floor and teams alternate buckets like the gym was in a thunderstorm.  They are two distinct and separate styles of basketball that don’t typically meet, but when they do it makes for a heck of a ballgame.

Enter Covert vs. Western Michigan Christian, tonight at the Breslin Center.

Semifinal matchup number-1 in Class-D pits two of the most athletic teams in West Michigan against each other, each manned by a coach who believes his club is at their best when the shots are flying, and so are the bodies.  And you’d better believe us fans are stoked at the possibilities for fast-paced basketball awesomeness that this matchup represents.

It’s funny, reading some of the trash talk from opposing fans on the Mlive forums:

big16….. > Them Doggs just too quick. Go Covert Bulldogs…run em like crazy

oldskoolbulldog67 > I don’t think no one in class-d is as quick and athletic as my Bulldogs. If they run it’s a wrap around the third or fourth quarter

okred997 > (WMC is) extremely quick and love to run, run, run the entire game. You are not going to wear them down. Going to be a track meet. Looking forward to it. great postseason run for the bulldogs, but (Evan) Bruinsma and (London) Burris, the Warriors quickness and size is just too much for a very good Covert team. WMC is just better.

All bias aside, you can feel the energy behind these two teams.  Covert’s is a fanbase that feels slighted by the media for their lack of coverage all year long, and wants to prove everybody wrong with a win over two-time champion WMC.  WMC’s fanbase is accustomed to winning, and winning some more, but while they expect a victory over Covert, they aren’t quite as confident as they might like.

As a liberated fan of the game of basketball, you don’t want to miss this one.

Analysis

Looking at the matchup analytically, all bias aside, each team has the talent to walk away with a victory tonight.  And that uncertainty is only helped by their shared uptempo style of play.  That many possessions, it may come down to who can get hot at the right time.

Covert is lead by all-everything guard Amere May Jr., a 6-foot-2 scoring machine.  May scored 38-points in the quarterfinals and has scored more than 40-points in five games this season and more than 50-twice, including a season high of 57.  It will be difficult for WMC to set their defense to stop May with everybody running at top speed, so look for a big scoring game from the all-stater.  And if the Warriors do manage to stifle May’s scoring output, they’ll be forced to contend with Steven Dean, an outstanding second option from the guard position.

Western Michigan Christian’s up-and-down style, while it has brought them success all season, also plays right into Covert’s hands.  Still, the Warriors have a mammoth sized trump-card in 6-foot-7 all-state forward Evan Bruinsma.  As a relative big-man, Bruinsma has an outstanding ability to run with the guards, and can alter shots anywhere around the hoop on the defensive end.  But perhaps more importantly, Covert has nobody who can guard him on the offensive end.

If you consider the next-level skills of May and Bruinsma a wash when set against each other, the game may come down to the matchup between Dean and WMC’s lightning quick point guard, London Burris.  Burris has a multifaceted offensive game, and can hurt an opponent off the dribble, pass or shot.  If it comes down to this matchup, your guess is as good as mine.

At the end of the day, what we’ve got here is a basketball fan’s dream.  A matchup between two of the most athletic, skillful teams in the state, at the Breslin Center, for the right to play for the state championship.  The only way to lose is if you’ve got a horse in the race.

Prediction

This one could go either way, but WMC’s experience combined with Bruinsma’s height inside will make the difference.  Warriors win, 77-83.

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In a sporting environment that breeds competition between the left and right sides of the state, state championships are the points by which we determine the winner.  In recent years the basketball crown has been firmly atop the head of East Michigan — except in Class-D.  In Class-D, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian holds the reigns.

In 2008, Western Michigan Christian won the state championship.  In 2009, they did it again.  Clearly the favorite in 2010, the Warriors now strive for their third consecutive state championship.  They would be the first West Michigan team to accomplish the feat since Kalamazoo Central won three consecutive Class-A state championships in 1949-1951.

If all goes according to plan, they’ll get there.  The Warriors have an entire roster of elite talent, lead by two of the top talents in Class-D in versatile forward Evan Bruinsma and lightning-quick guard London Burris.  They have dominated their competition all year to earn a 23-2 overall record (only losses coming against Muskegon Heights and Tri-Unity Christian), and on paper should continue that trend throughout the playoffs.

But this is the state basketball tournament.  And the tournament isn’t played on paper.

Even as the favorite, or perhaps especially as the favorite, Western Michigan Christian has a difficult road ahead to win back-to-back-to-back Class-D state championships.  It starts Tuesday at Buckley, who barely snuck past Leland with a free-throw after time had expired to set up a matchup that had been forecasted months earlier.  From Ron Rop:

Rene LaFraniere III made a bold prediction last October when he saw Jim Goorman at a basketball coaches’ clinic.

LaFraniere, the coach of the Buckley Bears, told Goorman, the Western Michigan Christian Warriors’ veteran coach, he expected the Bears and the two-time defending state champion Warriors to meet in the Class D quarterfinals in Traverse City.

His forecast came true as the Warriors and the Bears will play at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Traverse City Central High School. It’s a rematch of last year’s regional semifinal game in which the Warriors won 77-62 in a game that was dominated by underclassmen.

Despite the months-old target on their back, the Warriors should theoretically win in Tuesday’s rematch as well.  They’ve become used to the heightened attention by now, and have proven themselves capable of thriving despite/because of it.  That, and at least on paper they have the more talented team.

But again, the tournament isn’t played out on paper.

Looking ahead (you can do this unless you’re Muskegon WMC)

Provided they beat Buckley, the Warriors will likely meet West Michigan’s second best hope for a Class-D championship, Covert (provided they win over Camden Frontier).  The Bulldogs are lead by the most dominant scoring force in Class-D, Amere May Jr.

Again, the Warriors should advance over their opponent.  They have the talent, chemistry, and balance to take down Covert’s one-man scoring machine and advance to the state championship.  But again, the tournament isn’t played out on paper.

Keep up with the latest action and analysis by becoming a WMA fan on Facebook, or join the conversation by following WMA on Twitter.  Heck, even start your own topic over at Allstars Among Us.

These will be the last rankings of 2010, as we now enter the state tournament.  Along with a team’s record, these rankings take into account quality of wins, talent, synergy,  and a handful of more subjective factors, and may be correctly interpreted as an authoritative list of the top basketball teams in West Michigan.

Yeah, ranking teams is a tough business.  But somebody’s got to do it.

West Michigan Allstar’s Top-10 (End of Regular Season)

1. Kalamazoo Central — The Maroon Giants enter the tournament on top, having earned every bit.
2. Wayland — The Wildcats finish their storybook regular season undefeated.
3. Muskegon Heights — Will threaten the duration of the tournament, opponents beware.
4. Grand Rapids Union — Was the Puffer game a fluke?  It makes you think, despite 19-1 record.
5. Rockford — Talk about momentum, Rams ride a seven game winning streak into the tournament.
6. Holland Christian — That being the case, what do you call an 11-game winning streak?
   
7. Gull Lake — Finish their season with two big wins, South Haven and Otsego.
   
8. Otsego – Got spanked by Gull Lake, but 18-2 doesn’t lie.
9. Grand Rapids Christian — Losing two out of last three is not how Christian wanted to end.
10. Grand Haven — End their regular season with a disconcerting loss, but dangerous tourney team.

Close but no cigar (alphabetical): Allendale, Battle Creek Lakeview, Battle Creek St. Philip, Comstock Park, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills, Montague, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, Parchment, Schoolcraft.

Along with a team’s record, these rankings take into account quality of wins, talent, synergy,  and a handful of more subjective factors, and may be correctly interpreted as an authoritative list of the top basketball teams in West Michigan.

Playoffs coming up, these are the teams you gotta keep an eye on.

Yeah, ranking teams is a tough business.  But somebody’s got to do it.

West Michigan Allstar’s Top-10 (Week-13)

1. Kalamazoo Central — Chalk up two more wins, #1 and #2.
2. Wayland — Undefeated still, dubyas over Ottawa Hills and South Christian last week.
3. Otsego – Going strong into the playoffs, wins over Vicksburg and Plainwell.
4. Grand Rapids Union – Talk about your all-time blown leads…
5. Grand Rapids Christian — Barely lost to Union, but rebounded over Greenville.
6. Muskegon Heights — So far so good in the rebound attempt, Ludington can attest.
7. Battle Creek Lakeview – Apparently Loy-Norrix was on fire.
8. Rockford — They don’t win big, but they get it done.  Two more last week.
9. Grand Haven – Almost above Rockford, after wins over West Ottawa and Hudsonville.
10. Ottawa Hills — Still couldn’t hang with Wayland, but Hastings was another story.

Close but no cigar (alphabetical): Allendale, Battle Creek St. Philip, Comstock Park, Holland Christian, Montague, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, Parchment, Richmond Gull Lake, Schoolcraft.

Along with a team’s record, these rankings take into account quality of wins, talent, synergy,  and a handful of more subjective factors, and may be correctly interpreted as an authoritative list of the top basketball teams in West Michigan.

Yeah, ranking teams is a tough business.  But somebody’s got to do it.

West Michigan Allstar’s Top-10 (Week-12)

1. Kalamazoo Central — No doubt left, after this and this, they’re number 1.
2. Wayland — Proving doubters wrong, Wayland is legit. Wins over EGR and GRCC last week.
3. Grand Rapids Union – Like Wayland, still undefeated.  Last week saw Kenowa Hills.
4. Otsego – Wins over Dowagiac and comeback over Comstock last week, hitting their stride now.
   
5. Grand Rapids Christian — Continuing to roll over Kenowa and Northview, but big test this week.
6. Battle Creek Lakeview – Nice win against Coldwater on Friday.
7. Muskegon Heights — Lost 4 of their last 5 after going gangbusters early on.
8. Rockford — Two huge wins last week put the Rams back in the hunt, and they’re rolling.
9. Ottawa Hills — Huge win over Muskegon Heights, and followed it up with win over Caledonia.
10. Grand Haven – Hiccup against Rockford drops them, but still looks like a great tourney team.

Close but no cigar (alphabetical): Battle Creek St. Philip, Comstock Park, Godwin Heights, Grandville Calvin Christian, Holland, Holland Christian, Hudsonville, Montague, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, Parchment, Richmond Gull Lake, Schoolcraft, Spring Lake.

Agree?  Disagree?  Wish we would have remained shaven and not even bothered?  Let us know in the comments!

Keep up with the latest action and analysis by becoming a WMA fan on Facebook, or join the conversation by following WMA on Twitter.  Heck, even start your own topic over at Allstars Among Us.

Along with a team’s record, these rankings take into account quality of wins, talent, synergy,  and a handful of more subjective factors, and may be correctly interpreted as an authoritative list of the top basketball teams in West Michigan.

Lots of shake up at the top of the rankings, so be sure to check out who’s number-1.  We’re also getting down to crunchtime in the season, when teams want to start hitting their stride to prepare for post-season success.

Yeah, ranking teams is a tough business.  But somebody’s got to do it.

West Michigan Allstar’s Top-10 (Week-11)

1. Kalamazoo Central — Smoked Portage Northern, Oliver now at full stride, the Giants are #1.
2. Wayland — Continuing to roll over Middleville, and has a chance to run the table.
3. Muskegon Heights — Kent City couldn’t hang, but Romulus handed them loss #2.
4. Grand Rapids Union – Northview and Mona Shores latest victims, but strength of sked isn’t there.
5. Grand Haven – Held East Kentwood to 18-points and Muskegon to 12-points in second half of games.
6. Richland Gull Lake — Beat Vicksburg soundly and looking strong overall.
7. Otsego — Had way too much trouble with Allegan, but a win’s a win.
8. Grand Rapids Christian — Convincing wins over Forest Hills Central and Lowell.
9. Schoolcraft — Back to their old ways with blowout victory over Delton Kellogg.
10. Battle Creek Lakeview — Continuing winning ways over Sturgis and Mattawan.

Close but no cigar (alphabetical): Battle Creek St. Philip, Comstock Park, Godwin Heights, Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills, Grandville Calvin Christian, Holland Christian, Hudsonville, Montague, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, Parchment, Rockford, Sparta, Spring Lake, Zeeland West.

Agree?  Disagree?  Wish we would have remained shaven and not even bothered?  Let us know in the comments!

Keep up with the latest action and analysis by becoming a WMA fan on Facebook, or join the conversation by following WMA on Twitter.  Heck, even start your own topic over at Allstars Among Us.

1. Feb. 12 high school basketball scores (boys) (girls) — Associated Press
2. Feb. 13 high school basketball scores (boys) (girls) — Associated Press
3. Class-C boys basketball rankings — HSBB
4. Class-D boys basketball rankings — HSBB
5. Division-1 individual wrestling districts — Kalamazoo Gazette
6. Division-2 individual wrestling districts — Kalamazoo Gazette
7. Division-3 individual wrestling districts — Kalamazoo Gazette
8. Division-4 individual wrestling districts — Kalamazoo Gazette
9. Muskegon’s Matt Savage runs savagely — Muskegon Chronicle
10. EGR hockey opportunistic in win over Forest Hills Central — Grand Rapids Press

Keep up with the latest action and analysis by becoming a WMA fan on Facebook, or join the conversation by following WMA on Twitter.  Heck, even start your own topic over at Allstars Among Us.