Boys Basketball Thoughts.

Written Saturday December 10th at 8:40 PM

Here are my thoughts on Boys Basketball in their first week of the season.

Pontiac: The Phoenix has had a tough start to the season. They fell to Lincoln King Academy 75-61 but bounced back and beat Detroit Denby 48-45. Pontiac also fell 45-34 to Holland as well. The Phoenix could easily be 0-3 but they sit at 1-2 right now. They have Detroit Central and Jackson looming this week.

Ferndale University: The Eagles are off to a good start with two good wins. They beat Hazel Park 49-43 and Detroit Cody 58-51. Ferndale University had really improved as a program and now they are getting battled tested against some solid teams. They have Southfield Christian and Troy Athens looming this week.

Avondale: It was a very interesting week for the Yellow Jackets which saw an 87-55 opening night win over Warren Mott behind 18 points from Jeremiah Phillips and Anthony Burton along with 15 points from Justin Sykes. Avondale was blown out by Groves 74-47 and had a heartbreaking 67-65 loss to Novi. The Yellow Jackets should be fine. I think they are improved and a sleeper to watch in the Gold this season. They have Holly and Berkley looming this week.

Harper Woods: The Pioneers have had a battle tested three games. They fell 69-52 to Warren Michigan Colligate but have bounced back by beating Detroit Mumford 47-45 and Warren Fitzgerald 42-36. The defense has really stood out with Harper Woods. If they can keep teams under 45 then they are a very good team. The Pioneers have a tough week with Detroit Renaissance and Sterling Heights Stevenson looming this week.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors have been playing really good basketball early despite going 2-1 on the week. Southfield Arts and Tech beat Seaholm 45-43 on a buzzer beater then they fell 71-69 to Romulus and then bounced back with a 65-47 win over neighbor Southfield Christian. The Warriors are much improved than they were last season. They have Carleton Airport, West Bloomfield, and Northville looming this week.

Royal Oak: The Ravens are off to a good start winning two games over Cranbrook-Kingswood 60-47 and Fraser 58-33. The big three for Royal Oak has been the difference with their start. Davis Arebieter had 23 points and Dylan Hoffman had 10 points against Cranbrook-Kingswood while Camden Clark had 17 points and Hoffman added 14 points against Fraser. Dylan’s younger brother Nick added 10 points against Fraser as well. The Ravens are off to a nice start as they have Pontiac Academy of Excellence looming this week.

Troy Athens: The Red Hawks had a split last week by beating Warren Cousino 61-52 but fell 51-38 to arch rival Troy. Brogan Withun had 19 points, Kyree Harper had 15 points, and Evan Coquholn had 13 points against Warren Cousino. Troy Athens should be fine going forward. They have Rochester and Southfield Arts and Tech looming this week.

Seaholm: The Maples have had two tough losses to start the season. Seaholm lost 45-43 on a buzzer beater to Southfield Arts and Tech and 35-23 to Lake Orion in a defensive low scoring game. The Maples have Walled Lake Western and Troy looming this week.

Oxford: The Wildcats are coming off a very tough 50-37 loss to Lake Orion on Tuesday night. Jake Champagne led Oxford with 23 points in their game. The Wildcats rely on Champagne to carry the load and that’s not a recipe for success. They need someone besides Champagne to step up if they want to make some noise this season. The Wildcats have Groves and Lapeer looming this week and both games are at Ian Smith Gym.

Berkley: I give a ton of credit to Bears coach Joe Sermo for taking responsibility in their 58-29 loss to Troy on Twitter. Berkley came through in a big way with a 52-44 win over Detroit East English Village Prep. Tamir Runkenvich had 20 points and Henry Robinson added 10 points. The Bears have Avondale looming this week.

Rochester: Can’t judge the Falcons since they haven’t played a game yet. Rochester has West Bloomfield and Farmington looming this week.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars looked real good early however they blew an 18 point lead against New Baltimore Anchor Bay falling 62-60. Aiden Grosko had 16 points while Tre Walker added 12 and Peyton Rummler added nine points for Stoney Creek. I think the Cougars will be fine going forward. They have Groves looming this week.

Groves: The Falcons look like a completely different team with Coach Marc West’s return to the bench. Groves had two wins over Avondale 74-47 and Redford Thurston 66-45. Josh Gibson had 19 points and Paige Williams added 10 points in their win over Avondale. The Falcons are clicking but it’s early. They have Oxford and Stoney Creek looming this week.

Farmington: The Falcons looked improved even though they split this week. Farmington fell 63-45 to Ann Arbor Pioneer but beat Detroit Osborn 79-52. The Falcons are a very interesting team to watch. They have Brighton and Rochester looming this week.

Lake Orion: Defense wins championships, that’s likely going to be the mantra that the Dragons could be using this season. Lake Orion beat Oxford 50-37 behind 21 points from Blake Liddell and Seaholm in a hard fought defensive game 35-23 in which Liddell had 12 points and DJ Morrow added 10 points. The Dragons are a very interesting team that has a nice blend of youth and proven experience. They have a tough week looming with Clarkston and Adams this week.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers opened their season with a 68-63 win over Detroit Western. Mitchell Seay had 22 points while Jayden Jones and Corey Pittman had 14 points each and Donald Watts had 13 points for West Bloomfield. The Lakers are off to a good start even though there are some concerns they will need to address at some point. They have Rochester and Southfield Arts and Tech looming next week.

Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks are off to a very good start with two wins over Romeo 62-48 and Novi Christian Academy 76-56. A big reason for their success has been the play of Noah Adamcyzk. He had 32 against Romeo and 33 against Novi Christian Academy. Bloomfield Hills has also gotten contributions elsewhere as well. The play of Adamcyzk is critical to the Blackhawks success this season. They have Plymouth and their annual trip to Traverse City to play Traverse City West this week.

Troy: The Colts are off to a strong start by beating Berkley 58-29 and Troy Athens 51-38. Mason Parker has been an x factor for Troy. They have also gotten contributions from Darius Whiteside, Chase Kuiper, and Zach Penoza as well. Troy has Adams and Seaholm looming this week.

Adams: Can’t judge the Highlanders since they haven’t played a game yet. Adams has Troy and Lake Orion looming this week.

Clarkston: It was a split week for the Wolves. Clarkston beat Sterling Heights Stevenson 45-33 behind a dominant defensive effort. The Wolves had a really tough time against Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit falling 71-47. The Wolves have Lake Orion and Detroit Old Redford Academy looming this week.

Oak Park: The Knights are off to a good start with a 60-54 win over Detroit Old Redford. Oak Park was tied with Detroit Old Redford after three quarters but had just enough to get the win. The Knights know the Red will be tough and if they aren’t on every night then it could be a long night for them. Oak Park has Detroit University Prep looming this week.

Ferndale: The Eagles have had things very tough when it comes to the schedule. They could easily be 3-0 but they are 1-2. Ferndale lost their last two games by a combined five points including a 57-55 loss to Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit and a 55-52 loss to Detroit University Prep. They beat Grosse Pointe South 67-61 in a hard fought game. Noah Blocker had 29 points. He had been a surprise for the Eagles. Ferndale should be fine despite the record. They have Birmingham Brother Rice looming this week.

North Farmington: The Raiders have been very impressive by earning two dominant wins over Detroit Martin Luther King 49-36 and Detroit Edison 70-39. Ryan Hurst has been dominant for North Farmington whom besides Hurst has a ton of proven depth. They have Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Hamtramck, and Warren Lincoln looming this week.