Boys Basketball Thoughts.

Written Tuesday December 20th at 8:15 AM

Pontiac: The Phoenix have been hot and cold as of late. They beat Detroit Central but fell to Jackson. Pontiac plays Dearborn Heights Robichaud at Ecorse on Sunday. They also have Summit Academy before going on Holiday break.

Ferndale University: The Eagles had a rough week. They fell to Southfield Christian and Troy Athens but beat Marine City. Ferndale University has been up and down as of late. They have Royal Oak and Sanford Meridan at St. Clair Community College looming over the holidays.

Avondale: The Yellow Jackets had a split week. They fell 63-54 to Holly but beat Berkley 69-66 in a crazy game. Avondale has been hot and cold which is normal for young teams. They have Brandon then South Lyon East at Northville then the Carleton Airport showcase over the holidays.

Harper Woods: The Pioneers had a split this week. They fell to Detroit Renaissance 59-53 but bounced back and beat Sterling Heights Stevenson 49-37. Harper Woods has been improving and is getting better. They have Waterford Mott in the Motor City Roundball Classic looming.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors have really struggled as of late. They have lost three straight to Northville, West Bloomfield, and Carleton Airport. Southfield Arts and Tech could be in some trouble. They have Milford before going on Holiday break.

Royal Oak: The Ravens haven’t played in a week but they are 2-0. Royal Oak has Ferndale University and Madison Heights Bishop Foley looming before going on Holiday break. They are in a really nice spot right now.

Troy Athens: It was a split week for the Red Hawks. They were blown out by Detroit Old Redford Academy but bounced back and beat Ferndale University. Troy Athens has Okemos and Madison Heights Lamphere at St. Clair Community College over the holidays.

Seaholm: The Maples have been struggling but they are starting to play better. Seaholm beat Walled Lake Western but fell to Troy. The Maples should be getting some key players back. They have Berkley looming before going on Holiday break.

Oxford: The Wildcats might have found a robin in Lucas Bottete to go along with Jake Champagne whom is their batman. Bottete had 27 points in their 43-40 win over Lapeer. Oxford has Livonia Clarenceville and Stoney Creek looming before going on Holiday break.

Berkley: The Bears are coming off a very tough loss to Avondale falling 69-66 but they bounced back in overtime over Warren Cousino 61-51. They are fine, don’t press the panic button on them. Berkley has Seaholm, and Dearborn in the Motor City Roundball Classic looming.

Rochester: The Falcons are off to a rough start with tough losses to West Bloomfield and Farmington but bounced back against Utica Ford winning 48-41. Rochester has been struggling especially defensively. They have Adams, and is in the New Baltimore Anchor Bay Classic against New Baltimore Anchor Bay, Grosse Pointe North, and Armada in a four team tournament over the holidays.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars are in a transition period as shown in their two losses to New Baltimore Anchor Bay and Groves and it has to happen during the season. Stoney Creek will be fine, no need to panic. They have Oxford, Chippewa Valley, Sterling Heights Stevenson, and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in the Motor City Roundball Classic looming.

Groves: The Falcons look like a completely different team with Coach Marc West’s return to the bench. Groves had to have a 23 point fourth quarter to beat Oxford and beat Stoney Creek. They have Clarkston, Grosse Pointe South, and Walled Lake Central looming over the holidays.

Farmington: The Falcons looked improved even though they split this week. Farmington fell to Brighton but beat Rochester. They have North Farmington and River Rouge looming over the holidays.

Lake Orion: The injury and flu bug has hit the Dragons and it has showed in their last two games which were losses to Clarkston and Adams. Lake Orion had to survive against a very strong Holly program winning 53-49. They are heading to the Holiday break needing to get healthy before the start of 2023.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers have been rolling lately with wins over Rochester, Southfield Arts and Tech, and Warren Fitzgerald. West Bloomfield has Ann Arbor Skyline at Eastern Michigan, Ypsilanti, and Grosse Pointe South in the Motor City Roundball Classic.

Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks picked up two wins over Plymouth and Traverse City West. Noah Adamcyzk picked up his 1,000 career point against Plymouth. Bloomfield Hills has Walled Lake Central, Detroit Pershing at Detroit Cass Tech, and Detroit Henry Ford in the Motor City Roundball Classic.

Troy: The Colts picked up two wins over Adams in a hard fought game and Seaholm. Troy has been playing really good basketball. They have Southfield Christian and Belleville at the North Farmington Showcase looming.

Adams: It was a split week for the Highlanders which featured a tough loss to Troy and a win over a depleted Lake Orion. Brady Prieskorn has played well for Adams. They have Utica, Rochester, and Birmingham Detroit Country Day in the Motor City Roundball Classic looming.

Clarkston: The Wolves had a test week with two good wins over Lake Orion and Old Redford Academy. Clarkston despite the 3-1 record hasn’t been that impressive. They have three games with Groves, Flint Carman Ainsworth, and Utica Eisenhower with two of the three being at home. The schedule is never easy with the Wolves.

Oak Park: The Knights have been treading water a little bit. They had to survive 53-47 over Detroit University Prep. Oak Park picked up a monster 57-40 win over Ecorse to go to 3-0 on the season. They have Macomb Dakota in the Motor City Roundball Classic looming.

Ferndale: The Eagles might be the best 1-3 team in the State with the schedule they are playing. They fell 54-44 to Birmingham Brother Rice. They have Lima, Ohio and Orchard Lake St. Marys looming in the Motor City Roundball Classic.

North Farmington: The Raiders had a split week after blowing out Hamtramck 70-39 but they couldn’t keep that intensity going at Northville against Warren Lincoln. North Farmington blew a 34-16 halftime lead and fell on a three point buzzer beater 56-55 in overtime. This loss will sting a bit for the Raiders. They have Farmington, Detroit Communication Media Arts, and Toledo Whitmer all at home during the holidays.