Basketball Top 23.

Written Saturday January 27th at 1:15 AM

Updated Saturday January 27th at 10:25 PM

Here is the Top 23.

 Boys

1. North Farmington (13-1): Raiders had a surprisingly blowout win at Clarkston which is mind boggling but lost a tough one to Grand Rapids Northview.

2. Troy (12-1): The Big Three is at it again.

3. West Bloomfield (10-5): Lakers have been hanging by the moment.

4. Ferndale (9-5): Eagles have been hanging by the moment.

5. Adams (10-4): The Highlanders three point barrage broke out in a big way.

6. Lake Orion (10-5): Dragons are finally back home after three weeks on the road.

7. Troy Athens (10-4): When Emmanuel Robinson gets going the Red Hawks are tough to beat.

8. Farmington (7-6): Don’t look now here comes the Falcons.

9. Clarkston (6-8): Wolves have lost six straight including a humbling loss to North Farmington.

10. Groves (4-10): Life in the Red has been very tough for the Falcons but they're very competitive.

11. Avondale (9-5): Yellow Jackets still control their destiny in the Blue.

12. Berkley (10-4): Bears have been a really odd team to figure out.

13. Oxford (9-5): When Wildcats have a Robin they are tough to beat.

14. Harper Woods (4-8): Pioneers have played Troy really tough.

15. Pontiac (7-7): Phoenix have been up and down lately.

16. Oak Park (3-8): Hard to trust the Knights right now.

17. Royal Oak (9-6): Ravens have been up and down lately.

18. Seaholm (4-9): Maples defense will be key for the rest of the season.

19. Bloomfield Hills (2-10): Blackhawks are improving despite record.

20. Stoney Creek (4-9): Cougars were playing well until they got to Oxford.

21. Rochester (3-12): Falcons have struggled to score 40 the last two games.

22. Ferndale University (2-11): Eagles are really struggling right now.

23. Southfield Arts and Tech (2-12): Warriors are really struggling right now.

 

 

Girls

1. West Bloomfield (11-0): Lakers are rolling over everyone.

2. Stoney Creek (10-0): Good luck against West Bloomfield, Cougars.

3. Clarkston (10-4): Wolves had a rough outing like everyone will be against West Bloomfield.

4. Ferndale (8-3): Eagles underclassmen are performing at a high level.

5. Southfield Arts and Tech (8-2): Warriors have been rolling lately.

6. Royal Oak (8-3): Ravens have lost two of three which is very unusual.

7. Oxford (7-5): Wildcats have been up and down lately.

8. Rochester (4-6): Falcons grinded out a confidence boosting win over Lake Orion.

9. Lake Orion (7-3): Dragons need to clean a lot of things up and quick.

10. Seaholm (7-4): Maples control their own destiny in the White.

11. Troy Athens (6-6): Red Hawks are 5-2 in their last seven games.

12. Bloomfield Hills (5-6): Blackhawks might be back to being themselves.

13. Troy (6-7): Diamond Prince is something special.

14. Berkley (7-4): Bears can’t let Diamond Prince score 40 points, that’s a concern.

15. Groves (4-7): Falcons have been up and down lately.

16. Harper Woods (5-3): Pioneers have a ton of games ahead of them.

17. Avondale (3-8): Yellow Jackets have been up and down lately.

18. Adams (3-10): Highlanders have been very competitive despite record.

19. North Farmington (7-6): Raiders have a ton of problems right now.

20. Pontiac (4-8): Phoenix looked good against Ferndale University but what happened against Waterford Mott???

21. Oak Park (1-6): Knights got their first win of the season over Ferndale University.

22. Farmington (1-10): Falcons are really struggling right now.

23. Ferndale University (0-11): Eagles are really struggling right now.

Stoney Creek has their new Varsity Football Coach.

Written Wednesday January 24th at 4:00 PM

The Cougars have their new varsity football coach.

Stoney Creek will name Rick Powell as their new varsity football coach. Powell replaces Nick Merlo who left to be the offensive coordinator at Orchard Lake St. Marys.

The move was confirmed on Powell's personal Twitter Page.

Powell became the defensive coordinator at Lake Orion in 2018 coming over from New Baltimore Anchor Bay. He is a math teacher at Lake Orion.

Powell is an Warren Cousino alumni. He will be tasked of turning around a Cougars program that went 3-6 last season. Stoney Creek has made the postseason three of the last five years but are 12-16 in the last three years.

Stoney Creek will be in the White next season after being in the Red for three years.

Powell will have to replace a ton of talent from this past season. It will be very interesting to see what changes he brings with the Cougars for next fall.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story. 

 

Here's Powell's twitter page confirming the hire.

https://twitter.com/coach_powell2

Basketball Top 23.

Written Saturday January 20th at 9:40 AM

Updated Saturday January 20th at 10:50 PM

Here is the top 23.

Records are updated.

Boys

1. North Farmington (11-0): Dylan Smith has really helped out the Raiders.

2. Troy (10-1): Andrew Lake has been the most impactful besides the Big Three for the Colts.

3. West Bloomfield (8-5): Lakers have been a different team since losing to North Farmington.

4. Ferndale (6-5): Trenton Ruth had a monster game including a buzzer beater against Clarkston.

5. Clarkston (6-6): Wolves have lost four in a row which is unheard of.

6. Adams (8-4): Highlanders have lost three straight which is surprising.

7. Berkley (9-3): Bears are starting to hit their stride.

8. Troy Athens (10-3): Red Hawks are rolling right now.

9. Lake Orion (9-4): Dragons will be fine after a really tough loss to Harper Woods.

10. Groves (4-8): Life in the Red is never easy but they are 4-3 outside the division.

11. Farmington (5-6): Greg Grays is the real deal for the Falcons.

12. Avondale (9-4): Jordan Clayton has been a solid surprise for the Yellow Jackets.

13. Oxford (7-4): Wildcats need some other than Jake Champagne to step up.

14. Oak Park (3-6): Knights haven’t played in a week.

15. Harper Woods (4-7): Pioneers have been solid at home but on the road will be the test.

16. Royal Oak (8-5): Ravens have been up and down lately.

17. Pontiac (4-7): Phoenix have been up and down lately.

18. Seaholm (3-8): Maples were competitive in their loss to Troy.

19. Stoney Creek (3-8): Evan Woodward could be a perfect complement to Tre Walker.

20. Rochester (3-10): Max Mohl continues to perform at a high level for the Falcons.

21. Bloomfield Hills (2-9): Blackhawks might have found something in their win over Southfield Arts and Tech.

22. Ferndale University (2-9): Eagles played much better than in recent weeks.

23. Southfield Arts and Tech (2-10): Warriors are really struggling right now.

 

 

 

Girls

1. West Bloomfield (9-0): Lakers rolling along.

2. Stoney Creek (9-0): Cougars have been living on the edge lately.

3. Royal Oak (7-1): Ravens haven’t played in a while.

4. Clarkston (10-3): Wolves still have some concerns despite win over Lake Orion.

5. Ferndale (7-2): Eagles have easiest part of schedule, might not get tested until the postseason.

6. Lake Orion (7-2): Dragons defense is a serious concern right now.

7. Southfield Arts and Tech (7-2): Warriors got back on track after a tough loss to West Bloomfield.

8. Berkley (7-3): Bears balance is really showing right now.

9. Oxford (6-4): Wildcats had been playing really good basketball lately.

10. Rochester (3-5): Falcons played much better despite loss to Stoney Creek.

11. Seaholm (5-4): Maples have been a much different team since loss to Stoney Creek.

12. Troy Athens (5-6): Red Hawks have shown they will be a tough out for anyone.

13. Bloomfield Hills (3-5): Blackhawks might be back.

14. Groves (3-6): Falcons have been up and down lately.

15. North Farmington (7-3): Raiders have been up and down lately.

16. Troy (4-7): Olivia Sprangler has been the X factor for the Colts.

17. Avondale (3-6): Yellow Jackets needed a win in the worst way and got it over Pontiac.

18. Harper Woods (4-3): Pioneers haven’t played in a while.

19. Adams (3-8): Highlanders are in a bit of a rut right now.

20. Pontiac (3-7): Phoenix are struggling a little bit.

21. Farmington (1-8): Falcons are really struggling right now.

22. Oak Park (0-6): Knights haven’t played in a while.

23. Ferndale University (0-8): Eagles are really struggling right now.

Boys Basketball Thoughts.

Written Sunday January 14th at 1:00 PM

North Farmington: The Raiders have been rolling along especially the play of Tyler Spratt and Landon Williams. Coach Todd Negoshian has a very good and proven squad along with their famous press and trap defense. North Farmington is rolling right now.

Ferndale: The Eagles have bounced back by winning two straight games. Ethan Vinyard has played really well for Coach Juan Rickman. Ferndale has been up and down which was almost similar to last season when they won the Division Two State crown. The Eagles should be fine going forward.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers have started to turn things around since their loss to North Farmington. Drew Wilson has fit in nicely for Coach Arnette Jordan and they had a huge third quarter where they pressed Clarkston in their ten point win over them. West Bloomfield has been rolling as of late but they still have some lulls at times which has to concern Jordan a little bit.

Adams: The Highlanders are going through a rough patch after two straight losses. Adams likes to shoot a ton of threes which has been their strength all season long. Coach Isiah Novak will be fine, they are going through a rough patch as mentioned.

Clarkston: The Wolves have lost two straight which is unusual for Coach Tim Waslik and his program. Peyton Fitzsimmons has been on and off. John Kaul, Cole Charter, and Quinn Rosenburg has been solid for Clarkston. The Wolves are going through a rough patch which all good teams go through during the season.

Oak Park: The Knights have been a Jekyll and Hyde as of late. They won 68-66 over Clarkston which sent shock waves around the league. Geon Hutchins has played very well for Coach Durrand Sheppard. Oak Park has been going through a lot but the win over the Wolves should help their confidence going forward.

Groves: The Falcons snapped their five game losing streak with a win over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. Groves is still a very young team but life in the Red has been very difficult for them. This win should help Coach Marc West’s team gain some much needed confidence before heading back into Red play.

Troy: The Colts have been rolling as of late. The big three of Mason Parker, Jon Whiteside, and Chase Kupier have been playing very well but Coach Gary Fralick has been impressed with Andrew Lake. Lake has been steady at point guard which helps because it makes Parker into a true shooting guard. There is a ton to like with Troy right now.

Harper Woods: The Pioneers have played a really tough schedule and they are coming off a tough loss to Troy Athens. Julian Young and Isiah Lewis have been the key players for Coach TaJuan Porter. It will be very interesting to see what Harper Woods does going forward.

Troy Athens: The Red Hawks have been rolling as of late. They have won four straight and are playing the basketball that Coach Dave Scott likes. Emmanuel Robinson has been playing really well and they got a monster win in Harper Woods. The Red Hawks are playing really well right now.

Seaholm: The Maples have lost three straight which is not a good sign for Coach Mike DeGeeter and company. Seaholm has really struggled defensively although there were some signs against Lake Orion where they played well in spurts.

Lake Orion: The Dragons bounced back after a tough loss to Troy by winning a defensive slugfest against Seaholm. It’s been a team effort all around for Coach Jose Andrades. The Dragons are in a really good spot right now.

Farmington: The Falcons have really improved. They are 4-1 in their last five games. Greg Grays has been playing really well for Coach Byron Johnson. Farmington is gaining a ton of confidence, not a lot of team want to play them right now with how they have been doing.

Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks have gone through a very tough transition period. DaRon Mason, Carter Canfield, Phil Muhammad are doing everything they can for Coach Brian Canfield. They are getting better despite the record. They’ll be fine.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors have been struggling as of late. They did score 62 points against Farmington. Coach Terrance Porter’s team has shown some greatness and struggle, which are all signs of a very young team. Southfield Arts and Tech has been a work in progress.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars have really struggled which is very odd especially for a second year. Coach Jeff Olind has had moments of greatness and rough stretches. Stoney Creek has a really tough schedule going forward with non league games against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Hamtramck, Troy Athens, and Adams. Stoney Creek is struggling right now.

Avondale: The Yellow Jackets have won three straight and four of their last five games. Coach Jaret Thomas is still building the program in his image and he’s doing that. Justin-Greer Sykes has had some moments of greatness as has others as well. Avondale is playing well right now.

Oxford: The Wildcats took a hit in the league standings after falling to Berkley but they still have a chance to turn things around. Jake Champagne has played really well but he needs some help and has gotten it for the most part of the season. Coach Joe Fedorinchik will be fine going forward.

Rochester: The Falcons have been playing much better despite what the record says about them. Rochester has been very competitive for Coach Nick Evola. Max Muhl, Jake Tandy, and company have stepped up their games as of late. They will be fine going forward.

Berkley: The Bears control their destiny in the Blue after their statement win over Oxford. Coach Joe Sermo’s team has won five straight. Berkley has gotten key contributors playing well at the right time. If the Bears can keep this up then that division crown could be well within their grasp.

Pontiac: The Phoenix have been up and down which are normal signs for a young team. JJ Claudio has done very well for Pontiac. Coach Andrew Myers already has five wins for a young and emerging Pontiac squad going forward.

Royal Oak: The Ravens have lost three straight heading into 2024. Royal Oak has given up over 50 points twice in this stretch. Coach Aaron Smith needs to shore up the defensive intensity going forward because it’s looking almost similar to last season when the year changed they struggled.

Ferndale University: The Eagles have not been the same team lately. They have not scored over 50 points in four games which is a big concern. Coach Josh Nicks needs to get this figured out and quick if they want to turn things around.