Josh Jackson watches the Michigan State -Ohio State game on March 5 at the Breslin Center.

Forward Josh Jackson celebrates during the 2016 McDonald’s High School All-American Game at the United Center in Chicago.

Josh Jackson was back in Michigan on Monday, but he won’t be staying long.

The No.1-ranked high school player in the country announced via Twitter that he will play his college basketball at Kansas.

Two weeks ago, word leaked that Jackson, 6 feet 7, had committed to Kansas, which Jackson quickly denied. But now there is no denying that he will not play at either Michigan State or Arizona, his other finalists.

It is a foregone conclusion that Jackson will be a one-and-done college player and already is being mentioned as possibly the No.1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

Jackson is a rare talent, capable of playing any of the perimeter positions from point guard to shooting guard to small forward.

Couch: Minus Josh Jackson, MSU’s recruiting class Tom Izzo’s best

He has been a standout performer for USA Basketball, but he has left the people of Michigan wondering: What if?

And that has nothing to do with his shunning of MSU.

The ironic thing is we had another state tournament conclude last month, and fans packed the Breslin Center to watch the championships, but no one mentioned Jackson’s name.

What if Jackson had played in the state all four years of high school?

After helping Detroit Consortium win the Class C state championship as a sophomore when he very much was the talk of the Breslin Center, Jackson left to play his final two years at Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif, which is a club team, not a high school team.

That’s why it’s impossible to gauge where Jackson would rank amongst the best players in state history.

Had Jackson remained in Michigan for his entire high school career, there is little doubt he would have been one of the greatest players in state history, perhaps second only to Magic Johnson.

Jackson might very well have led Consortium to three consecutive state championships, the final two in Class B.

When asked what effect Jackson’s presence would have had on the state tournament the past two years, Detroit Henry Ford coach Ken Flowers was befuddled.

“Wow!” he said. “I don’t know.”

Henry Ford won the Class B state championship last month, and when reminded that Consortium is now a Class B school, Flowers laughed.

A year ago, Henry Ford defeated a Jacksonless Consortium, 70-52, in the regional final. This season, Consortium lost to Detroit Douglass in the district semifinal.

Might Jackson in the Consortium lineup meant a different Class B state champion the past two seasons?

“You never know, man, you never know,” Flowers said. “I’d never let one guy beat me. I’d have some kind of game plan for him, but he’s a heck of a player, so I don’t know.”

Nobody knows for sure, but Jackson is the kind of player who can dominate a game at both ends of the court.

Taking this a step further, would U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston be the 2016 winner of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award had Jackson not left for California?

It was Winston, at the Mr. Basketball presentation, who mentioned that it didn’t hurt his chances when Jackson and Flint’s Miles Bridges decided to leave the state to finish basketball.

“Them two leaving probably helped my being Mr. Basketball,” Winston said. “I’m not going to lie like that. I stayed here, represent the state, represented my city. That’s what I tried to do.”

Jackson, or his mother — Apples Jones — had another agenda, which is their prerogative.

It isn’t unusual for tennis protégés to leave home and attend high school at tennis academies across the country. Some hockey players also do something similar.

They do that to find better competition, but I’m not sure Jackson needed to leave Michigan to develop into the No. 1 player in the country.

Jackson did what he — and/or his mother — thought was best for him, so God bless him.

It’s just too bad we never really got to know him is a high school player. And now we won’t get to know him as a college player.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

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Cassius Winston (MSU) shows shades of Denzel Valentine at Breslin
Don’t overlook Michigan State basketball recruit Joshua Langford
MSU basketball signee Joshua Langford opens up on near-death experience

James Towns (left) and his mother Kim Fountain on Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

Detroit Henry Ford basketball coach Kenneth Flowers sums up his senior guard James Towns in one word; “Tough.”

But when you meet him, you don’t recognize the tough, relentless, and aggressive player he is on the court because of his quiet, calm and collected demeanor off it.

“James is a very humble hard working student athlete. His drive for winning and getting better is second to none. He is always working to get better,” coach Flowers said.

The Class B first team All-State player, fresh off leading the Trojans to the Class B state championship, had one other important piece of business to handle Wednesday, and that was deciding what school he would attend in the fall.

Towns made it official before a small crowd at Henry Ford, where he averaged 26 points, 5.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds this season. He announced that he will be attending Niagara University on a full scholarship.

Proud beyond words, Towns feels like this is the opportunity of a lifetime and he relishes in the opportunity.

“Getting the offer from Niagara was one of the best days of my life. I felt like I had accomplished something major,” Towns said.

According to Towns, he feels that he will fit right in to the chemistry of the team.

“This school is the perfect fit for me. I feel honored that they see potential in me. And, I’m only going to give them my best,” he said.

He is excited about the transition from Detroit to western New York. Towns will be a Business Marketing major this fall.

“I will be in New York, so everything will be exciting to me. I will be meeting new people from all different backgrounds. I will be working hard on my major. I will also be doing what I love with the next level of athletes,” Towns said.

Class B all-state boys basketball teams
All-Detroit boys basketball teams

The skyline of Windsor, Ontario, as seen from the Detroit River.

In a stunning development, a star center for a Canadian high school basketball team was exposed as a 30-year-old African refugee, leading to his being detained in connection with the Immigration Refugee Protection Act.

According to the Windsor Star, 30-year-old South Sudanese native Jonathan Nicola was a star center for the Central Catholic Comets throughout the 2015-16 season. The 6-foot-9, 202-pounder spent the previous months during the academic year living with Central Catholic basketball coach Pete Cusumano as part of the Canada Homestay program while he lived in the country on a student visa.

That visa is now likely to be terminated as a result of the large discrepancy in Nicola’s age. While he has been presenting himself as a 17-year-old, the Canada Border Services Agency has obtained evidence that purports to show Nicola is actually 30 years old, making him a full 12 years older than the eldest competitors on most of the teams he played against during the 2015-16 season.

Overage high school basketball players? Not in Michigan

You can see a workout video of Nicola filmed by Cusumano below.

While Canadian officials have been unable to provide any specifics about the case due to privacy concerns, Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board spokesman Stephen Fields insists that students within the district were never at risk due to a fellow student.

“Generally speaking, if we felt at any time that there is any kind of threat to any of our students at any of our schools, then we would act appropriately,” Fields told the Star.

While Nicola’s case is a stunning one, it is certainly not the first of an older athlete masquerading as a teenager to continue competing in high school athletics. Notably, in 2009, 21-year-old Haitian immigrant Guerdwich Montimere claimed to be a 17-year-old named Jerry Joseph to maintain eligibility and compete in high school basketball for Odessa Permian in Texas. He was later sentenced to three years in prison in connection with charges of identity theft and sexual assault, the latter charge related to a relationship he developed with a 15-year-old fellow student while on campus.

Nicola remains in custody at the South West Detention Centre awaiting further hearings on his immigration status.

Episode 1 : Jonathon Nicola | 6’10 | Gr. 11

U-D Jesuit’s Ike Eke (1) and Gregory Eboigbodin (11) celebrate an MHSAA boys basketball Class A championship at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on March 26, 2016.

Speculation had been growing about whether Nigerian exchange students Greg Eboigbodin and Ike Eke, both juniors, will be too old to play for U-D Jesuit next season.

Last month, the pair helped U-D capture its first Class A state championship. Under Michigan High School Athletic Association rules, a student cannot turn 19 before Sept. 1 in order to be eligible for athletic participation.

That won’t be problem for Eke nor Eboigbodin.

“They’re not too old,’’ U-D Jesuit coach Pat Donnelly said. “Ike is 17; Greg just turned 18.”

Other than both also are 6-feet-9, the pair seem to have little in common with Jonathon Nicola, an exchange student who claims to be from South Sudan and played this season for Windsor Catholic Central.

He is 30 years old.

According to the Windsor Star, Nicola, who was masquerading as a 17-year-old student in Grade 11, has been arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency for allegedly violating the Immigration Refugee Protection Act. He was living with Catholic Central coach Pete Cusumano under the Canada Homestay program.

MHSAA assistant director Nate Hampton said there have been overaged players in the past, but nothing as egregious as this.

“Typically, it’s a youngster that had just turned 19 several months before,” he said. “The one that comes to mind is Inkster High School and an African student that was their kicker.”

In 2007, Inkster won its first eight football games before it was discovered that its kicker was too old. It forfeited all eight victories.

“They were looking at some document but not looking at the date on his passport,” Hampton said.

Donnelly was surprised that no one caught the age discrepancy before Nicola reached Windsor.

“It’s one thing if he’s 20, but man, 30 is hard to pass up,” Donnelly said. “The process, from my experience going through it with Ike and Greg just recently, because they had to get new visas, is extensive — really extensive. I’m just shocked that guy was able to get a student visa.”

Cusumano told the Windsor Star in January that Nicola was so good that he thought he eventually could play in the NBA. According to a story in January, Nicola told the Star that it took him six months to receive a Canadian student visa, and he arrived in Windsor on Nov. 22, 2015, just three days before his “17th birthday.”

The case left Hampton baffled.

“What goes through people’s minds?”  Hampton asked. “Why? I can’t come up with an answer as to why they would even want to do something like that.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

North Farmington defenders battle for a rebound with U-D Jesuit’s Ikechukwu Eke, center, in a Class A boys high school basketball state championship game March 26, 2016, in East Lansing.

The pairings for Michigan’s boys and girls high school basketball state tournaments forever have been random within each district. Regular-season records are irrelevant.

And for decades, a segment of the population has seen that as unjust.

There finally is a drumbeat for change, with once-faint cries suddenly stirring logic into action.

The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan is forming a 12-coach committee to address the issue after a recent survey showed 70% of the roughly 1,200 coaches who responded favored seeding the state tournament.

• Couch: MHSAA hoops tourney will be seeded – just a matter of how, when

The committee — made up of six boys coaches and six girls coaches from different regions and classes — is scheduled to meet for the first time June 12 in East Lansing.

“Our biggest concern, I think, is to see if we can reach a consensus on, first, where do you seed — is it just districts, districts and regionals? How do we want to proceed with that?” BCAM president Tom Hursey said Thursday. “I think, from the (Michigan High School Athletic Association’s) point of view, they need something that’s not going to be hours and hours and hours of computer programming and entering all these statistics to try to seed these teams. Something that’s easy to do and, I’d guess you’d say, open to the public.

“And once that’s done and we feel like it’s a strong enough proposal, we’ll see if it’s a viable idea with them. We’ll find if we work together with the MHSAA and ask them for their ideas, we can solve a problem, rather than attack them and say, ‘This is what you have to do.’”

Any proposal that comes out of this committee would go to the MHSAA’s basketball committee in December. And that committee would then make the pitch to the MHSAA’s Representative Council next spring. The earliest any change could take effect would be for the 2017-18 season, Hursey said.

“The MHSAA is not against seeding,” he said. “It’s how you do it.”

The playoff seeding exploratory committee is expected to be led by Muskegon boys coach Keith Guy. Williamson girls coach Pete Cool also is part of the group. Cool’s 19-1 Hornets lost to 15-5 Haslett in the first round of their Class B district in 2015, one of many examples of the issue with random pairings.

“I think it’s pretty important,” Cool said. “Every year, you see teams that had good seasons, and their reward is the luck of the draw. I’ve been to district meetings where they literally drew names out of a hat, and teams that have two or three wins get to play each other and vice versa. There’s a reason Cleveland plays Golden State (in the NBA Finals) and not in the first round.”

Cool and Hursey both said Michigan State assistant athletic director and analytics guru Kevin Pauga has been asked to be part of the process. Pauga created KPI Sports algorithms, a transparent and layered metrics system that measures teams’ resumes. The NCAA tournament selection committee uses it to help determine its 68-team field.

“I’ve been in contact with Kevin Pauga, and he’s brilliant,” Cool said. “And he has all of these algorithms to make it very easy regarding travel, teams hosting … he had it all worked out. I’m excited to see not only what happens in this meeting, but in the years to come.

“The momentum has been the strongest I’ve ever seen it.”

MSU hoops’ Kevin Pauga: Schedule nerd, troubleshooter

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

Cassius Winston became the 36th recipient of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award in Detroit on Monday, March 21, 2016. Photograph by Romain Blanquart

Cassius Winston became the 36th recipient of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award in Detroit on March 21.

In the first 85 years of the Detroit Catholic League, U-D Jesuit won a grand total of three basketball championships.

The Cubs won titles in the 1971-72, ’74-75 and ’91-92 seasons.

For most of the rest of the seasons, though the Cubs were often competitive, they were mostly innocent bystanders as schools like Detroit Catholic Central, Birmingham Brother Rice and Detroit DePorres dominated the league’s highest division.

In the first 87 years of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s boys basketball state tournament, U-D won zero regional titles. Forget about state championships, the Cubs couldn’t get past the regionals.

A basketball state championship was an afterthought at U-D.

Pat Donnelly became U-D’s basketball coach eight years ago and was surprised at the way basketball was viewed in the school, by the students and the staff.

“When I first got there,” he said, “it was tough to get an open gym together.”

But all of that occurred B.C. — Before Cassius.

Four years ago this fall, a freshman named Cassius Winston walked into U-D Jesuit and everything changed.

In his four years as a Cub, Winston was the main reason U-D transformed into a basketball school.

U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston scores 31 points against North Farmington to win the MHSAA boys basketball Class A championship 69-49 at the Breslin Center on March 26.

Despite being only a 6-foot-1 guard, Winston dominated the league over four years like no player in history.

He became the first player to start on four league championship teams in the Catholic League’s highest division and capped his brilliant career in March by leading the Cubs to the school’s first Class A state championship.

This season he averaged 22.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists, and was the runaway winner of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award.

Over the last four years, basketball at U-D Jesuit went from just another athletic activity to a must-attend social event, which is why Winston has been named the 2016 Free Press Prep Person of the Year.

When he first enrolled at U-D, Winston, who signed with Michigan State and last week was named one of 18 finalists for one of 12 roster spots on USA Basketball’s U-18 national team, did not appear a likely candidate to lead a basketball revolution at the school.

“Cassius, going in, I’d say was only 5-11, 6-foot in freshman year,” said Matt Schearer, who was also a freshman with Winston and played on the varsity the last three years. “He wasn’t that strong, he wasn’t that quick.”

But Winston was special. He knew how to play the game … the right way.

That much was apparent when Donnelly saw Winston’s AAU team practice at U-D when Winston was only a sixth grader.

“My initial impression,” Donnelly said, “was: ‘Boy, this kid is pretty good, he could play for us right now.’ ”

How Winston landed at U-D is more about his parents — Wendi and Reggie — and their goals for the eldest of three sons than the wants of a young basketball protégé.

That is why Winston enrolled in the U-D Jesuit Academy as a seventh grader.

U-D Jesuit star Cassius Winston not named for Ali — or Hannibal Lecter

“My personal philosophy is that middle school is where you become the student you’re going to be,” said Wendi, a librarian at Michigan State’s College of Osteopathic Medicine at its DMC campus. “You kind of figure out girls, your social times, your studies. You figure out all of that in middle school and then you be that student in high school. I wanted him to have a pretty rigorous program for middle school.”

Academics was the sole reason Winston enrolled in the Academy. His parents told him after two years he could choose his high school, but they wanted him to be pushed academically in middle school, because that clearly was not the case in elementary school.

“He carried his homework in his pocket,” Wendi said with a tone of disdain. “It came easy to him. At U-D his first complaint was: ‘Mommy, I’m not smart like them. I don’t belong at this school.’ By the end of eighth grade he was at the top of the middle school. Not only did he belong, he felt he belonged here.”

He arrived at that feeling after becoming a genuine student, one who carried a flashlight so he could study in the car on the way back from practices and games.

Cassius Winston

After two years at the Academy, Winston said he wanted to attend the high school at U-D. Considering their two younger sons — Zack (who will be a junior) and Khy (sophomore) — would follow their older brother there, it was a significant financial sacrifice for Reggie, who works for Detroit’s recreation department, and Wendi.

“My husband and I are working class, we have three sons,” Wendi said. “So the decision to send them there was something.”

Winston made an immediate impact on the basketball team, earning a spot in the starting lineup early in his freshman season and winning the Cubs’ first league title in over a decade.

“When I first came in we had great group of guys, everybody on that team wanted to change it around,” he said. “It wasn’t hard to start winning. We had guys who just wanted to win and I came in and helped out a little bit.”

The more the Cubs won, the more important basketball became. And the more Winston worked.

Since he was younger, Winston didn’t say a lot to the other players, but he found a way to become a leader nonetheless. Not only did he spend a lot of time on the court improving his individual skills, he was a tireless worker in the weight room, going from a 160-pound freshman to a 193-pound senior.

“One thing about Cassius is you don’t look at him and say: ‘I can’t get there,’ ” Schearer said. “He really leads by example and he shows you that hard work really propels you into the position he’s in. He showed guys you had to be in the weight room during high school, you couldn’t just go to open gym and skip weight room. He was on the track working on conditioning. From that our program just keeps skyrocketing.”

Winston’s work ethic is the reason turnouts for open gyms at U-D now attract 50 kids instead of six or seven, like they did when Donnelly first got the job.

“He was a gym rat,” Donnelly said. “Kids watched him and saw the success he was having and it wasn’t God-given. It was hard work, it was this kid spent hours of gym time just working on his individual skills trying to get better and other kids kind of took the lead and followed that model.”

Slowly but surely, Winston changed the basketball culture at U-D. Eventually there was a certain swag to U-D’s game.

“You could see him as a freshman when he first got into the lineup and played with these upperclassmen,” Schearer said. “He sort of revolutionized how we played — the intensity we played with, just the all-around mind-set to win every game and not go into it like underdogs.”

The Cubs won the school’s first regional championship in Winston’s sophomore season and advanced to the state semifinals, losing to Bloomfield Hills.

Winston enjoyed a marvelous junior season, earning Free Press Dream Team All-State honors as the team followed a similar tournament path and lost to eventual champ Detroit Western in the semifinals.

Though Winston had developed into a terrific player, he wasn’t satisfied. He had set two goals for himself when he enrolled at U-D: Win four Catholic League championships and a Class A state championship.

The Cubs were destined to win a fourth Catholic League title this past winter, even had Winston or his teammates not improved an iota from his junior season — but a state title was a different matter.

U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston celebrates with Matt Schearer after the Cubs’ 69-49 win over North Farmington in the Class A state championship in March.

“In junior year it was basically me carrying us by myself,” he said. “In the summer we realized that wasn’t going to work. The teams out there were too good for me to just carry us, so in the summer we made everyone put a lot of work in, a lot of effort toward this and make sure everyone knew our goal, so come the season everyone was ready.”

That is when Winston began to exert himself as more than just a leader by example, because that wasn’t working, either.

“What I do is I go out there and I work hard and I expect everyone to watch and follow,” he said. “A lot of people can just watch and follow. But sometimes you have to say something to somebody or encourage somebody. I really got better at that over time.”

By nature, Winston is a quiet kid. He is not loud and boisterous, so it took something for him to develop into a vocal leader, which he did last summer when he made it clear to his teammates what was about to happen.

Cassius Winston (MSU) shows shades of Denzel Valentine at Breslin

“I didn’t threaten anybody,” he said, laughing, “but I made sure everyone knew we’re not coming up short this year. We’re going to get the job done so everyone should be prepared.”

Winston got them prepared by going through a bit of a metamorphosis in the leadership department. One of his targets was his brother, Zack.

“You have to learn how you can talk to people, that’s the thing,” he said. “That’s probably what took me so long vocally. You have to be patient and get to know people before you bark at them.

“Some people can’t be barked at. Like Zack. If you yell at Zack he’s going to break down so you can’t yell at Zack, you have to talk to him. Whereas there’s (Ike) Eke. You can cuss Eke out and he’ll be OK.”

Sometimes there is pushback when players try to demand a certain level of commitment and effort from teammates, but that didn’t happen at U-D and that is a credit to Winston.

“Cassius is one of the best kids I know,” Schearer said. “He’s a humble kid, he’s got a great sense of humor, he’s smart in the classroom; he works hard in the gym. He comes from a great family. You really just can’t say enough about the kid. He really just does everything.”

MSU coach Tom Izzo made his first trip to watch Winston when he was a freshman, and Winston has been a national recruit ever since. But not once did Winston permit that to become a barrier between himself and his teammates.

“What a very, very humble young man,” Donnelly said. “Never once throughout his career did he talk about himself, did he talk about his abilities on the basketball court. Actually, he was a little shy when people would mention it to him. It was just amazing to be around a kid that had as many accolades as he did and that never affected him in terms of his personality.”

Winston’s success on the court was almost matched in the classroom. He graduated magna cum laude with a 3.5 grade-point average and was admitted to Stanford and Harvard, two schools he seriously considered before choosing MSU.

To earn a 3.5 at U-D, Winston had to put forth the same level of work he did on the basketball court.

You don’t have to look any further than his parents to find where the work ethic comes from.

Conspicuously absent from the Mr. Basketball presentation was Wendi, who had a work conflict and needed to be in East Lansing that day. She would no sooner blow off work than her son would blow off a basketball tournament game.

Winston signed with Michigan State, won the 2016 Mr. Basketball award and graduated from U-D magna cum laude with a 3.5 grade-point average.

“It wasn’t just a work day, it was an event and I planned the event,” Wendi said. “I had committed. I cried because that was the big one, but you committed. I had people who were so willing to help, but you committed. You said you’d be here. You keep your word.”

Of course Winston wanted his mother at the Mr. Basketball presentation, but he understood why she wasn’t there. More importantly, because of his parents he understands the meaning of commitment and work ethic.

“It means a lot,” he said. “That’s definitely where I got it from. They molded me into this person that I am today. My attitude, my work ethic can be attributed to them and I just act it out.”

Kind of like when you say you are going to win four Catholic League titles and a state championship — and then you do it.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Past prep persons of the Year

2015: Grant Fisher, Grand Blanc runner

2014: Vicky Groat, Battle Creek St. Philip volleyball coach

2013: Hannah and Haley Meier, Grosse Pointe South runners

2012: Taylor Massa, St. Johns wrestler

2011: Dorene Ingalls, St. Ignace girls basketball coach

2010: Tarlton Small, Pontiac athletic director

2009: Marshall Thomas, Saginaw boys basketball coach

2008: Ken Hofer, Menominee football coach

2007: Bob Sutter, Farmington Hills Harrison defensive coordinator, and Rick Coratti, Novi Detroit Catholic Central defensive coordinator

2006: Scott Salow, Homer baseball coach

2005: Dave Soules, Detroit East Catholic basketball coach

2004: Mike Turner, Trenton boys ice hockey coach

2003: Denny Hill, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming coach

2002: John Herrington, Farmington Hills Harrison football coach

2001: Dathan Ritzenhein, Rockford runner

2000: Marty DeJong, Kalamazoo Christian softball coach

1999: Tom Mach, Redford Catholic Central football coach

It seemed too perfect. Certainly Cassius Winston, who said he wanted to win a Class A basketball state championship and four consecutive Catholic League titles before he enrolled at U-D Jesuit, had to be named for Cassius Clay, who later became known as Muhammad Ali?

Cassius Winston became the 36th recipient of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award in Detroit on Monday, March 21, 2016. Photograph by Romain Blanquart

Not really.

“His dad wanted to name him Hannibal after a great warrior,” said Wendi Winston, his mother. “He wanted him to be Hannibal, and he was Hannibal in my belly. I was praying for a girl. When he came out to be a boy, I started throwing out every name I could think of.”

Wendi was in a state of panic because she realized if she went along with the Hannibal, her first child would be linked to Hannibal Lecter, the character made famous by Anthony Hopkins’ role in the 1991 movie “Silence of the Lambs.”

“Hannibal is an awesome name, but people would have thought of the guy who ate people,” she said. “It couldn’t be Hannibal.”

Winston remained unnamed for a day or so until his parents finally decided on Cassius.

Prep person of the year: Cassius Winston a game changer for U-D Jesuit

“The medical records person said: ‘You’ve got 12 hours. Otherwise he’s leaving here Baby Boy Winston.’ ” his mother said. “I threw out every name I could think of and Cassius was the one that stuck.”

Winston has long been aware of Ali’s given name, but his recent death taught Winston some things he didn’t know about Ali.

“I didn’t know he was so big into politics,” he said. “Everything I had known about him was how great a fighter he was.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

“I’m here to get better,” Romeo Weems said of attending the Reaching Higher Showcase. “I want to learn.”

Romeo Weems had a performance to remember at the Peach Tree Jam in Georgia last week, and his stock is rising across the country.

The 6-foot-6 swingman from New Haven is just beginning his sophomore year, but scouts have him ranked as one of the top sophomores in the country.

“They took the top-two teams from each pool, and we lost before that,” Weems said of his Peach Jam experience. “I learned that we have to play smarter and finish the games at the end.

“I’m here to get better. I want to learn. I have to work on everything. My dribbling and shoot the ball better.”

New Haven coach Tedaro France II brought Weems to the MHSAA Reaching Higher Showcase in Milford on Wednesday to make sure the rest of the state realized how good he is.

“I think ESPN came out, and he’s ranked 13th in the country in his class, so that’s huge,” France said. “I get calls all the time, and he should be top 10 before the fall. Scouts are calling me all the time.”

Versatile enough to play point guard, shooting guard or small forward, Weems also is a top-flight quarterback who is in line to be the starter once football practice starts next month.

France, who attended Central Michigan on a football scholarship, isn’t worried about his star getting hurt on the football field.

“I like kids who can play different sports,” France said. “I loved hoop. That was my main sport as a kid. But yet I got a full ride playing football at CMU. I encourage kids to play multiple sports. Just don’t be a one-sport kid. We have such a small school I encourage our guys to play multiple sports.”

Prep notes: Flint Beecher’s Malik Ellison credits coach with development

He deemed Weems special.

“He’s just skilled,” France said. “He’s 6-6 with a strong arm, and he’s going to help our (football) team out greatly.”

For his age and skill set, Weems has a chance to be one of the better two-sport athletes to come out of the state.

“I haven’t seen one yet that can do what he does,” France said. “He’s athletic, and his IQ is unreal for his age. I haven’t seen that yet in a kid. The things he has done, I haven’t seen it before from a kid that young.”

As a freshman, Weems led New Haven in assists, rebounding and steals despite playing with two seniors who were both taller than 6-9.

Detroit Henry Ford has ended New Haven’s basketball season each of the past two seasons in the quarterfinals.

“They beat me once,” Weems said. “We turned the ball over, and they got out and ran on us, and we didn’t get back. Next time we get there it’ll be like a chip on my shoulder. We have to do way better and win this time. Next time I’ll be ready.”

As an eighth-grader, he was starring at quarterback for the Clinton Township Cowboys.

“I just like playing football,” Weems said. “I’ll start at quarterback. I’m looking forward to it. We’re looking good this year.”

Despite being able to play all three wing positions, Weems said he’ll have to do more work in the post.

“We’ll be good,” Weems said. “I’ll have to get in there and get rebounds this year. This year we’re a little smaller, so it’s me and Aston Sherrell to get rebounds. I’ll play center on defense.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Senior Malik Ellison has helped Flint Beecher win two state titles since being thrust into the role of starting point guard as a freshman.

Malik Ellison had to replace a legend at Flint Beecher.

Monte Morris had just won Mr. Basketball and was moving on to Iowa State as the Cyclones’ starting point guard.

Back at Beecher, Ellison was thrust into the starting lineup as a freshman by coach Mike Williams. He had his moments, good and bad.

But two state championships later — including “The Shot,” a three-pointer at the buzzer that propelled Beecher over Detroit Loyola in a Class C semifinal — Ellison is still looking to make his mark.

So the incoming senior attended the MHSAA Reaching Higher Showcase in Milford for another year.

“It’s an opportunity to get better and further my game more,” Ellison said. “It gives me a chance to get out and play against the best players in the state and put a name out there for myself. I know I made a name for myself with the shot, but I’m trying to get my name out there some more.”

As far as the shot, which helped Beecher to another state title, he said: “That was crazy. It was just God looking down on us. It was just a great shot, I guess. I can’t even explain it.”

Ellison didn’t have a senior to mentor him with Morris gone.

“Coach Mike coached me up from Day 1,” Ellison said. “He took me under his wing. I didn’t know what people expected out of me. Our star point guard (Morris) left us. I had to take on the role of being a leader my ninth-grade year. After that he helped me with his coaching, and he has made me the player I am today.”

■Mr. 231:That’s what they call Deyonta Davis in Muskegon these days.

His high school coach, Keith Guy, said: “He went in the second round, he was the 31st pick, and 231 — that’s our area code.”

Guy said Davis is pleased with how the draft went, even though he fell through the first round and had left the Green Room in Brooklyn that night.

“Memphis traded up to get him, and he has two great veterans he can learn from in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph,” Guy said.

“Zach was MSU’s last one-and-done, so it was in the stars. (Leaving) wasn’t a goal. It was a thought that it could happen. He wasn’t going to rush it.”

Memphis already has given Davis guaranteed money and, despite the plantar fasciitis injury he’s rehabbing, the future looks bright.

“He told me, ‘Coach, I’m happy,’ ” Guy said. “We met with his grandmother, great grandmother, who passed away. She was kind of the driving force in the family and the decision-maker. It was her wish that he’d go. He thought it was time, and they supported him leaving.”

Guy agreed that Davis’ ceiling is as high as any of the first-round picks.

“I think that’s what the NBA teams see,” Guy said. “I think he knows he can get in and play. He’s in a place where they wanted him.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

U-D Jesuit boys basketball coach Pat Donnelly talks with senior guard Scott Nelson at Monday’s first official practice. The Cubs went 28-0 last season and won the Class A state title.

The post-Cassius Winston era began Monday at U-D Jesuit.

At the high school’s first official boys basketball practice, kicking off the 2016-17 season, there was a noticeable absence in the Cubs’ gym.

“It’s tough to lose someone of his caliber,” coach Pat Donnelly said of Winston, his departed senior who led U-D to a 28-0 record and Class A state championship last year. He was named Mr. Basketball and now plays for coach Tom Izzo at Michigan State.

Despite losing arguably the program’s greatest player, the Cubs have no intention of giving up their state crown.

“We’re going to embrace it,” said senior guard Scott Nelson, also a standout football player. “People won’t be able to say, ‘They won it just because they had Cassius.’ ”

U-D Jesuit’s Pat Donnelly, Zach Winston, left, and Julian Dozier.

Nelson intends to play college football and the receiver/safety narrowed his finalists to Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin. But for the next few months, his only focus will be helping the Cubs defend their basketball title.

“We definitely have a shot,” he said. “We have high expectations for ourselves and that’s the biggest thing. Every team is going to have us circled on their calendar. It’s going to be a huge test all season.”

Not to mention: no more Winston, a four-year starting point guard.

“He did phenomenal things for our program,” said Donnelly, who enters his ninth season at U-D. “He was a leader and taught our younger guys how to carry on. We’ve got a point guard, (sophomore) Julian Dozier, and we’re handing the keys over to him. We’re excited to get going in the post-Cassius era.”

Dozier, who suffered an ankle injury before the state semifinals, doesn’t expect people to forget about his good friend and former teammate.

“Cassius is like a big brother to me,” Dozier said. “He took me under his wing and showed me everything. He told me to take over the team and get another (state title).

“Of course, it’s tough to replace a Mr. Basketball. There’s going to be a big hole in our team, but we can fill that hole with the pieces we have. We just have to put everything together and work hard.”

The Cubs return senior starters Ike Eke and Greg Eboigbodin, both 6-foot-9 forwards. Eke signed to play basketball at Marquette, while Eboigbodin signed with the University of Illinois at Chicago. Junior shooting guard Elija Collins also returns with starting experience.

Though Cassius Winston is gone, his younger brother, Zach Winston, should be a contributor. Zach, a 6-2 junior guard, played on varsity a year ago.

“Zach shoots the ball extremely well from the perimeter and really developed his game this year,” Donnelly said. “He’s a different player than Cassius, but Zach is going to make a name for himself.”

The Cubs open the regular season Dec. 5 at home against Detroit Edison Public School Academy.

Practice time

Practice started Monday for high school boys basketball, bowling, skiing and wrestling. A look at first practice dates for winter sports:

Oct. 31: Gymnastics, hockey.

Nov. 7: Girls basketball, competitive cheer.

Monday: Boys basketball, bowling, skiing, wrestling.

Nov. 21: Boys swimming.

Nov 24, 2016; Paradise Island, Bahamas; Michigan State Spartans guard Cassius Winston and Baylor Bears forward Terry Maston go for a loose ball in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort.

Boys basketball

Ann Arbor Pioneer 66, Southfield Christian 62: Trenton Temple led Southfield (0-1) with 24 points, while Bryce Washington had 14 points. Pioneer (1-0) was led by Drew Lowder with 24 points, and Mo Soumaoro added 13 points

Armada 77, Memphis 37: Adam Job scored 18 points for Armada while Cameron Hart added 12 points. Mitch Ruczynski scored 10 points.

Battle Creek Central 54, Jackson 47: Juan Warren put up 21 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks for Battle Creek (1-0). Rashid Owen scored 15 points for Jackson.

Birmingham Detroit Country Day 58, Canton 53: Wendell Green scored 15 points for Country Day (1-0). Paul Mocur added 12 points, and Dylan Sandhu also added 12 points. B.Artis White scored 17 points for Canton (0-1), and Vinson Sigmon added 10 points.

Bloomingdale 52, Watervliet 51: Ryan Chisek led Watervliet with 14 points.

Buckley 91, Bear Lake 50: Denver Cade led with 26 points while Austin Harris added 23 points for Buckley (1-0). Gary McBride put up 20 points in the loss for Bear Lake (0-1).

Clinton Twp. Clintondale 66, Clawson 46: Tyler Speed scored 14 points for Clintondale (1-0). Richard Washington added 12 points. Leading Clausen (0-1), Courtney Manley scored 18 points.

Dearborn Divine Child 66, Lakeview 47: Quinn Blair led all scorers with 18 points for Divine Child. Liam Soragahan added 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Scott Combs chipped in 11 points. For Lakeview, Deandre Jones scored 16 points, and Joe Charette added 12 points.

Dearborn Edsel Ford 66, Monroe 61 (OT): Jalal Baydoun scored 23 points, six rebounds and five assists for Dearborn (1-0). Melessio Kendrick added 17 points and seven rebounds. Robert Tatum chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds. Leading Monroe (0-1), Mikal Farris scored 22 points.

Dearborn Fordson 59, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 47: Hamze Elzayat led with 22 points for Fordson (1-0) while Abbullah Bushsani added 14 points. Alex Ishmael scored 12 points for Annapolis.

Dearborn Heights Crestwood 71, Lincoln Park 45: Tavion Dowell led Dearborn (1-0) with 15 points. Bilal Taleb added 12 points, Asa Robertson chipped in 11 points, and Malik Rogers contributed 10 points. James Ware led Lincoln Park (0-1) with 12 points.

Dearborn Heights Robichaud 48, Detroit Jalen Rose Academy 30: Jasir Poole scored 13 points and five assists for Robichaud (1-0). Shannon Woods also scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished five assists.

Detroit Community 60, Detroit Westside Academy 19: DeMario Turner led all scorers with 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots for Community (1-0).

Detroit Douglass 60, Detroit PSA 57: Kelly Broadus scored 23 points for Douglass (1-0). Carlos Walker added 18 points, and Jarnard Smith Jr. also added 18 points. Thomas Henderson led PSA (0-1) with 18 points.

Detroit Loyola 66, Royal Oak Shrine 62 (OT): Jalen Hill had a huge game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for Loyola. Keith Johnson added 15 points and six rebounds. Asher Smith led with 15 points for Shrine.

Detroit Old Redford 89, Pontiac Academy of Excellence 51: Rocket Watts scored 37 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out five assists for Old Redford (1-0). Bobby Walton added 15 points, and Jawan Snoddy chipped in 10 points.

Garden City 64, New Boston Huron 56: Eian Castonguay led with 16 points for Garden City (1-0) while Jacob Sadowski added 14 points. Philip Martin scored 13 points for Huron.

Greenville 55, Stanton Central Montcalm 49: Austin Proctor scored 17 points for Stanton.

Grosse Pointe South 71, Woodhaven 65: Brennen Buszka led Grosse Pointe (1-0) with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Dane Draper added 13 points, and Ryan Doney chipped in 12 points and dished out eight assists. Noah Davey added eight points and 10 rebounds. Josh Warren led Woodhaven (0-1) with 23 points. Deandre Walker added 11 points.

Lapeer 69, Fenton 54: Drew Miller led Fenton (0-1) with 23 points, and AJ LePage added 11 points.

Livonia Franklin 51, Trenton 47: Mark Mettie scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked four shots for Franklin (1-0). Keyon Brown added 13 points. Ryan Barker led Trenton (0-1) with 16 points.

Macomb Lutheran North 70, New Baltimore Anchor Bay 46: Drew Arft led North (1-0) with 23 points. Josh Greenberg led Anchor Bay (0-1) with 10 points.

Martin 66, Saugatuck 63: Tanner Curry scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Martin. Andrew Boss added 16, and Matt MacVean chipped in 15 points. Blake Dunn led Saugatuck with 19 points.

Northville 50, Saline 43: Jake Justice had 13 points, and Phil Jobanovski had 11 points for Northville (1-0). In the loss for Saline (0-1), Calder Pellerin recorded 13 points.

Okemos 48, Lansing Catholic 39: Jordan Henry scored 18 points for Okemos. Chuck Plane scored 14 points for Catholic.

Oxford 57, Waterford Kettering 20: Jordan Jaden led Oxford with 21 points, and Ray Luvine added 11 points. Waterford was paced by Immanuel Gates’ 11 points.

Pickford 67, Indian River Inland Lakes 53: Derrick Edington led all scorers with 28 points for Pickford. Ian Clancy scored 24 points for Inland Lakes.

Plymouth Christian 49, Ann Arbor Greenhills 48: Levi Yakuber led all scorers with 20 points for Plymouth. Ramandeep Sahota scored 15 points for Greenhills.

Redford Thurston 84, Taylor Prep 45: Dorian Nayler scored 18 points for Redford (1-0). Malik Hill and Dequan Gadson each added 10 points.

Salem 72, Ann Arbor Skyline 67: For Salem (1-0), Cameron Grace had 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Kyle Winfrey finished with 19 points. Brandon Wade finished with a game-high 23 points for Skyline (0-1).

Southgate Anderson 53, Riverview 26: Deven Fields scored 14 points and six rebounds for Southgate (1-0). Jace Matkin added 10 points and eight rebounds. Ross Bogart and James Bowman each chipped in 10 points.

Sterling Heights 76, East Detroit 50: Shawn Kama had a game-high 32 points for Sterling Heights (1-0). Antonio Sinishtaj had 14 points, while Percy Daniel finished with 10 points and 11 boards.

Sterling Heights Parkway 55, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist 53: Luke Stricker scored 24 points for Parkway (1-0), and Kyle Hensley added 15 points. Micah Mclain chipped in 11 points. For Allen Park (0-1), Nathaniel Pardo led with 18 points. Cameron Hunter scored 13 points, and Mason Howell added 12 points.

Troy Athens 46, Rochester Adams 45: Brendt Stephens had 10 points for Athens (1-0), while Antonio Rosado had 14 points in the loss for Adams (0-1).

Utica Ford 66, Clinton Twp. Chippewa Valley 62: Alek Ivanovic led Ford (1-0) with 16 points, while Alex Iafrate finished with 14 points and Kenyatta Byron had 10. In the loss for Chippewa Valley (0-1), D’lano Woods recorded 16 points, and Myren Harris chipped in 12.

Walled Lake Central 43, Detroit University Prep 42: Runako Ziegler scored 22 points for Walled Lake (1-0), and he also hit the game-winning buzzer beater. Houston Tucker added 10 points. Terrence Bowens scored 16 points for Detroit (0-1), and Kenon Roberts Jr. added 13 points.

Walled Lake Northern 46, Birmingham Seaholm 39: Jalen Kelso led with 19 points for Northern (1-0). Brady Flynn scored 18 points for Seaholm.

Warren Lincoln 60, Madison Heights 56: Deangelo White, Jalen Passmore and Jordan Singleton each scored 14 points for Lincoln. Jalen Welch put up 25 points in the loss for Madison Heights.

Wayne Memorial 64, Detroit Cornerstone 59: Rashad Williams and Terrence Williams each scored 13 points for Wayne (1-0). Trevez Nyxs also scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Keion Epps chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jamal Cain scored 23 points for Cornerstone (0-1).

Girls basketball

Allen Park 38, Woodhaven 27: Izzy Slape scored 12 points for Allen Park (2-0, 1-0 Downriver). Kendall Hamilton added 10 points. Kennedy Johnson led Woodhaven (0-2, 0-1) with 10 points.

Allen Park Cabrini 53, Melvindale 21: Abigail Burke led the way with 13 points for Cabrini 2-0). Courtney Waltonbaugh scored nine points for Melvindale (0-3).

Belleville 52, Dearborn Fordson 35: Victoria Perez and Raven Grantham each finished with 15 points, while Katelyn Sherwood had 12 points and seven steals for Belleville.

Bellevue 48, Potterville 19: Casie Shannon led Bellevue with 16 points, seven steals and four assists. Bailey Whitcomb added 14 points and eight steals. Gabby Costello grabbed 11 rebounds.

Center Line 59, Madison Heights Madison 37: Alexus Pack scored 14 points and eight rebounds for Madison (0-3).

Dearborn 56, Livonia Churchill 25: Harper Vandenbosch led Dearborn (2-0) with 16 points, and Nasreen Kobeissi added 10 points.

Detroit Edison 82, Southfield Bradford 9: Rickea Jackson scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Edison (1-0). Daija Tyson added 24 points and pocketed nine steals. Gabrielle Elliot scored 23 points.

Fenton 61, Lapeer 55: Chloe Idoni finished with a double-double of 25 points and 15 rebounds. Emma Evo also had a double-double, 11 points and 17 rebounds. Aly Lenz added 14 points. Lapeer’s Samantha Thicke scored 12 points.

Gaylord 48, Grayling 35: Caset Korte scored 22 points for Gaylord.

Gibraltar Carlson 43, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 12: Bailey Mruzik led Carlson (2-0) with 14 points.

Grosse Pointe North 61, Sterling Heights 30: Katie Snow led North (3-0) with 21 points, and Julia Ayrault added 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

Hartland 69, Linden 26: Lexey Tobel scored 18 points for Hartland (2-0), and Whitney Sollom added 15 points. Sterling DeGayner scored 21 points for Linden (0-2).

Kent City 41, Coopersville 36: Zara Weber led all scorers with 13 points for Kent City (1-2), and Teanna McCuaig added 11 points.

Lake Orion 68, Troy 35: Maddie Novak had 27 points, and Sophie Wyborski recorded 13 points for Lake Orion (2-1). Additionally, Shannon Lin had 14 points in the loss for Troy (1-2).

Lakeland 46, Ferndale 23: Lauren Castellon led Lakeland (1-2) with 15 points. Skylar Baer pulled down 11 rebounds.

Macomb Dakota 58, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North 26: Tara Bieniewicz scored 18 points for Dakota (2-0). Emily Langolf added 14 points, and Cameron Grant chipped in 13 points. Mya Oleksiak led L’Anse Creuse (1-1) with 12 points.

Northville 60, Saline 37: Jessica Moorman led Northville (1-1) with 19 points. Kendall Dillon added 11 points.

Novi 56, Auburn Hills Avondale 33: Ellie Mackay led Novi with 21 points.

Novi Franklin Road Christian 41, Clarkston Everest 28: Rachel Bause had 13 points, eight rebounds and six blocks, while Reagan Mumford had 11 points and eight boards for Franklin Road (3-0). Serra Lowney had 12 points for Everest.

Pinkney 62, Dearborn Heights Robichaud 60: Dakota Selma hit the game-winning lay-up and finished with 10 points for Pinkney (1-1). Morgan Elliot led with 14 points, and Kelly McGrath added 13 points. For Dearborn (1-1), Kamaria McDaniel finished with 32 points, and Kayla Brown added 18 points.

Reese 56, Millington 51 (OT): Hannah Hall and Haley Trickey each scored 14 points for Millington (1-1). Elizabeth Selich added 11 points and notched eight rebounds.

Rochester Stoney Creek 54, Harper Woods Chandler Park 40: Emily Eckhout scored 15 points while Emily Solek added 12 points and 10 steals for Creek (1-1). Diamond Williams led with 19 points for Chandler Park (1-2).

Royal Oak 41, Milford 27: Sammy Potter and Mikea Williams led Royal Oak (3-0) with 12 points each. Mallory Barrett scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Milford (0-1).

St. Clair Shores Lakeview 64, Richmond 32: Nicole Austin scored 12 points for Lakeview (2-0). Lashana Young also scored 12 points, and Alicia Bullaro added 11 points.

Stanton Central Montcalm 52, Greenville 40: Libby Ledford led Central Montcalm with 13 points, and Hannah Putnam chipped in 12 points.

Southfield Christian 40, Detroit Cristo Rey 39: Kelly Hunter and Allison Sullivan each scored 13 points for Southfield (1-1). Cristo Rey was led by Olivia Miller’s 16 points.

Trenton 43, Riverview 22: Sydney Voss led all scorers with 11 points for Trenton, and Therese Hebda finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Troy Athens 41, Clawson 28: Maddie Crum had a huge game with 20 points and 13 rebounds for Athens (1-0). Jackie Hausar scored 12 points for Clawson.

Watervliet 62, Bloomingdale 36: Leading the way for Watervliet was Logan Mizwicki, who nearly recorded a triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven steals.

Wixom St. Catherine 52, Redford Union 46: Lizzy Turek led Wixom (2-1) with 21 points. Johnnae Stelle scored 16 points and six blocks.

Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 77, Columbia Central 22: Adrian Anderson scored 20 points for Prep (4-0) while Lasha Petree added 17 points. Rozhane Wells scored 15 points.

Detroit Cornerstone’s Jamal Cain before a game against Wayne Memorial on Dec. 6, 2016, at Wayne Memorial high school.

It always has been about the mission for Jamal Cain.

“My father was in his life a lot before he passed away, and he always told him if basketball was important to him, there was a mission he had to complete,” said Amanda Branner, Cain’s mother. “He instilled that in him until the day he passed away and then (Cain’s) father picked up where my father left off.”

Shellie Branner, Cain’s grandfather, was the one who first sent Cain to a basketball camp when he was in early elementary school. He was the one who first signed him up for an organized team in the fifth grade.

• Michigan’s top 100 boys high school basketball players
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He preached about the mission to the youngster until his death in July 2013. Then Cain’s father, Hasen, carried on the talk of the mission – even if he didn’t know much basketball.

“He didn’t know anything about basketball,” Jamal Cain said, laughing. “He’d say something, and I’d be like: ‘What are you talking about?’ He was a basketball fan because I played basketball. He really had no choice but to pay attention to basketball.”

But that ended in July when Hasen died – and suddenly Cain’s mission seemed more like Mission Impossible.

Cain is a 6-foot-8 senior at Detroit Cornerstone Health and Technology, a charter school located in what used to be St. Scholastica Elementary School on West Outer Drive. Last month, he signed a national letter of intent with Marquette and is the No. 2 player in the Free Press’ Top 100 players in the state.

He began the season with a bang Tuesday night, scoring 25 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in a 64-59 loss to a good Wayne Memorial team.

But for a time this summer after his father died, Cain forgot about his mission.

“It was hard for at least awhile, but then I realized I just had to get back to what the mission was,” Cain said. “He told me to keep working and don’t let anything keep you back.”

Detroit Cornerstone’s Jamal Cain, 17, photographed on Dec. 6, 2016, at Wayne Memorial high school.

The mission has helped Cain become one of the best players in the state – and a leading candidate for the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award.

A year ago, Cain, who chose Marquette over Michigan and Georgia, averaged 26 points and 15.7 rebounds.

But from where Detroit East English Village coach Juan Rickman sits, Cain looks better than ever. Like anyone who sees him play, Rickman is impressed with Cain’s raw athletic ability.

“He’s stupid athletic; he’s silly athletic,” Rickman said after scrimmaging Cornerstone last week. “No, listen, he’s athletic. As far as explosion and getting off the floor, Jamal is ridiculous.”

That athleticism has guided Cain throughout his career. It enabled him to dominate games in middle school even though his skill set was nowhere near what it is now.

“I thought I was good, but I wasn’t playing against any competition in middle school,” Cain said. “I was always the tallest player, and I could just jump and grab rebounds over everyone else until I got in high school. That’s when my eyes opened.”

Cain played his freshman year at Melvindale AB&T for coach Myke Covington and transferred to Cornerstone when Covington took that job for one season.

Derrick Edwards is in his second season as Cornerstone’s coach, but when Cain was a sophomore, he was an assistant at Detroit Henry Ford, which played Cornerstone.

“Back then you could see his strength, which was he was a spot-up shooter,” Edwards said. “He was a dead-eye three-point shooter, but as time has evolved, he’s worked on his game and now he’s an all-around player.”

But until he got to work on other aspects of his game, Cain spent most of his time on the court retreating behind the three-point line and launching bomb after bomb.

“Growing up, that’s all I did was shoot and shoot threes,” he said. “I didn’t really have handles or anything like that, so I really wasn’t focused on it, so I would shoot.”

While he enjoyed shooting three-point bombs – who doesn’t? – Cain realized his mission was to become a complete player, and he was far from that as a freshman and sophomore.

So Cain worked to improve his “handles.” He spent hours working on ball-handling drills without ever taking a shot, which is difficult for someone who shoots as well as Cain.

Once he became an adept ball handler, Edwards pried him away from the three-point line and introduced Cain to the paint and a post-up game, which did not exist in his skill set.

“With his height and his athleticism, nobody can block that shot,” Edwards said. “I told him from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant perfecting it, once you get in the post and once you can turn and elevate and get a view of the basket, it’s easy.”

Making it easier is the fade-away jumper Cain has learned to use in the lane. And because he is more athletic than most post players, Cain does not have to be in the low post to use his post moves.

Detroit Cornerstone’s Jamal Cain dribbles against Wayne Memorial on Dec. 6, 2016, at Wayne Memorial high school.

Edwards likes to use Kevin Durant as an example of what, at the high-school level, Cain is capable of doing from different sports on the court.

“Even though Jamal might post up, it’s like a midpost where he can catch the ball and face up,” Edwards said. “He’s more comfortable facing the basket. Once he catches it and faces the basket, then he can go into his repertoire of moves.”

Since last season ended, Cain has tried to perfect a jump hook for the times he is in the paint. And unlike a number of talented perimeter players, Cain doesn’t mind playing inside. Actually, he enjoys it now that he understands his shooting percentage skyrockets when he gets the ball in the post.

“To be honest, that’s the reason why,” he said. “It was like – wow! – I can score so easy in the post and so many various ways. I love playing in the post.”

But it’s really not Cain’s first experience playing in the paint. When he first stepped onto the court – even before his grandfather sent him to a basketball camp – Cain found himself in the paint trying to play defense.

That was when he was playing one-on-one against his mother, who averaged 18 points a game as a senior at Pontiac Northern.

“We played games, but he wasn’t as tall as he is now,” said his mother, who is 5-10. “The taller he got, I couldn’t post him. He was always blocking my stuff. But I used to post him up.”

Back then, Cain wasn’t much of a defensive player. Only recently has he begun playing defense with the same enthusiasm he shoots three-pointers.

But better defense is what you get when your coach played high school ball for Detroit Western coach Derrick McDowell, who coached Edwards at Detroit Redford.

“We do more defensive stuff in practice than we do offensive stuff,” Edwards said. “I’m from that McDowell tree, so that’s what we do. The biggest goal from me to Jamal, when I got here, was to get his defense to catch up with his offense and then he’d be out of sight.”

Of course, getting a player of Cain’s ability to buy into playing defense could be problematic. But it turned out to be the opposite.

“That’s the first thing I noticed we when I got here last was that he loves to work; his work ethic is unmatched,” Edwards said. “The thing I love about Jamal is he’s so determined. If he doesn’t get something, he wants to do it over and over until he gets it.”

Cain gets it now, even though this season he won’t have his father sitting in the stands watching as he strives to make it mission accomplished.

“I think about him every day,” Cain said. “It’s not painful, really, because I know he’s in a better place. I knew what his words would have been – he was good and keep doing what I had to do. That’s the only thing I can think.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Grand Rapids Christian’s Xavier Tillman.

The top 50

1. Xavier Tillman, 6-8, senior, Grand Rapids Christian

2. Jamal Cain, 6-6, senior, Detroit Cornerstone

3. Isaiah Livers, 6-8, senior, Kalamazoo Central

4. Brandon Johns, 6-9, junior, East Lansing

5. Foster Loyer, 5-11, junior, Clarkston

6. Amauri Hardy, 6-3, senior, North Farmington

7. Ike Eke, 6-10, senior, U-D Jesuit

8. Thomas Kithier, 6-8, junior, Macomb Dakota

9. Trevion Williams, 6-8, junior, Henry Ford Academy

10. Terry Armstrong, 6-5, sophomore, Davison

►Related: Michigan’s top 20 boys basketball teams

11. Jermaine Jackson, 5-8, senior, Macomb Dakota

12. Dylan Alderson, 6-5, senior, Clarkston

13. Greg Elliott, 6-3, senior, Detroit East English

14. Jaron Faulds, 6-10, senior, Holt

15. Romeo Weems, 6-7, sophomore, New Haven

16. Greg Eboigbodin, 6-8, senior, U-D Jesuit

17. Matt Beachler, 6-4, senior, Lowell

18. Kevin McAdoo, 6-1, senior, West Bloomfield

19. Mike Flowers, 6-1, senior, Southfield

20. Mark Watts, 6-2, sophomore, Detroit Old Redford

21. David DeJulius, 6-1, junior, Detroit East English Village

22. Lamar Norman, 6-2, junior, Wyoming Godwin Heights

23. Duane Washington, 6-3, junior, Grand Rapids Christian

24. Darian Owens-White, 6-1, senior, River Rouge

25. Blake Verbeek, 6-10, junior, Grandville Calvin Christian

26. Brandon Wade, 6-1, junior, Ann Arbor Skyline

27. Malik Ellison, 5-8, senior, Flint Beecher

28. Jason Whitens, 6-5, senior, Powers North Central

29. Keion Epps, 6-5, senior, Wayne

30. Davion Williams, 6-2, junior, Belleville

31. Zack Nieuwkoop, 6-7, senior, Wayland

32. James Beck, 6-7, senior, Grand Rapids Christian

33. PJ Mitchell, 5-10, junior, Detroit Edison

34. Quinn Blair, 6-6, junior, Dearborn Divine Child

35. Demetri Martin, 6-4, senior, Big Rapids

36. Bryce Washington, 6-4, junior, Southfield Christian

37. Mario Whitley, 6-4, junior, Frankenmuth

38. Devontaye Webb, 6-1, senior, Detroit Henry Ford

39. Nick Welch, 6-7, senior, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central

40. Carlos Johnson, 6-5, freshman, Benton Harbor

41. Brennen Buszka, 6-5, senior, Grosse Pointe South

42. Taylor Currie, 6-8, sophomore, Clarkston

43. Jason Dietz, 6-3, junior, Troy

44. Josh Long, 6-5, senior, Detroit Western

45. Latravion Jackson, 6-7, senior, Ypsilanti Lincoln

46. Leonard Silas, 5-10, senior, Detroit Cass Tech

47. Jake VanTubbergen, 6-6, senior, Holland West Ottawa

48. Jesse Hillis, 6-2, senior, Caledonia

49. Marcus Pittman, 6-3, senior, Birmingham Groves

50. Austin McCullough, 6-5, senior, Portage Central

The next 50 (in alphabetical order)

Sy Barnett, 6-2, senior, Williamston

Trent Bell, 6-7, senior, Negaunee

Dawson Bilski, 6-3, senior, Powers North Central

Jacob Boonyasith, 6-3, junior, Jenison

Carl Bow, 6-0, junior, Hazel Park

Marcus Bingham, 6-9, junior, Grand Rapids Catholic Central

Gabe Brown, 6-7, junior, Belleville

Kylen Brown, 5-8, senior, Michigan Center

Zach Burk, 6-3, senior, Lutheran Westland

Denver Cade, 6-3, junior, Buckley

Blake Dunn, 6-0, senior, Saugatuck

Derrick Edington, 6-7, senior, Pickford

Daniel Everhart, 6-0, junior, Marine City Cardinal Mooney

Nolan Foster, 6-10, sophomore, Mattawan

Jaivian Fowler, 6-6, sophomore, Grand Rapids Union

Randy Gilbert, 6-6, junior, Detroit Cass Tech

Jordan Graham, 6-6, senior, Farmington

Preston Granger, 6-4, senior, Lansing Christian

Charles Harris, 5-10, senior, Flint Hamady

Markese Hastings, 6-5, junior, Wyoming Godwin Heights

David Hearns, 6-0, junior, Hazel Park

Trey Helinski, 5-11, junior, Adrian Lenawee Christian

Caleb Hodgson, 6-9, sophomore, Dansville

Avery Hudson, 5-10, senior, Wayland

Luke Hyde, 6-6, junior, DeWitt

Alex Ismail, 6-10, senior, Dearborn Heights Annapolis

Deante Johnson, 6-7, junior, Detroit Edison

Drew Lowder, 5-10, sophomore, Ann Arbor Pioneer

Gunnar Libby, 5-9, senior, Hillman

Gabe Meriweather, 6-3, senior, Bellaire

Jalen Miller, 6-3, senior, Lake Fenton

Mason Pline, 6-6, junior, Fowler

Dreyon O’Neal, 6-6, sophomore, Detroit Edison

Jayden Perry, 5-8, junior, Manton

Delbert Redfield, 5-11, senior, Olivet

Tanner Reha, 6-4, junior, DeWitt

Diego Robinson, 6-6, senior, Lansing Everett

Christian Rodriguez, 5-10, senior, Wyoming Godwin Heights

Jaylon Rogers, 6-1, junior, Frankfort

Malik Rogers, 6-6, senior, Dearborn Heights Crestwood

Henry Speight, 6-3, senior, Saginaw

Jalen Tobias, 6-6, junior, Detroit Cass Tech

Demario Turner, 6-4, senior, Detroit Community

Chase VanderKlay, 6-3, senior, Wyoming

Juan Warren, 6-4, senior, Battle Creek Central

Brock Washington, 6-4, senior, Southfield Christian

Carrington Wiggins, 6-6, junior, Goodrich

Eric Williams, 6-4, senior, New Haven

Jacob Witt, 6-7, senior, Ewen-Trout Creek

Carson Wonders, 6-4, senior, Iron Mountain

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

U-D Jesuit’s Greg Eboigbodin.

*All players seniors unless noted

1. U-D Jesuit (28-0 in 2015-16)

Outlook: Don’t be surprised if the defending Class A state champs end up at the Breslin Center again. With the graduation of Mr. Basketball Cassius Winston the Cubs lost their GOAT, but they have enough firepower to make up for his scoring. Ike Eke, 6-9, (Marquette) will be more effective in the post and 6-9 Greg Eboigbodin (Illinois-Chicago) is a better shot blocker and more polished offensively. Sophomore Julian Dozier will be a good point guard. Scott Nelson is more aggressive taking the ball to the basket and junior Zach Winston is a solid shooter. Junior Elijah Collins has expanded his offensive game while sophomore Daniel Friday adds another scorer. Look for a breakout year from 6-10 sophomore Jalen Thomas, a budding star.

• Michigan’s top 100 boys high school basketball players

2. Grand Rapids Christian (22-2)

Outlook: This could be the best team in the state, which will be led by the best player in the state _ 6-8, 270 Xavier Tillman (Michigan State), who averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds a game. He is stronger and in better shape and working on a face-up jumper. If Tillman doesn’t get you, 6-7 James Beck (Oakland) will. He is a face-up player who must get to the rim. Junior Duane Washington can be a big scorer, but his main job will be to distribute the ball. Emmett Warners, 6-4, is a four-year player and the team’s top defender. Thad Shymanski hit 45% of his three-point shots last season.

3. Macomb Dakota (26-1)

Outlook: The Class A semifinalist from a year ago should be headed back to the Breslin Center. Jermaine Jackson Jr. (21 points, 6 assists) is more of a vocal leader this season and he has some excellent players to distribute the ball to. Junior Thomas Kithier (MSU) 6-8, (14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 5 assists), has added a perimeter game to his repertoire. Warren De La Salle transfer Jack Ballantyne, 6-9, is another versatile big man that gives the Cougars options. Jaylen Hall, 6-4, is a swingman who played in a lot of big games last season. Chris Magee and Deontae’ Estes give Dakota two solid shooters and Brett Droski can play either forward spot. Sophomore Mark Tocco and freshman Ryan Rollins will come off the bench and help at both guard positions.

4. Clarkston (20-3)

Outlook: With junior Foster Loyer (Michigan State), who is as crafty a point guard as we’ve seen, and 6-5 swingman Dylan Alderson (Milwaukee) this was going to be a good team. When you add 6-9 sophomore Taylor Currie, whose family moved back to Michigan this summer and is a post player that can play facing the basket, the Wolves are one of the top teams in the state. Alderson has learned to play without the ball and is now able to use screens to get open for shots. Junior guard CJ Robinson is a good complement to Loyer and junior Nick Wells adds perimeter scoring.

5. East Lansing (23-1)

Outlook: This should be the best team in the Lansing area again, but the Trojans need to get out of the regional. Junior Brandon Johns, 6-8 (19.1 points, 10.5 rebounds) is the guy to hitch your wagon to. He hit 45 three-point shots last season and now is becoming an unstoppable force in the post. DeAndre Robinson (10 points) is a good shooter and scores on slashing moves to the basket. Caleb Hoekstra shot 42% while nailing 65 three-point shots a year ago. Weston Myles, 6-4, is a four-year play who will be the defensive stopper and team leader. Junior point guard Malik Jones shares the ball well and is a jet in transition.

6. Detroit East English Village (19-4)

Outlook: The defending Public School League champs will be in the thick of things again, although the cast of characters has changed dramatically. One holdover is 6-3 Greg Elliott (19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists), who had an amazing run late in the season. Junior David DeJulius, a transfer from Detroit Edison, is a tremendously talented point guard who scores in a variety of ways. Junior Zavon Godwin, 6-6, is a transfer from Roseville who will not be eligible until January and he will be effective in transition. Sophomore Tariq Shepherd plays good defense and can shoot it. Freshman Jayshawn Moore will add scoring from the wing and Samuel Womack is the team’s best perimeter defender.

7. Kalamazoo Central (20-4)

Outlook: This senior-laden team is capable of winning the Class A state title. Led by 6-8 Isaiah Livers (Michigan), who averaged 16 points and 9.8 rebounds. He has increased his shooting range and is capable of playing in the post. Rog Stein, 6-5, can defend inside and on the perimeter. Jeremiah Vincent has a good mid-range game and can play all of the perimeter spots. Bass Ollie is a strong defender and rebounder. Grant Kubiak, 6-6, is the team’s top perimeter shooter and Ontario Burnett can help out at the point. Steve Johnson, 6-9, who missed last season with as serious ankle injury, will be an intimidating inside presence.

8. Wayne (9-12)

Outlook: You can expect a big improvement from the Zebras. Keion Epps (Eastern Michigan), 6-6, averaged 14 points last season and will play all over the court. Junior Rashad Williams will play the point and he is a deadly shooter. Sophomore Isiaah Lewis is another exceptional shooter. Travez Nyx, a 6-4 transfer from Consortium, can play on the perimeter and inside. Terrance Williams was moved from the point to the wing to take advantage of his shooting. Junior Kobe Price, 6-4, is an excellent rebounder. Napier Bryant and Xaiver Moore will provide energy off the bench.

9. Muskegon (20-4)

Outlook: This will be one of the deepest Muskegon teams in years. Jermayne Goliday, 6-4, is an inside-out scorer. Anthony Bethea, 6-5, 230, (Northern Michigan), is an inside force, who can step outside and score. Sam Cornett, a transfer from Grandville, is capable of playing every position the court. Markell Jackson, 6-6, gives the Big Reds a shot blocker and he is an excellent shooter. Sophomore DeAndre Carter will run the point and will be helped by sophomore Eonte Tornes. Jacourey Sullivan and junior Willie Shanks will add toughness to the lineup and 6-7 A.J. Reed, a dominating tackle on the football team, is a tough guy to move inside.

10. Wyoming Godwin Heights (20-4)

Outlook: The Class B state champs from two seasons ago will be contenders again behind the dynamic duo of Lamar Norman (21 points) and 6-6 Markeese Hastings, both juniors. Norman is an explosive scorer from the three-point line in and Hastings is developing a perimeter game. The glue is Christian Rodriguez, an old-school point guard who makes things happen. Kelvin Valdez, 6-4, will be an inside presence and he can float to the outside. Sinque Spienger will apply pressure all over the court. Juniors Payton Harley and Susu Davenport will bring energy off the bench.

11. Belleville (19-5)

Outlook: With six its top six players all juniors, this team may be a year away from contending for a state championship, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t happen this season. Junior Davion Williams (20 points) makes key shots and is terrific in transition. Junior Gabe Brown, 6-7, is a talented lefty who can hit jumpers and will be difficult to stop inside. Junior Devin Anderson, 6-3, will play everywhere but the point and his strength allows him to be a factor inside. Junior Julian Savory, 6-9, is the team’s only true post player and he is tough to handle inside. Junior Kmare Carey plays solid defense and makes good decisions in transition and junior Cameron Smiley tams with Carey to give the Tigers two effective point guards.

12. Flint Beecher (25-2)

Outlook: The two-time defending Class C state champ, which has won four of the last five titles, will be a factor again behind the play of Malik Ellison (22 points). He is finishing stronger around the basket and has improved his jumper. Levane Blake, 6-8, will protect the paint and is an excellent defender and rebounder. Jordan Roland (15 points) can score from different spot on the court and plays good defense. Sophomore Azon’te Burks will set screes, take charges and help inside. Torren Thomas, 6-4, can handle the ball and score in transition. Two freshmen — Jalen Terry and Earnest Sanders — have skill levels that will allow them to contribute this season.

13. Big Rapids (23-3)

Outlook: Another trip to the Class B semifinals is a distinct possibility for this team, even though there is not a lot of impressive size. Demetri Martin (19 points) attacks the basket line no one else. Christian Hector and junior Braeden Childress, 6-4, are both lights-out shooters. Sophomore Jake Martinson, 6-4, is going to surprise a lot of people with his ability beyond the arc. Dorian Martin is only a sophomore, but he does an excellent job distributing the ball.

14. Saginaw (19-4)

Outlook: The Trojans, a Class B school, are electing to play up in Class A again. The road may be bumpy until Ronquavious Southward (20 points, 8 assists) returns in January from finger surgery. Henry Speight (15 points, 10 rebounds) is a matchup problem, capable of posting up guards and taking bigger players to the perimeter. Eddie Thigpen, 6-6, scorers on slashing moves to the basket and in transition. Freddie Macintosh may be only a freshman, but he appears to be ready to start on the varsity and run the point. Another freshman, 6-5 James Babers, is long and athletic and shows loads of potential on the wing.

15. Ann Arbor Pioneer (19-5)

Outlook: All three Ann Arbor public schools will be good, but sophomore point guard Drew Lowder could be the difference-maker for Pioneer. The Pioneers may struggle a bit until Deric Murray is cleared to play following a broken foot and 6-6 Jordan Currie recovers from a badly sprained ankle. They are two key pieces to the puzzle and Pioneer will be very good when they return. Cedric Benton, a four-year starter, is more of a point-forward and can guard anyone on the court. Noah Osebor, 6-4, is an undersized center, but he will mix it up in the paint.

16. Detroit Cass Tech (11-10)

Outlook: Leonard Sims (15.5 points) and Ronnie Cook give the Technicians a pair of perimeter threats to go with freshman point guard Tyson Acuff, a distributor with excellent vision. Junior Randy Gilbert, 6-6, (12 points, 7.5 rebounds) is strong on the interior where he will team with 6-5 Michael Green, another fine rebounder who will block shots. Junior Marcus Gibbs will be one of the top perimeter shooters in the PSL. Cass will get a big lift from 6-6 junior Jalen Tobais, a transfer from Detroit Western, who will toughen up Cass’ interior defense.

17. Davison (5-15)

Outlook: This will not be the same team that was 5-15 a year ago. First, there is the case of 6-6 Terry Armstrong, one of the top sophomores in the country. He left Flint Carman-Ainsworth for a prep school in Georgia, returned and enrolled at Davison, but still hasn’t practiced with the team. Then comes the additions of Jalen Rutherford and junior Austin Roland, who transferred from Grand Blanc last winter. Rutherford could be the team’s leading scorer. He is good in transition and finds ways to get to the free throw line. Roland is an explosive-type guard who is capable of playing the point. Sophomore Cade Coleman, 6-5, can create his own shot and is now able to play with his back to the basket. The Cardinals also boast a pair of 6-6 juniors — Drew Fleming and Garret Goyette — who can affect a lot of shots. Josh Moriaritey is the team’s floor general and the Cards aren’t the same without him.

18. Detroit Western (20-4)

Outlook: The lone returning starter is 6-5 Josh Long, who should be a double-double guy every night. Latravion Jackson, 6-7, a transfer from Ypsilanti Lincoln, is a versatile player who can hurt teams from the perimeter as well as in the paint. A surprise may be the play of point guard Loren Bowman, who doesn’t play like a freshman. Junior Anthony Roberts could be a big scorer and will help with rebounding and play good defense. Demonis Whitney, 6-5, will be an inside force off the bench for the Cowboys. The best athlete on the team is 6-3 junior Will English, who can jumpstart the offense in a reserve role.

19. New Haven (22-3)

Outlook: The Rockets petitioned to remain in Class B and they will contend for the state title. Sophomore Romeo Weems, 6-7, had a sensational freshman season (16.4 points, 10.3 rebounds) and has come back a better perimeter shooter. Eric Williams (17.3 points), 6-5, is a dangerous shooter. New Haven lost most of its size from last season but with 6-7 junior Ashton Sherrell and 6-5 sophomore Malen Lewis it will be more athletic up front. Junior Ascaun Johnson, 6-5, is a solid rebounder and AJ Crawford gives the Rockets a true point guard to run the show.

20. Detroit Cornerstone (14-11)

Outlook: Any Class C team that begins with 6-8 Marquette-commit Jamal Cain (26 points, 15.7 rebounds) is going to be a contender for a state championship. Then you add combo guard Davion Bradford and junior point guard Alante Coward and you have an outstanding back court, worthy of a state title. Junior DaMon Gilmore is a good shooter. The key may be the development of 6-5 junior Robert Carpenter, a transfer from Berkley, who must help with the rebounding and inside defense.

Marquette-bound Cornerstone senior Jamal Cain on mission

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

4. Brandon Johns, 6-9, junior, East Lansing.

Boys basketball

Allen Park 58, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist 49: Alec Sanchez recorded 17 points in the contest for Allen Park (1-0).

Belleville 54, Canton 31: Devin Alverson led Bellville (2-0) with 15 points, while Gabe Brown added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Julian Savoury scored eight points, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Vincent Sigmon scored 11 points to lead Canton (0-2).

Birmingham Brother Rice 55, Dearborn Divine Child 50: Mike Laurencelle scored 15 points for Brother Rice (2-0). James MacKenzie added 13 points, and Jack Moran also chipped in 11 points. Connor Blair led all scorers with 25 points for Divine Child (1-1).

Birmingham Groves 62, Redford Thurston 53: Drew Sheckell scored 21 points, and recorded 13 rebounds for Groves (1-0). Charles Jones added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrious Dowd put up 15 points, while Malik Hill added 13 points for Thurston (1-1).

Birmingham Seaholm 71, Harper Woods 63: Brady Flynn finished with a double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds for Seaholm (1-1). Cooper Mixon added 15 points. In the season-opening loss for Harper Woods (0-1), Javon Horton led the way with 30 points.

Clio 42, Ortonville Brandon 37: Ethan Hunt led Brandon with 20 points, seven steals and six assists. Nolan Tews also added 12 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.

Dearborn Advanced Tech 57, Armada 51: Dahmin Branch had 16 points, while Russell McBurrows finished with 14 points for Dearborn Advanced Tech (1-0). Adam Job had 14 points, and Jared Couch had 10 for Armada (1-1).

Dearborn Heights Annapolis 68, Taylor Truman 42: Alex Ishmail led Annapolis (1-1) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Cam’Ron Johnson added 14 points, and grabbed eight rebounds, while Avery Ishmail chipped in 10 points. Alex Kolnitys paced Truman (0-1) with 12 points.

Dearborn Heights Crestwood 65, Dearborn 57: Malik Rogers led Crestwood (2-0) with 30 points. Asa Robertson added 12 points, and Tavion Dowell chipped in 11 points. Youseph Saad scored 23 points for Dearborn (1-1). Mahdi Hamade added 14 points.

Michigan’s top 20 boys basketball teams

Detroit Cornerstone 62, Toledo Jones Leadership 44: Ryan Smith compiled 16 points, five rebounds and five assists for Cornerstone (3-0). Queron Towns finished with 13 points and eight boards, while Terrance Hudson added 12 points and 11 rebounds plus four blocks.

Detroit Henry Ford SCS 58, Detroit Cristo Rey 47: Trevion Williams scored 13 points, grabbed a monstrous 30 rebounds and dished out 12 assists for Henry Ford (1-0). James Grisby added 20 points and eight steals. Sam Stewart led Cristo Rey with 18 points.

Detroit University Prep 69, Detroit Community 31: Derrick Bryant Jr. compiled 17 points, while Terrence Bowens and Kenon Roberts Jr. each finished with 11 for University Prep (1-1). For Community (1-1), DeMario Turner finished with a team-high 15 points.

Farmington 91, Detroit Old Redford Academy 66: Jordan Graham led all scorers with 32 points for Farmington (1-1). Ray Bryant added 18 points, and Tyrell Jackson-Davis also chipped in 14 points. Bobby Walton led Old Redford (1-1) with 23 points.

Fenton 75, Swartz Creek 65: A.J. LePage led all scorers with 23 points for Fenton (1-1). Drew Miller scored 13 points, and David Pietryga added 11 points.

Imlay City 71, North Branch 53: Noah Galbraith scored 12 points for Imlay City (1-0), and Curtis Homer added 11 points. Chance Calvert led all scorers with 15 points for North Branch (1-1).

Kalamazoo Central 67, Battle Creek Central 55: Isaiah Livers put up 13 points, while Jeremiah Vincent added 10 points for Kalamazoo (1-0). Juan Warren scored 20 points, while Demetrius Craig added 15 points for Battle Creek (1-1).

Lapeer 65, Flint Powers 59: Drew Rubick led Lapeer with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Michigan’s top 100 boys high school basketball players

Livonia Franklin 57, Dearborn Edsel Ford 33: Mark Mettie led all scorers with 20 points and 15 rebounds for Franklin (2-0). Keyon Brown added 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Johnny Cantrell chipped in 12 points. Melessio Kendrick led Edsel Ford (1-1) with 10 points.

Livonia Stevenson 86, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 76: Devin Dunn led all scorers with 34 points for Stevenson (1-0). Nader Kandalaft added 17 points. Tariq Derrickson led Pontiac (0-2) with 24 points, and Joshua Johnson added 20 points.

Macomb Lutheran North 65, Madison Heights Bishop Foley 54: Drew Arft led all scorers with 29 points for Lutheran North (2-0). Jack Hilt added 17 points, and Eli Thaut chipped in 11 points. Ryan Michael scored 16 points for Bishop Foley.

Marlette 64, Vassar 39: Ethan McKenney led Marlette with 20 points.

Northville 58, Dearborn Fordson 24: Robert Johnson finished with a game-high 20 points for Northville (1-0), while Gustaf Tjernberg had 11 points in the loss for Fordson (1-1).

Novi 74, Rochester 55: Traveon Maddox Jr. scored 27 points, and grabbed six rebounds for Novi (1-0). Alec Tageris added 13 points.

Okemos 75, Lansing Eastern 35: Vail Hartman scored 14 points for Okemos (2-0). Jordan Henry also added 13 points.

Ravenna 45, Shelby 36: Spencer Brown grabbed 11 rebounds for Shelby.

Riverview Richard 61, Franklin Road Christian 40: Anthony Brown had 17 points for Richard (1-0), while Devin Gleason added 10 points. Ramon Scruggs had 14 points for Franklin Road (0-1).

Royal Oak 62, Eastpointe East Detroit 40: Tyler Dawson led all scorers with 24 points for Royal Oak (1-0). Justin Akhahon also added 16 points.

Royal Oak Shrine 56, Birmingham Roeper 23: Dan Gabby scored 11 points for Shrine (1-0). Josiah Smith put up 11 points for Roeper (0-1).

St. Joseph 49, Stevensville Lakeshore 44: Colin Brushwyler led Lakeshore with 19 points, and Max Gaishin added 14 points.

Stanton Central Montcalm 56, Tri County 54: Austin Proctor led Montcalm with 17 points. Zachary Bigelow added 16 points. Justin Kirkwood paced Tri County with 14 points.

Troy 75, Lake Orion 44: Jason Dietz had 26 points, while Leon Ayers had 19 points for Troy (1-0). Pierce Burke had 17 points, and Jamie Lewis Jr. had 13 points in the loss for Lake Orion (0-2).

Utica Eisenhower 60, Rochester Adams 43: Matt Donahue put up 14 points for Eisenhower (2-0), while Chris Mickovski also chipped in 14. Antonio Rosado scored 10 points for Adams (0-2).

Warren Michigan Collegiate 69, Troy Athens 67 (OT): Ty Lawrence finished with 16 points, including the game-winning bucket for Michigan Collegiate (2-0). Antonio Simley had 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Jordan Davis contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. Clark Joslin had 16 points and Taylor McCaskill added 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Hunter Nelson chipped in 12 for Athens (1-1).

Girls basketball

Allen Park 43, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist 36: Izzy Slape scored 13 points for Allen Park (3-0). Jessiann Weidmann put up 15 points for Inter-City Baptist (1-3).

Bellevue 59, North Adams-Jerome 27: Bailey Whitcomb scored a season-high 21 points for Bellevue (4-0).

Comstock 47, Berrien Springs 29: Daisy Ansel had a monster game with 25 points for Comstock (4-0). Keila Blakely added 10 points.

Dearborn 51, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 49: Nasreen Kobeissi scored 14 points for Dearborn (3-0), while Isabelle Clark added 11 points. Sara Stewart put up 10 points for Notre Dame Prep (0-3).

Dearborn Edsel Ford 80, Livonia Franklin 56: Brooke Gailliard and Allia Hamood each had 19 for Edsel Ford (4-0). Olivia Napier had 12 in the loss for Franklin (0-2).

Detroit Community 31, Detroit University Prep 30: Takeya Moody hit a buzzer-beater for Community (1-0) to seal the victory, and she led the attack with 10 points and five assists. Passion Hargrove added eight points and eight steals.

Farmington Hills Mercy 44, Bloomfield Hills Marian 43: Chloe Godbold led all Mercy (2-1, 1-0 Catholic) scorers with 11 points, while Jackie Bauer and Katie Coe both chipped in 10. Marian fell to 2-2 (0-1).

Fenton 44, Swartz Creek 36: Aly Lenz scored 12 points for Fenton. Jacara Thompson led all scorers with 15 for Swartz Creek.

Gibraltar Carlson 51, Lincoln Park 13: Hannah Nagy led Carlson (3-0) with 11 points. Sam Clark added 10 points, seven steals and five rebounds.

Holly 43, Linden 29: Paige Reid led Holly with 17 points and six rebounds. Becca Fugate added 16 points, four rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Ionia 37, Portland 31: Jaylynn Williams led all scorers with 19 points for Ionia (2-1).

Kent City 58, Holton 29: Zara Weber led all scorers with 16 points for Kent City (2-2). Paige Mortensen added 12 points, which were all from beyond the arc. Mackenzie Mortensen chipped in 11.

Lapeer 59, Flint Powers 58: Lisa West led Lapeer with 20 points. Hannah Erla added 12 points, and Ashley Garcia chipped in 10 points. Rachel Phillpotts led all scorers with 25 for Powers. Madeline Matheus added 14.

Mackinaw City 32, Alanson 30: Samantha Somers scored 10 points, and grabbed seven rebounds for Mackinaw City (3-1).

Macomb Dakota 56, Clinton Twp. Chippewa Valley 31: Tara Bieniewicz led all scorers with 17 points for Dakota (3-0). Cameron Grant added 12 points, and Emily Langolf chipped in 10 points.

Macomb Lutheran North 56, Livonia Ladywood 35: Ashleigh Thomas led all scorers with 27 points for Lutheran North (3-0), and she also grabbed 10 rebounds. Brianne Rogers and Abbey Reppen each scored 10 points for Ladywood (1-3).

Novi 46, Chelsea 34: Ellie Mackay led all scorers with 20 points for Novi.

Novi Franklin Road 44, Oakland Christian 27: Madison LaLone led Franklin Road (2-2, 1-0 MIAC) with 10 points.

Redford Union 49, Detroit Old Redford Academy 21: Johanna Steele put up 19 points for Union (2-1).

Rochester Adams 50, Lake Orion 44: Maggie Rogers led all scorers with 21 points for Adams (1-0), and Hannah Simard grabbed 12 rebounds. Sophia Wyborski paced Lake Orion with 13 points.

Saline 51, Plymouth 39: Abbey Bowen had 19 points for Saline (2-2). In the loss for Plymouth (0-3), Chantal LeDoux finished with a team-high 15 points.

Sparta 60, Holland 55 (OT): Sparta’s Delaney Armock led all scorers with 21 points.

St. Clair Shores Lakeview 64, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 28: Nicole Austin scored 12 points for Lakeview (4-0). Michelle Kemp added 10 points.

Stanton Central Montcalm 48, Tri County 46: Hannah Putnam led Montcalm with 14 points, while Kiara Wernette contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.

Trenton 33, Taylor Kennedy 15: Therese Hebda had 11 points, and McKenna Tanguay had 12 points for Trenton (3-0).

Utica 34, Grosse Pointe South 31: Lindsey Lavelle led Utica (2-0) with 15 points and nine rebounds. Mone Knowles added seven points, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sayanna Roy led all scorers with 18 for South (0-3).

Warren Lincoln 49, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 37: Nia Ahart had 29 points, 10 boards and four steals for Liggett. Kendall Rogers had 12 points, and Kiara Garwood finished with 11 for Lincoln.

Warren Mott 59, Madison Heights Madison 24: Mariah Taylor led Mott (1-3) with 24 points.

Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 57, Pinckney 34: Rozhane Wells led Arbor Prep (5-0) with 13 points. Cydney Williams added 11, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Alicia Hanifan paced Pinckney (2-2) with 12 points.

Williamston basketball star Allison Peplowski passes against Lansing Catholic.

Boys basketball

Allen Park Cabrini 64, Detroit Cristo Rey 63: Cabrini (2-1) was led by Colin O’Leary who scored a career high 31 points, including 22 in the second half.

Ann Arbor Skyline 83, Monroe 47: Toryn Johnson led Monroe (1-2) with 15 points.

Battle Creek Central 59, Stevensville Lakeshore 40: Denzel Banks led Battle Creek (2-1) with 18 points. Demetrius Craig added 17 points. Jahmiel Wade chipped in 13 points. Colin Brushwyler scored 16 points for Lakeshore (1-2).

Belleville 65, Woodhaven 52: Gabe Brown led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Belleville (3-0). Davion Williams added 13 points and seven rebounds. Kamare Carey chipped in 11 points. Josh Warren led Woodhaven (0-2) with 20 points.

Birmingham Groves 86, Holly 70: Charles Jones led Groves (2-0) with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Pittman added 15 points and six assists. Drew Sheckell added 16 points and eight rebounds. Austin Harless paced Holly (1-2) with 15 points.

Dearborn Heights Annapolis 47, Wyandotte 33: Alex Ismail led Annapolis (2-1) with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Ryley Stewart led Wyandotte (0-2) with 11 points.

Dearborn Heights Robichaud 74, Dearborn Fordson 66: Kevin Simpson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Robichaud (2-1). Jaylen Savor added 17 points and nine rebounds. Yousuf Farhat led all scorers with 19 points for Fordson.

Detroit Henry Ford 67, Flint Beecher 54: Deontae Ulmer finished with 25 points, while Dwan Rogers scored 15 points for Henry Ford (2-0). Beecher is 1-2.

Detroit Leadership Academy 65, Detroit Henry Ford Academy School for Creative Studies 56: Mark Davis had 16 points for Leadership Academy. James Grigsby finished with 20 points and four assists, while Trevion Williams added 16 points and 16 rebounds for Henry Ford (1-2).

Detroit Mumford 64, Detroit Southeastern 60: Jaylen Stall paced Mumford (3-0) with 16 points. Marcel Wilkins led all scorers for Southeastern (2-1) with 18 points, and Cody Currie had a double-doubled with 17 points and 21 rebounds.

Detroit Osborn 66, Detroit Delta Prep 38: Kenneth Holloway had 29 points, 20 rebounds and five assists for Osborn (1-0). Delta Prep is 0-1.

Detroit U-D Jesuit 77, Southfield Christian 42: U-D Jesuit was led by Julian Dozier with 19 points. Elijah Collins added 15 points, and Zach Winston finished with 11 points. Bryce Washington led all scorers with 22 points for Southfield (1-2).

Detroit University Prep 76, Detroit Loyola 60: Tavis Smith led UPrep (2-1) with a triple-double, 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals. Derrick Bryant Jr. scored 15 points and dished out eight assists. Kenon Roberts Jr. chipped in 13 points and six rebounds. Jaylen Hill led Loyola (2-1) with 23 points.

Farmington 73, Novi Franklin Road Christian 41: Jordan Graham finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, Ray Bryant added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyrell Jackson-Davis scored 16 for Farmington (2-1). Rahmon Scruggs had 15 points for Franklin Road Christian (0-3).

Gibraltar Carlson 63, Dearborn Edsel Ford 53: Tyler Koons led Carlson (1-1) with 15 points. Jaylin Franklin added 13 points. Jalal Beydoun led Edsel Ford (1-2) with 23 points and five assists. Melessio Kendrick added 12 points.

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 60, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 50: Anthony George and Jackson Walkowiak each had 21 points for Liggett (1-2).

Harper Woods 63, Ann Arbor Central Academy 24: Jovan Horton scored 17 points for Harper Woods (2-1).

Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse 68, Romeo 65: Five L’Anse Creuse players finished in double figures scoring.

Mackinaw City 65, Alba 20: Kash O’Brien led all scorers with 23 points for Mackinaw City (2-1, 2-0). Michael Elliot added 16 points.

Macomb Dakota 92, Warren Mott 52: Jermaine Jackson Jr. finished with 30 points, seven steals and four assists, while Thomas Kithier added 16 points and 16 rebounds for Dakota (2-0). Jermiah Bowie had 13 points for Mott (1-1).

Napoleon 58, Quincy 44: Jacob Chadwell had 27 points for Napoleon (1-1). Nathan Karney finished with 19 points and William Dunn scored 10 for Quincy (1-1).

New Haven 90, Grosse Pointe South 74: Romeo Weems led all scorers with 28 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out eight assists and five blocks for New Haven (1-0). Eric Williams Jr. added 17 points and 10 assists. Ashton Sherrell chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central 71, Birmingham Detroit Country Day 59: C.J. Baird finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Gio Genrich added 16 points for Catholic Central (2-0). Wendell Green had 19 points for Country Day (1-2).

Oxford 68, Flint Kearsley 52: Ray Luvine led Oxford (3-0) with 22 points, including 10-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line. Jordan Jaden also added 21 points.

Peck 57, Kinde-North Huron 48: Ian Sell scored 18 points for Peck (1-1, 1-0 NCTL). Dylan Dankenbring added a double-double with 16 points and grabbed 20 boards. Matt Koth led all scorers with 23 points for Kinde (0-2, 0-1).

Plymouth 59, Northville 56: Tariq Woody scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Plymouth (1-2). Joey Robb added 12 points. Anthony Crump chipped in 11 points. Kevin Morrissey led Northville (2-1) with 15 points, and Jake Justice added 13 points.

River Rouge 63, Southfield 37: Darian Owens-White led Rouge (3-0) with 18 points and nine assists. Jairus Grissom added a double-double with 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Riverview Richard 60, Grosse Ile 52: Tim Augustyniak scored 21 points for Riverview (2-0), and Anthony Brown followed up with 20 points. Justin Moores led all scorers with 23 points for Grose Ile (1-1).

Sparta 55, Fremont 39: Justin Bradford led Sparta with 18 points. Bryce Davis added 10 points and six rebounds. Sparta outrebounded Fremont, 45-28.

Stanton Central Montcalm 66, Montabella 40: Zachary Bigelow led all scorers with 16 points for Stanton.

Sterling Heights 77, Warren Cousino 66: Shawn Kama led all scorers with a monster 32 points for Sterling Heights (3-0). Malot Dushaj added 24 points and 13 rebounds. Jeremy Kitka scored 20 points for Cousino (0-2).

Warren Lincoln 53, Eastpointe East Detroit 42: Deangelo White led Lincoln (3-0) with 16 points, and Jalen Passmore added 12 points. Aaron Springfield scored 12 points for East Detroit.

Warren Michigan Collegiate 74, Detroit Public Safety 64: Antonio Finely led Michgian Collegiate (3-0) with 18 points. Jaylen Branch, Ty Lawrence and Reggie Lawrence all added 11 points. Steven Burgess led all scorers with 21 points for Public Safety (0-4).

Warren Woods Tower 57, St. Clair Shores Lakeview 47: Jauron Vicks led Warren (2-0) with 19 points. Deandre Jones led all scorers with 20 points for Lakeview (0-3).

Wayne Memorial 65, Novi 58: Rashad Williams had 25 points and Keion Epps added 20 points and 27 rebounds for Wayne Memorial (3-0). Traveon Maddox finished with 20 points and eight rebounds for Novi (1-1).

Girls basketball

Belleville 63, Wyandotte Roosevelt 31: Raven Grantham led all scorers with 19 points for Belleville (2-1). Katelyn Sherwood added 10 points, six steals and four assists. Victoria Perez added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Bellevue 44, Jackson Christian 15: Bailey Whitcomb led all scorers with 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and pocketed six steals for Bellevue (5-0, 3-0 SCAA). Kallie Orsborn added 10 points and five steals, and Gabby Costello grabbed 11 rebounds.

Birmingham Detroit Country Day 73, Fenton 35: Destiny Pitts finished with 26 points, while Jasmine Powell scored 12 for Country Day (3-0). Fenton is 2-2.

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 56, Troy 48: Ivy Velazquez had 22 points and seven rebounds, while Gina Liss scored 14 points for Chippewa Valley (1-4). Athena Samson had 25 points for Troy.

Dearborn Edsel Ford 58, Gibraltar Carlson 43: Allia Hamood led Edsel (5-0) with 19 points. Morgan Hales added 11 points. Bailey Mruzik led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, and for Carlson (3-1).

Dearborn Heights Crestwood 51, Redford Union 45: Johnnia Steele led Union with 19 points.

Dearborn Heights Robichaud 52, Dearborn Fordson 40: Kiki Darwiche paced Fordson (2-3) with 13 points. Kamana McDaniel and Kayla Brown led all scorers with 26 points each for Robichaud (3-1).

Detroit Denby 47, Hamtramck 12: Kendal Taylor had 14 points and five assists, while Jamila Gortman scored 11 and Caprice Brown finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Denby (2-1).

Detroit Voyageur College Prep 40, Harper Woods 32: Brishonna Weeks had 15 points and Lunden Turner finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for College Prep (2-1).

Farmington Hills Mercy 56, Warren Regina 40: Jackie Bauer had 17 points and Katie Coe scored 12 for Mercy (3-1, 2-0 Catholic Central Division). Megan O’Brien finished with 12 points for Regina (0-2, 0-1).

Garden City 34, Taylor Truman 26: Alicia Ascencio and Brittany Radtke led Garden City (1-4) with eight points each.

Genesee Christian 34, Oakland Christian 26: Madison LaLone paced Oakland with 10 points.

Hartland 55, Lakeland 10: Graysen Cockerham led Hartland with 13 points, and Lexey Tobel added 11 points.

Ionia 35, Charlotte 26: Jaylynn Williams led Ionia (3-1) with 11 points and nine rebounds. Mya Bianchi also added 10 points.

Kent City 48, Grant 30: Paige Mortensen knock down five triples and scored 19 points for Kent City. Kaitlyn Geers added 14 points in her debut, and Zara Weber chipped in 10 points.

Lake Orion 52, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 51 (OT): Maddie Novak led all scorers with 23 points for Lake Orion (3-2). Celia Gaynor scored 20 points for Pontiac.

Mackinaw City 75, Alba 15: Sarah Morse led all scorers with 22 points. Haley Jones followed suit, adding 20 points for Mackinaw City (4-1, 3-0 NLC).

Macomb Lutheran North 59, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 20: Ashleigh Thomas led Lutheran North (4-0) with 18 points. Natalie Zauel added 16 points, and Hannah Milligan chipped in 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Milford 45, Farmington 22: Mallory Barrett led Milford (1-2) with 19 points, and Abby Knapp added 10 points.

Northville 48, Plymouth 34: Roan Haines had 11 points and Jessica Moorman added eight points for Northville (2-1). Chantal LeDoux led Plymouth with 20 points.

Rochester Hills Stony Creek 53, Utica 25: Morgan Porter led Stony Creek (3-1) with 13 points. Emily Eckhout also scored 13 points.

Shelby 59, North Muskegon 28: Jenny Beckman led all scorers with 25 points for Shelby. Tori Mussell muscled 11 rebounds.

South Lyon East 53, Westland Glenn 43: Mackenzie Mallory led South Lyon East (2-2) with 19 points, and Abby Jones added 15 points. Lucy Cronin chipped in 10 points. Jasmine Edwards led all scorers with 20 points for Glenn (1-2). Sharon Woodard added 11 points.

Stevensville Lakeshore 70, Battle Creek Central 23: Taylor Wagner led Lakeshore with 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine steals. Gloria Hawkins added 16 points, and Sarah Dubbert chipped in 12 points.

Trenton 45, Huron 40 (OT): McKenna Tanguay scored 12 and Therese Hebda had 11 points for Trenton (4-0). Moni White led all scorers with 13 points for Huron.

Warren Mott 67, Warren Woods Tower 43: Mariah Taylor had 41 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals for Mott (2-3). Leeann Wilson finished with 11 points for Woods Tower (1-4).

Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes 57, Wixom St. Catherine 37: Tiffany Senerius scored 32 points and Catherine Weddle added 13 points for Lakes (2-2, 1-0 Catholic League AA). Lizzy Turek had 14 points for St. Catherine (3-2).

Watervliet 41, Coloma 25: Katie Schultz hit four triples and led Watervliet with 14 points. Logan Mizwicki also added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Wayne Memorial 57, Novi 42: Ellie Mackay paced Novi with 11 points and seven rebounds. Julia Lalain added 10 points and seven rebounds.

General view of a basketball.

Girls Basketball

Auburn Hills Avondale 48, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 28: Olivia Russell finished with 18 points, and Kathryn Wagner had 12 points for Avondale (3-1). In the loss for Cranbrook (2-3), Lexi Dietz finished with seven points.

Bloomfield Hills 57, North Farmington 27: Victorie Franklin had 27 points, and Imanni Wright had 12 points for Bloomfield Hills (4-1). Additionally, Tierra Crockett finished with 11 points in the loss for North Farmington (2-2).

Central Montcalm 53, Montabella 20: Libby Ledford recorded 18 points and five rebounds, while Bree Brasington added 11 rebounds for Central Montcalm.

Detroit CMA 50, Detroit Central 23: Vantane Garrett had 19 points and four steals, while Ishameer Smelley finished with 15 points and four boards for CMA (2-2).

Detroit East English 67, Detroit Pershing 13: Jayla Smith had 15 points and 10 assists, while C’Erra Maholmes had 15 as well and added eight steals for East English (4-1). Also, Diamond Massey finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for East English.

Detroit Henry Ford 55, Detroit Public Safety 44: Karisma Matthews had 20 points and seven assists, while Klarrisa Matthews recorded 13 points and five steals for Henry Ford (3-1). Additionally, Ariyana Golden finished with 10 points in the loss for Public Safety.

Michigan’s top 100 girls high school basketball players

Detroit Renaissance 63, Detroit Western 7: Victoria Wright had 14 points, and Nina Reynolds had 12 points for Renaissance (3-0).

Millington 56, Birch Run 49: Haley Trickey and Sydney Olmstead each scored 15 points for Millington (3-1). Additionally, Hannah Hall recorded her second straight double-double with 11 points and 18 rebounds for Millington.

St. Clair Shores Lakeview 68, Warren Lincoln 29: LaShana Young finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds for Lakeview (5-0). Additionally, Lauren Wynn and Alicia Bullaro each recorded 10 points for Lakeview.

Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 70, Dearborn Henry Ford 30: Rozhane Wells had 21 points, and Lasha Tetree had 19 points for Arbor Prep (6-0).

Boys Basketball

Detroit Cody 71, Dearborn Henry Ford 28: Malik Frederick had 16 points and five assists, while Isiah Cunningham had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Cody (3-0).

Detroit University Prep Science & Math 66, Detroit University Prep 27: Michael Bryant compiled 18 points and seven rebounds for University Prep Science & Math (1-2). Additionally, Darnell Bragg recorded 10 points.

Michigan’s top 100 boys high school basketball players

Prep basketball

Boys Basketball

Allen Park 79, Dearborn Edsel Ford 55: Austin Dietz led Allen Park (2-1) with 19 points. Ryan Fish also added 17 points. Jalal Beydoun paced Edsel Ford (1-3) with 16 points.

Buckley 75, Onekama 22: Denver Cade had a huge game with 21 points and 10 rebounds for Buckley (4-0) while Austin Harris added 18 points. Joe Webber scored 15 points.

Detroit Community 61, Detroit Southeastern 56 F/OT: DeMario Turner led Community (2-1) with 15 points. Kejuan Sanders added 14 points, and Keyon Smith also chipped in 11 points.

Detroit Consortium 54, Birmingham Seaholm 36: Elijah Belle led Detroit (1-0) with 22 points. Cooper Mixon paced Seaholm (2-2) with 14 points.

Detroit Cornerstone H&T 80, Detroit Collegiate Prep 60: Jamal Cain led Cornerstone (2-1) with a monster double-double, scoring 31 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Juwan Robinson added 11 points, and Alante Coward also chipped in 10 points. Kilon Shipp led Collegiate Prep (1-1) with 21 points.

Dryden 54, Peck 26: Max Cage out up 20 points for Dryden (4-0). Dylan Dankendring scored 10 points for Peck (1-2).

Quincy 54, Athens 35: Nathan Karney led Quincy (2-1, 1-0 Big 8) with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. William Dunn added 14 points, and Drew Deaton also chipped in 12 points. Daniel Jacobs paced Athens (1-2, 0-1 Big 8) with 14 points.

Troy Athens 82, Farmington Hills Harrison 69: Taylor McCaskill scored 22 points for Athens (2-1) while Jacob Brantley scored 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Nick Cotton scored a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremy Cooper scored 26 points to lead Harrison (1-3) while Sean Nelson added 22 points.

Wayne Memorial 67, South Lyon 39: Isaiah Lewis led Wayne (4-0) with 11 points. Rashad Williams led with 17 points and added seven assists. Keion Epps also added 12 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Napier Bryant chipped in 10 points.

Whitehall 72, Shelby 42

Girls Basketball

Allen Park 43, Gibraltar Carlson 21: Abbie Slate put up 14 points for Allen Park (4-0). Hannah Nagy scored eight points for Carlson (3-2).

Dearborn Henry Ford Academy 65, Riverview Gabriel Richard 21: Zariah Bridgewater had a huge game with 23 points for Henry Ford (1-2). Jada Williams scored 12 points and 16 rebounds while Lauren Widford scored 15 points and nine rebounds.

Detroit Denby 37, Detroit CMA 28: Caprice Brown led Denby (4-1) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kendall Taylor also added 10 points and five assists.

Detroit East English 67, Detroit Western International 25: Jayla Smith led East English (5-1) with 22 points and 10 steals. C’Erra Maholmes added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Carmen Taylor led Western with 13 points.

Detroit Renaissance 42, Detroit Cass Tech 32: Dalyn Henderson and Victoria Wright each scored 13 points for renaissance (4-0). Camille Header scored 12 points for Cass (1-3).

Detroit Southeastern 55, Detroit Delta Prep 16: Erica Pruitt finished with 21 points and Keeiona Howse scored 13 for Southeastern (3-2).

Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 40, Grand River Prep 24: Annie Holesinger led NorthPointe with 11 points, and Izzy Redfield added 10 points.

Roscommon 59, Farwell 38: Lillian Albaugh paced Farwell with 12 points.

Trenton 58, Melvindale 14: Therese Hebda led Trenton with a 16 point, 16 rebound double-double.

Warren Cousino 73, Anchor Bay 31: Kierra Fletcher led Cousino (3-1) with a monster 38 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals. Kate McArthur added 15 points. Shawnna Chupick paced Anchor Bay (1-4) with 10 points.

Wixom St. Catherine of Siena 54, Clinton Township 17: Lizzy Turek led Wixom (4-2) with 17 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Grace Gulowksi added 10 points, four rebounds and four steals. Becca Wyeth also chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Div. II Men’s Basketball

Wayne State 82, Ohio Dominican 59: George Spencer led Wayne State (8-1, 5-0 GLIAC) with 18 points. Ronald Booth also added 16 points.

Div. II Women’s Basketball

Ohio Dominican 69, Wayne State 68: Nastassja Chambers led Wayne State (4-6, 2-3 GLIAC) with 23 points. Shannon Wilson also added 13 points.

Prep basketball

Girls Basketball

Athens 43, Quincy 32: Noelle Fuller had 21 points, six rebounds and six steals, while Jillayne Wheeler added 11 points for Athens (3-1). Additionally, Hannah Economou finished with a game-high 17 points for Quincy (0-3).

Bellevue 57, Climax-Scotts 41: Bailey Whitcomb had a career-high 33 points, going 9-for-9 at the free-throw line, for Bellevue (6-0). Additionally, Brenna Tutt led Climax-Scotts with 14 points and four steals, while Evelyn Lamb grabbed 14 boards.

Dearborn Heights Robichaud 63, Oak Park 52: Kamaria McDaniel had 29 points, while Kayla Brown had 26 points for Robichaud (4-1).

Detroit CMA 34, Southfield Bradford 24: Ishameer Smelley had 15 points and six rebounds, while Vantane Garrett finished with eight points and four steals for CMA (3-3).

Farmington Hills Mercy 44, Macomb Lutheran North 28: Jenna Schluter finished with 14 points for Mercy. Additionally, Ashleigh Thomas had a team-high 14 points for Lutheran North (4-1).

Grosse Pointe North 56, Grosse Pointe South 43: Grosse Pointe North (4-1) was led by Katie Snow, who recorded 23 points. Additionally, Julia Ayrault and Michelle Bodnariuk finished with 12 points apiece for North. For South (0-4), Sayanna Roy led the way with 16 points, while Grace Foster chipped in 12 points.

Hartland 47, Waterford Mott 18: Lexey Pobel had 14 points, and Whitney Sollom added 12 points for Hartland (4-0). Additionally, Emily Spencer and Myra Williams each finished with six for Mott (3-1).

Lapeer 64, Flint Northwestern 13: Sam Thick finished with a game-high 14 points for Lapeer.

Macomb Dakota 59, Roseville 20: Cameron Grant had 11 points, while Emily Langolf had 10 points for Dakota (4-0). Additionally, Chantel Parker had nine points in the loss for Roseville (1-4).

Madison Heights Madison 52, Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart 39: Alexus Pack had 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks for Madison (1-4). Also, Kelleigh Keating had 20 points in the loss for Sacred Heart (1-4).

North Farmington 67, West Bloomfield 50: North Farmington (3-2) was led by Sam Randel, who scored 23 points. Additionally, Kierra Crockett contributed 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Raiders.

Northville 46, Canton 36: Kendall Dillon and Jessica Moorman each had 12 points for Northville (3-1), while Brianna Finn finished with nine for Canton (4-1).

Novi 50, Westland John Glenn 34: Ellie Macray had 25 points for Novi (4-1). Additionally, Jasmine Edwards had 15, and Carley Loving had nine points in the loss for John Glenn (1-3).

Novi Franklin Road Christian 59, Plymouth Christian 39: Danielle Fusco had 19 points and seven assists, while Reagan Mumford finished with 15 points and four boards for Franklin Road (5-0). Chanelle Lochrie also contributed 12 points for Franklin Road.

Plymouth 38, Plymouth Salem 25: Chantal Ledoux had 14 points, while Angela Schmidt added nine for Plymouth (1-4). Additionally, Lyniah Wilson finished with seven points for Salem (0-4).

Royal Oak 47, Birmingham Seaholm 42: Ava Strainovici had 10 points, and Samantha Potter finished with 14 points for Royal Oak (5-0). Additionally, Seaholm (0-5) was led by Dana Hoerman, who finished with 15 points.

Stevensville Lakeshore 45, Portage Northern 30: Lakeshore was led by Sarah Dubbert, who finished with 16 points.

Williamston 52, Ionia 44: Maddie Waters had 14 points, while Kenzie Lewis and Allison Peplowski each had 11 points for Williamston. Additionally, Jaylynn Williams had 15 points, and Elizabeth Listerman had 12 points for Ionia (3-2).

Ypsilanti Community 38, Dexter 19: Jameria Taylor had 14 points, and Sandra Guilford chipped in 12 points for Ypsilanti Community (6-0).

Boys Basketball

Battle Creek Central 75, Gull Lake 57: Juan Warren had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Austin McKinney contributed 18 points for Central (3-1). Additionally, Dominic Mastromatteo finished with 20 points for Gull Lake (1-2).

Benton Harbor 73, Imlay City 28: Carlos Johnson finished with 16 points, and Roy Anderson finished with 15 for Benton Harbor (2-0).

Bloomfield Hills 62, Birmingham Groves 56: Brent Eosart finished with 11 points and 12 boards, while Josh Jones had 10 points and Stone Rhodes recorded eight for Bloomfield Hills (3-0). For Groves (2-1), Drew Sheckell scored 18 points, and Charles Jones added 16 points.

Canton 67, Northville 58: Vinson Sigmon had 17 points, while Eian Barker finished with 14 points for Canton (2-2). Additionally, Jake Justice had 13 points in the loss for Northville (2-2).

Clarkston 57, Romulus 51: Foster Loyer finished with 28 points for Clarkston (3-0), while Dylan Price finished with 12 points for Romulus (2-1).

Dearborn Divine Child 60, Macomb Lutheran North 51: Divine Child’s Liam Soragahan finished with a team-high 18 points, while Jordan Jones and Quinn Blair recorded 13 points and 11 points, respectively. Additionally, Lutheran North’s Drew Arft finished with a game-high 31 points.

Dearborn Fordson 45, Detroit Denby 42: Yousuf Farhat had 21 points, and Hamze Elzayat had 11 points for Fordson (2-2). Also, in the loss for Denby (0-2), Donovan Watson finished with 11 points.

Dearborn Heights Crestwood 53, Wyandotte 24: Malik Rogers finished with a game-high 17 points, while Asa Robertson and Chris Copeland each contributed 10 points for Crestwood (4-0).

Detroit CMA 57, Detroit Delta Prep 56: Jorden Peterson had 27 points and six rebounds, while Jalen Young added 16 points for CMA (1-0). Also, Ronnie Rokinson had 21 points in the loss for Delta Prep (0-2).

Detroit Cody 68, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 44: Luke Stricker recorded 14 points, and Micah McLain added 12 points in the loss for Parkway Christian (2-2).

Detroit Osborn 87, Detroit Westside 31: James Loyd had 19 points, while Alan Houser had 18 points and 15 rebounds for Osborn (2-0). Additionally, Kenneth Holloway finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Detroit University Prep 67, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 31: Derrick Bryant Jr. had 17 points and five steals, while Shawn Pittman Jr. had 16 points and 11 boards for University Prep (3-1). For Liggett (1-3), Anthony George finished with a team-high 11 points.

Grosse Pointe South 54, Grosse Pointe North 48: Brennen Buszka had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Zane Draper also recorded 11 points for Grosse Pointe South (2-1).

Kimball Landmark 37, Austin Catholic 20: Paul Phillips had 17 points for Kimball Landmark, while Jacob Ryan finished with 10 points in the first ever varsity game for Austin (0-1).

Lakeland 43, Milford 39: Kyle Soderberg had 20 points, and Sean Cullen added nine points for Lakeland (2-1). Aiden Warzecha finished with 10 points in the loss for Milford (2-1).

Linden 64, Brandon 58: Tyler Hoeberling scored 29 points for Linden, while Aaron Sarkon chipped in 12. Additionally, Kendell Parsons led all Brandon scorers with 20 points.

Macomb Dakota 72, New Haven 66: Jermaine Jackson Jr. had 26 points, eight assists and three steals for Dakota (3-0). Additionally, Jack Ballantyne had 17 points and 14 boards, while Thomas Kithier had 14 points and 10 rebounds. In the loss for New Haven (1-1), Eric Williams Jr. had 28 points, while Romeo Weems finished with 27 points.

Manton 63, Le Roy Pine River 45: Jayden Perry recorded 19 points for Manton (3-0).

Oak Park 71, Lima (OH) Senior 51: Messiah Alford recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Bobby Thompson, Robert Zanders and Roderick Gillison Jr. each added 14 points for Oak Park (3-1).

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 58, Detroit Country Day 44: C.J. Wilson had 22 points, and Caden Prieskorn added 18 points for St. Mary’s (1-1). Additionally, Kolin Demens finished with 14 points for Country Day, who dropped to 0-3.

Plymouth 61, Plymouth Salem 35: Tariq Woody had 19 points, while Joey Robb and Zach Beadle each had 10 points for Plymouth (2-2). Additionally, for Salem (1-2), Cameron Grace finished with 10 points.

Plymouth Christian 61, Novi Franklin Road Christian 49: Max Okolo recorded 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Ian Hay compiled 16 points for Plymouth Christian.

Pontiac 74, Detroit Douglass 52: David Wilson had 32 points and six rebounds, while Cleontai Brown contributed 13 points and eight boards for Pontiac (2-0). For Douglass (1-1), Kelly Broadus finished with 19 points, and Janard Smith Jr. added 10 points.

Redford Union 63, Ferndale 45: Christian Montgomery had 12, and Anthony Johnson finished with 11 points and six boards for Redford Union, who improved to 2-1. Also, Roderick McClure compiled 17 points for Ferndale (0-3).

Riverview Gabriel Richard 57, Dearborn Henry Ford 26: Eric Wiggington finished with a game-high 17 points, while Anthony Brown recorded 12 points for Gabriel Richard (3-0). Additionally, Gianni Akefe finished with a team-high 10 points for Henry Ford (1-4).

Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 52, Troy 51: Nate Davis had 21 points, and Michael Melaragni recorded 10 points for Stoney Creek (3-0). In the loss for Troy (2-1), Jason Dietz had 12 points, and Isaiah Smith recorded 11 points.

Roseville 46, Eastpointe East Detroit 25: Martell Turner had 17 points for Roseville (2-1), while Aaron Springfield led all East Detroit (0-4) scorers with six points.

Sterling Heights 78, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse 61: Shawn Kama finished with a game-high 34 points, while Malot Dushaj recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds for Sterling Heights (4-0). In the loss for L’Anse Creuse (1-2), Lee Kennedy finished with 21 points.

Stevensville Lakeshore 61, Portage Northern 40: Lakeshore was led by Max Gaishin, who finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Utica Eisenhower 67, Utica 48: Billy Krempa had 12 points, while Matt Donahue had 11 points and John Cukaj added 10 points for Eisenhower (4-0). In the loss for Utica (1-3), Gabe Garbarino scored 10 points, while Omaure Miller and David Frick each also had 10.

Walled Lake Central 79, Grand Blanc 66: Runako Ziegler had 23 points, and Houston Tucker tallied 18 points for Central (3-1). Additionally, Cedric Givens finished with 17 points for Grand Blanc (2-2).

Westland John Glenn 91, Novi 71: Christian Agnew finished with a game-high 39 points, to go along with six assists, for John Glenn (3-0). Additionally, Joe Moon had 18 points and eight assists, while Daijon Parker added nine points and eight boards. Traveon Maddox and Jiovanni Miles led the way for Novi with 16 points apiece.

Wyoming 64, East Kentwood 59: SO

Yale 40, Brown City 35: Andrew Geiger finished with 15 points and five rebounds in the loss for Brown City.

U-D fans cheer during the 47-39 win in last season’s Class A regional final on March 16 at Detroit Renaissance.

Before U-D Jesuit launched its recently ended 30-game win streak, the Cubs could hang their hat on their defense. Since Mr. Basketball Cassius Winston graduated and has suited up for Michigan State, the defending Class A state champs might make defense their calling card again.

The Cubs, the Free Press’ top-ranked team in the state, used their defensive pressure to overcome a seven-point deficit early in the fourth quarter and beat Macomb Dakota, 69-61, in the Calihan Challenge at the University of Detroit Mercy on Tuesday.

“There’s more energy on the defensive end,” said senior guard Scott Nelson, who scored 15 points off the bench. “That’s always the key to our success, and it has been since I was a freshman. They always preach defense wins games here, and it really does. Once our defense gets going, we’re really hard to beat because we keep getting steals and easy buckets. And I think that’s where we thrive.”

Twin towers Ike Eke (Marquette commit) and Gregory Eboigbodin (Illinois-Chicago), both 6 feet 9, keep teams from penetrating, while Nelson, Elijah Collins and Zach Winston were effective as the Cubs came out in a full-court press to start the final quarter.

Michigan’s top 20 boys basketball teams

Three weeks into the post-Cassius Winston era, coach Pat Donnelly still is seeking consistency from the Cubs, who rebounded from their last-second loss to defending Class C champ Flint Beecher on Saturday.

“We’re playing in spurts,” Donnelly said. “We had a pretty good spurt at the end of the second quarter to get a lead, and we didn’t play with the effort and the intensity in the third quarter, which allowed them to outscore us by 11, and that can’t happen. I think our effort picked up in the fourth quarter with our defense, we got some turnovers and buckets off those turnovers that got us the lead back.”

It has been a rough December for the third-ranked Cougars (3-2). Jermaine Jackson Jr. was the game’s high scorer (24 points) before suffering a dislocated right shoulder with 2:41 left. Dakota already was without center Thomas Kithier (Michigan State), who banged his knee in Friday’s victory over New Haven.

Jackson had scored six points on three of the Cougars’ four trips up the floor leading up to his injury, and after he left the game, the Cubs went on an 8-0 run — with points from Nelson, Eke, Eboigbodin and Collins — to get some breathing room.

That stretch was indicative of how streaky the game was.

UD-Jesuit had missed its first eight shots of the game before Eboigbodin broke through with a two-foot bank shot four minutes into the game. The Cubs got their first lead, 18-17, two minutes into the second quarter, when they outscored the Cougars 20-11. But Dakota grabbed the lead back on a three-pointer midway through the third by De La Salle transfer Jack Ballantyne, who chipped in with 20 points.

The Cubs had three players in double figures: Eboigbodin (19), Nelson (15) and Eke (14).