Boys basketball: Notebook
It was supposed to be a competitive matchup between two of last season's state champions -- Saginaw in Class A and Detroit Country Day in Class B.
And it was -- for the first quarter.
Saginaw led, 9-8, after the opening period, but outscored Country Day, 24-6, in the second and 29-10 in the third, and cruised to a 76-50 laugher Saturday in the finale of the Throwdown at Motown tournament at West Bloomfield.
Draymond Green, the leading candidate for Mr. Basketball, had 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Trojans, ranked No. 1 in the state Super 10. But it was Saginaw's pressure defense that turned the game into a blowout.
"It all came from our inability to handle the press," Country Day coach Kurt Keener said. "It was 9-8, but our turnovers in the second quarter turned into points for them. If you don't handle the press against Saginaw, you're going to get blown out."
DaShonte Riley, a 6-foot-11 junior, finished with eight points and leading scorer Darnell Brown just six for Country Day.
"(DaShonte Riley) has been struggling from an offensive standpoint. If he doesn't get a lot of touches, he gets discouraged," Keener said. "Then, two or three guys collapse on him on defense. It's a work in progress.
"It's unfair expectations. He's a 7-footer, so people expect him to dominate -- and he does, when he rebounds and blocks. Offensively, he's just not there yet. He's still working on having that passion and emotion."
After opening the season ranked No. 2, Country Day (3-2) has had three-point victories over Southfield and Berkley, as well as an 18-point loss to No. 4 Ann Arbor Pioneer.
"We came in with high expectations because of our success last year," Keener said. "We're the red-letter game for everybody. But we needed (the loss) as a wake-up call."
Undefeated, unsatisfied
Detroit Henry Ford (6-0), ranked No. 8 in the state Super 10, had an impressive week. The Trojans had a 64-62 road victory over Renaissance on Tuesday and beat Oak Park, 73-59, Saturday in the Throwdown in Motown.
Still, Ford coach Ken Flowers wasn't satisfied with his team's play.
"We're not playing good," he said. "We're still having problems with chemistry and we have to learn to play together. It was not smooth at all; our last two games were sloppy."
Henry Ford was led by Karriem Baker and Lawrence Bridges, who had 19 and 16 points, respectively.
More holiday tournaments
The 13th annual Motor City Roundball Classic features 28 games over four days, Thursday through Sunday, at Oakland University. The nightcap on Thursday is No. 1 Saginaw vs. Detroit Northwestern at 9 p.m. On Saturday night, No. 3 Detroit Finney faces No. 7 Detroit Country Day at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8 per day.
The Renaissance Holiday Classic runs from Wednesday through Saturday. The schedule includes 21 games -- boys and girls -- beginning at noon each day. On Friday at 3:30, No. 8 Detroit Henry Ford plays U-D Jesuit and No. 2 Pershing faces Grosse Pointe North at 5:30. Tickets are $10 at the door. Complete schedules will be posted at detnews.com/highschools.
[More at www.detnews.com]
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