Top Performers from the Breslin Center
Cover photo via Chris Nelsen, Special to the Detroit Free Press
Yesterday marked the end of the high school season. The whole state, along with plenty of college coaches, were watching this weekend’s semi-final and final games. With each playoff win, the stakes and pressure rise. When the pressure is high, big time performances are much more impressive. While most players were stuck to simply watching this year’s state finals, a few took advantage of the huge spotlight and shone bright. Here are my top performances from the semi-final and final games.
Class A:
Foster Loyer (Clarkston): Foster Loyer led Clarkston to it’s first ever state title. Loyer, a Michigan State commit, proved yet again that he is one of the top players in the state with big performances in the semi-final as well as the championship game. In the semi-final game, he had 32 points, 7 assists and 3 steals (with zero turnovers). He followed this impressive game up with 29 points and 5 rebounds over top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian.
Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids Christian): Despite falling short in the championship game, Tillman had two impressive performances. The Michigan State signee is capable of impacting the game in a variety of ways. A perfect example of this came in his team’s semi-final win, as he posted a line of 5 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 blocks and 2 steals while only turning the ball over once. He followed up with 25 point, 7 rebound performance in a finals loss. Tillman did all he could in this game, shooting 12-15 from the field and playing stellar defense, with 2 blocks and a steal.
Class B:
Calvin Hackert (Ludington): Hackert has been a sniper for Ludington all season. While maybe not having the most dominating performances statistically, he made key shots to help his team win. In fact, he had 8 points in the final 2 minutes of the semi-final game, leading a comeback run that forced overtime and the eventual win. He finished that game with 20 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 4-6 from deep. He duplicated his stellar shooting from deep in the championship game, with 16 points on 4 threes, with 2 steals as well. With the two games combined, he shot 8-15 from beyond the arc, which is good for 53%.
Romeo Weems (New Haven): This weekend, the top-ranked sophomore proved why he’s ranked number one in Michigan’s class of 2019. He had two stellar games en route to a state championship. At 6’5″, he’s a great rebounder, and proved it in the semi-final , with a 14 point, 13 rebound performance in a win. He added 5 assists and a block as well. In the final, Weems dominated with a line of 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals, while shooting 5-6 from the field and 8-11 from the line.
Eric Williams, Jr. (New Haven): Along with his teammate Weems, Eric Williams had a standout finals weekend on his way to a state championship. In his team’s semi-final win, Williams had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. He followed that up with a 14 point, 7 rebound performance in the championship win. Williams is good rebounder for a guard, evident by the fact he posted 7 boards in both games.
Class C:
Malik Ellison (Flint Beecher): Ellison has been one the best players in the state this year. The 5’7″ senior guard earned his first D1 scholarship for his stellar play in the earlier playoff rounds, of which he would continue in the finals. He posted a line of 28 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal in a win over Detroit Edison, a team who has several D1 players. He followed up this impressive overall performance with a 32 point performance (4-8 from three) in a championship game win. Also, he shot a combined 29-37 from the free line, which is an impressive amount of attempts for just a two-game total.
Jalen Terry (Flint Beecher): While Terry’s play this weekend wasn’t the most dominant, it stood out because he proved his status as a top-5 freshmen in the state. The semi-final win was Terry’s more impressive performance, as he notched 15 points and 2 steals on 6-9 shooting. He was his team’s second leading scorer, next to Malik Ellison. He added 9 points and 6 rebounds in a championship-game win.
Jamal Keesee (Detroit Edison): The senior did everything he could to help his team in a close loss to eventual champion Flint Beecher. He finished with a final line of 21 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 53% from the field. He added 2 steals on the defensive end as well.
Class D:
Jason Whitens (Powers North Central): Whitens was third in Mr. Basketball voting and showed why with two impressive performances in the finals. He led his team past a loaded Southfield Christian team, putting up final stats of 31 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. He followed up this double-double by dropping 23 points and 6 rebounds on 8-11 shooting in a championship- win.
Dawson Bilski (Powers North Central): Bilski matched Whitens impressive performances with two gems of his own. He posted an incredibly efficient line in the semi-final win over Southfield Christian, racking up 23 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and 4 steals on 9-13 shooting. He followed this with another efficient line, totaling 25 points on 8-9 shooting. He added a block and 3 steals on the defensive end as well.
Austin Harris (Buckley): Despite falling short in the championship game, Harris had two very good games this weekend. In a semi-final game over a talented Lansing Christian team, he dropped a monster line of 28 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. He did all he could in a tough championship loss to Powers North Central, as he scored 22 points with 9 rebounds (4-8 from three).