Ten Best: Wayne Memorial vs Belleville
Thanks to big games from Gabe Brown and Davion Williams, Belleville is moving on to play Novi in the Class A Quarterfinal on Tuesday. The Tigers defeated the Wayne Memorial Zebras by a final score of 66-54. Brown and Williams combined for 35 points and 15 rebounds. For the Zebras, Keshaun Hayes and Rashad Williams combined for 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Davion Williams (Belleville)
Williams had an all around great game. He scored 19 points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out a few assists and played phenomenal defense. Williams is heading to Michigan State next year to play football, but he is a great basketball player. The 6-foot-2 senior will be tested against Novi’s great back court on Tuesday.
Gabe Brown (Belleville)
Brown was pretty quiet in the second half, but he did finish with a double-double, collecting 16 points and 12 rebounds. He is headed to MSU next season to play basketball and his raw athleticism and shooting ability was on full display against Wayne. He needs to add some muscle, but he’s a good shooter that can take over a game at any time.
Keshaun Hayes (Wayne Memorial)
In the first half, Hayes was the only reason the Zebras were in the game, as Rashad Williams and Isaiah Lewis were struggling. Hayes finished the game with 18 points and six rebounds. He looked really good driving the ball and used his athleticism to grab rebounds over Belleville’s tall front court. He’s only a junior and should have a monster year next season.
Rashad Williams (Wayne Memorial)
Williams only had two points in the first half, but finished the game with 14. He also grabbed five rebounds. He didn’t have a great shooting night, but found his rhythm in third quarter, scoring eight points in the quarter. He’s heading to Cleveland State next year, and his future is very bright.
Connor Bush (Belleville)
Bush had a very underrated performance, collecting 10 points and five rebounds. Two of his 10 points came from a thunderous put back dunk. He is only a sophomore and has a lot of room to grow. Adding a consistent jump shot would be huge for him. His athletic ability paired with a good jump shot would be deadly.
Devin Alverson (Belleville)
Like Bush, Alverson had a very underrated performance, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds. His ability to handle the ball was big for the Tigers, because the Zebras were really pressuring the ball. In my opinion, Alverson is the X factor for Belleville because of his ability to do so many things.
Terence Williams (Wayne Memorial)
Williams was given the tough task of guarding Brown, and he did a great job of limiting his touches. Brown didn’t use his size advantage and that helped Williams a lot. Williams finished the game with 11 points, but his defense on Brown was his biggest contribution. As I mentioned earlier, Brown was pretty quiet in the second half and that allowed the Zebras to get back into the game.
Kaevon Merriweather (Belleville)
Merriweather was huge for Belleville, as he was breaking Wayne Memorial’s press and getting the Tigers into their offense. He scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. Merriweather turned it over a couple of times, but that is to be expected against the pressure the Zebras were applying. Merriweather is a great ball handler and passer that will need to step up against Novi.
Isaiah Lewis (Wayne Memorial)
Lewis really struggled in this game on the offensive end. He finished with just seven points. He is one of the Zebras’ best players and his shooting woes hurt them badly. However, what I really liked about his game today was his ability to put his poor shooting behind him and play good defense and find open teammates. He will be back next season and could put up big numbers.
Cartier Muse-Suber (Wayne Memorial)
Muse-Suber wasn’t very effective on the offensive end of the floor, but his six rebounds helped the Zebras out a lot. Wayne Memorial was undersized, but was able to hang in on the glass, thanks to Muse-Suber and Hayes. Muse-Suber will need to work on his offensive game heading into next year, but his presence on the glass paired with the scoring ability of Hayes and Lewis will make the Zebras contenders again next season.