Downriver League Power Rankings
Michigan High School basketball season is now in full swing, and the Downriver League has had a great start. A few teams have risen to the top and a few teams have some ground to make up. Check out the Downriver League Power Rankings. These will be updated throughout the season!
No. 1: Allen Park
The Jaguars are off to a 3-0 start and looking great to start the season. They have wins over Crestwood, Flat Rock and Inter-City Baptist so far this season and will take on Melvindale and Trenton this week. Senior Donovan Ebo has been great for the Jaguars so far, scoring 21 against Crestwood and then dropping 15 on Flat Rock.
No. 2: Southgate Anderson
Anderson was a dark horse team this year, and the Titans have started the season 1-0 after defeating Riverview last week. Jace Matkin is a great player for Southgate, and he showed why against Riverview, dropping 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Southgate is a good team that will continue to get better.
No. 3: Woodhaven
Woodhaven began its season by defeating Detroit Cornerstone, as 2019 star guard Josh Warren dropped 35 points and grabbed five rebounds. However, the Warriors lost to Ann Arbor Huron over the weekend at the Ann Arbor Classic. Warren is a great two way player and has the Warriors in prime position to compete for a Downriver League title this year.
No. 4: Wyandotte Roosevelt
Wyandotte got roughed up by Ann Arbor Pioneer to open the season but bounced back to beat Monroe Jefferson by a final score of 55-51. Bryce Armstrong is one of the best scorers in the league and could lead the Bears to big things. However, Armstrong isn’t the only player you have to worry about for the Bears. Devon Forner had eight points, 11 rebounds and 10, yes 10 blocks against Jefferson last week. He’s a rising big man to keep an eye one.
No. 5: Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is undefeated this year and could have easily cracked the top four on this list. However, Lincoln Park was dead last in the Downriver League last season, and it’s too soon to tell just how good this team can be. They beat Riverview to open the season and Khalid Fleming had 25 points, five rebounds, four assists and six steals. Lincoln Park is a team to keep an eye on.
No. 6: Carlson
Carlson just always seems to be competitive in the Downriver League and they should be again this year. They are off to a 1-1 start, after defeating Garden City and falling to Mumford. Tyler Koons made my preseason All-Downriver League team and he showed why, exploding for 25 points and nine rebounds against Garden City last week. The Marauders will be in the hunt throughout the year.
No. 7: Trenton
Like Carlson, Trenton just kind of always seems to hang around and compete for Downriver League titles. They aren’t the favorites, but they can challenge top teams and win the title. Zach Conti has led the Trojans in scoring this year, averaging 18.5 points per game through the first two contests. Noah Reamer has chipped in 13.5 points per game as well. Look for Trenton to upset a few top teams this year.
No. 8: Kennedy
Kennedy isn’t a great team, but they have one of the best players in the league, which always helps. I picked Renaudd Broaden as my runner up for the Downriver League player of the year award and he responded by dropping a career high 32 points against Hamtramck Friday night. He’s a guy that can take over a game at any time and could help Kennedy soar up the power rankings down the road.
No. 9: Truman
Like Kennedy, Truman also lost to Hamtramck to begin the 2017-18 campaign, but it wasn’t a bad showing. The Cougars played pretty well defensively, allowing just 54 points. However, going forward, the offense needs to be more efficient. Truman scored just 45 points on the night, and that needs to change going forward. Hamtramck played well defensively, but the Cougars have enough weapons to score more as the season rolls along.
No. 10: Melvindale
Melvindale could very well go from one of the best teams in the league last season to one of the worst this season. They lost a ton of talent from last year’s team and have struggled early this year. The Cardinals are 0-2 after dropping games to Grosse Ile and Deaborn Heights Robichaud. Melvindale was 17-4 overall last year and should get better throughout the season, but it’ll be tough to match last seasons record.