CLASS A: DETROIT U-D JESUIT 69, NORTH FARMINGTON 49
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Cassius Winston finished his spectacular high-school career with a huge game and a state title.
Just as importantly, he got a date to prom.
After the third quarter of Detroit Jesuit's 69-49 victory Saturday over North Farmington in the Class A championship game, Winston accepted the Mr. Basketball trophy while wearing a T-shirt that read, "ARIN PROM?"
"Yeah, that definitely worked," Winston said with a laugh.
Winston, who won Michigan's Mr. Basketball award earlier in the week, scored 31 points on 14-of-16 shooting in front of Tom Izzo -- his next coach at Michigan State University. That's impressive for a post player, but Winston is a point guard with 3-point range who also added nine assists.
"We thought if we could keep Cassius out of the paint, we would have a chance," said North Farmington coach Todd Negoshian. "That's the best game I've seen him play in four years. That's why he's going to Michigan State."
Scott Nelson added 13 for the Cubs (28-0), who won the school's first state title.
"People have been dreaming about winning a state title for a long time here, so this is incredibly special," Jesuit coach Pat Donnelly said. "This comes after more than 100 years of basketball history at our school, and someone just told me that we're also the first Catholic League school to win the Class A title in 40 years."
Billy Thomas led North Farmington (24-3) with 23 points, but no one else reached double figures.
"I thought we were getting a lot of good shots, and early in the game, we knocked some of them down," Negoshian said. "After a while, we started coming up short on a lot of them."
That was the Jesuit plan, especially against Thomas.
"He scored, but we really made him work for those shots," Donnelly said. "He took 21, and that takes a toll on your legs."
Winston dominated the first half, scoring 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting. Playing on what will be his home floor this fall, he also had three assists and four turnovers in the half.
The Cubs were up 39-27 at the half, and Winston added seven more points in the third quarter as Jesuit expanded the margin to 15.
"I was scoring the basketball, so my teammates kept feeding me," he said. "The key is that we have other guys who can score this year, so I don't have five guys waiting for me in the paint."
CLASS B: DETROIT HENRY FORD 61, STEVENSVILLE LAKESHORE 47
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Kenneth Flowers spent a long time wondering if he'd ever get to hoist a championship trophy at the Breslin Center.
Saturday, he answered that question.
Fourteen years after his first title-game loss, Flowers and Detroit Henry Ford beat Stevensville Lakeshore 61-47 in the Class B title game Saturday.
Flowers had lost Class A championship games with Detroit Redford in 2002 and 2007, then came up short again last season with Henry Ford.
"I didn't want to end up like the coach of the Buffalo Bills and go zero-for-four in title games," an emotional Flowers said after the game. "Luckily, these kids went out there and made sure that we're taking home the big trophy."
Jeremy Crawley led the Trojans with 18 points, while James Towns had 15.
"We've been in the gym working for this ever since we lost last season," Towns said. "When you get here and you lose in the championship game, it is like you lost everything you did that season. We didn't want to feel that way again.
Henry Ford (20-6) led only 11-10 after the first quarter, but outscored the Lancers 16-3 in the second quarter. Lakeshore (20-8) missed five of six shots in the period and turned the ball over five times.
"I don't think we were ready for the physicality of the game in the first half, and it put us in a hole," Lakeshore coach Sean Schroeder said.
The margin let the Trojans slow the game down in the third quarter. The Henry Ford guards started holding the ball at midcourt until the Lancers sent two players out to trap. At that point, the Trojans were usually able to make quick passes to get a basket or a foul.
Lakeshore adjusted, and pulled within 34-28 at the end of the third. The Trojans, though, hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth to go ahead 42-30.
"That was the biggest moment of the game," Schroeder said. "There was a loose ball, and if we come up with it, we've got a chance to get within four. Instead, they get the ball and hit a three, we miss and they hit another three. That killed all of our momentum."
That, combined with the slow pace, forced the Lancers to start fouling, and Henry Ford iced the game from the line.
Senior Braden Burke led the Lancers with 19 points.
CLASS C: FLINT BEECHER 63, GRANDVILLE CALVIN CHRISTIAN 61
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Malik Ellison scored 21 points as Flint Beecher hung on to beat Grandville Calvin Christian 63-61 in the Class C championship game Saturday at the Breslin Center.
Blake Verbeek led the Squires (21-5) with 22 points.
Calvin Christian hit five first-half 3-pointers, helping them enter the intermission tied at 26. Beecher (25-2) threatened to pull away, but two 3-pointers from 6-foot-9 Verbeek kept the Squires in the game.
The Bucs led 45-40 at the end of the third, but Verbeek started the final quarter with his fourth 3-pointer. The fifth, coming with 2:30 to play, tied the game at 55. The teams traded threes, and after a Squires 3-pointer, Levane Blake was fouled on a basket that put Beecher up 62-61 with 55.8 seconds to play.
He missed the free throw, but Braden Stevens missed the front end of a 1-and-1, forcing Calvin Christian to foul. Blake made one of two, leaving the Squires down two with 15.3 seconds left, and saved the game by blocking Jake Arnoys' put-back attempt.
CLASS D: POWERS NORTH CENTRAL 59, WATERFORD OUR LADY 48
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Powers North Central isn't used to having to hold on for victories.
The Jets were going for their second straight undefeated season in Saturday's Class D state championship at East Lansing's Breslin Center, two nights after beating Fulton 64-23 in the semifinals.
When they took an 18-point lead midway through the third quarter, it looked like they were on their way to another rout.
Waterford Our Lady had other ideas, rallying to within 49-45 in the last four minutes before North Central pulled away for a 59-48 win.
"That's the biggest run anyone has put on us in a long time," said Jets coach Adam Mercier. "We knew we were the favorites, but those kids went to the football and basketball championship games this year, so we knew it wouldn't be easy."
The Lakers (22-5) could have got themselves even closer. However, they missed two free throws, then allowed a five-point possession by North Central to make it 54-45 with 3:40 to go.
"A five-point possession at any point in the game is going to hurt, but that was a point where we had them nervous and those five points let them relax again," Lakers coach Paul Robak said. "We were counting on the fact that they normally beat team by 50, so if we could keep it close, they might get uncomfortable."
Jason Whitens led North Central with 16 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Jets a 27-19 lead at the half. Dawson Bilski added 15 points for North Central, while Troy Ekberg scored 11.
"They were really playing tough defense against me, but my teammates kept hitting shots," Whitens said. "That opened things up for me in the second half and we were able to get rolling."
Andrew Kline scored 22 for Our Lady, but Devin Senerius (17) was the only other player to reach double figures.
"That's just a great team," Kline said. "We had a good plan, and we gave it everything we had, but they are great. There's a reason they are beating teams by 40 points."
The Jets (28-0) have now won 55 straight games, 10 short of Chassell's state record.
"I'm not even thinking about next year," Mercier said. "Our kids are getting ready for baseball and track, but we're going to enjoy this right now."
