By BUTCH HARMON
*A pair of Capital Area Conference Blue Division teams travelled on I-96 over the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend to take part in the first annual Floyd Mayweather Classic at Ottawa Hills High School.
Lansing Eastern drew the most difficult assignment of the four-game tournament. It faced Chicago powerhouse Curie High School, which includes one of the premier big men in the nation on its roster.
Cliff Alexander, a 6’9″, 240-pound center who is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the class of 2014 by Rivals.com, and who is a prime target of Michigan State University head coach Tom Izzo, provided too big a hurdle for the Quakers to overcome, as he led the Curie Condors to a 63-43 win. Alexander put on a show for the packed house, including welterweight champion of the world Floyd “Money” Mayweather. Alexander threw down eight monster dunks enroute to pouring in 26 points, pulling down 10 rebounds, and blocking six shots.
Eastern senior Brian Morton did all he could to keep the Quakers in the game. He pumped in 27 points and put on a dazzling display of driving to the hoop and creating his own offense. Morton also stretched the Condor defense by filling it up from downtown.
“I thought Brian had a great game,” Eastern coach Rod Watts said. “He was really aggressive on offense and took the ball right at them. Our point guard Phoenix Washington also had a nice game on defense.”
*Lansing Sexton followed Eastern onto the court, and the Big Reds turned in an impressive performance, defeating Kalamazoo Central 84-73. Sexton’s one-two punch of Jalen Hayes and sophomore Trevor Manuel was too much for Central to overcome. Hayes led Sexton with 28 points, while Manuel added 17 points.
Kalamazoo Central stayed in the game thanks to the exploits of 6’0″ senior guard Jamaal Conger, who put on a thrilling offensive performance and scored a career-high 40 points. Conger connected on 10 field goals, including five three-point shots, and he went 15 for 15 from the free throw line.
*The Rockford Rams, who are challenging for the top spot in the O-K this season, also played in the tournament. They defeated River Rouge 55-44, led by guard Chase Fairchild, who canned six three-point shots and finished with 24 points.
*Led by senior standout Jalen Adams and sensational sophomore Eric Davis, Saginaw Arthur Hill has climbed to No. 3 in the state in Class A. The Lumberjacks regained Saginaw supremacy when they defeated defending Class A state champion Saginaw High 75-54. Few teams have been winning as impressively as Arthur Hill has. In their first 12 wins this season, the Lumberjacks outscored their opponents by an average of 28.3 points per game.
Adams has played a key role in Arthur Hill’s success, and his play has been noticed nationally. He is the lone basketball player from the state of Michigan nominated for the McDonald’s High School All-Star game at the end of the season.
If Davis continues on his current pace, he could be a candidate for a future McDonald’s game. One of the top sophomores in the nation, Davis recently received a scholarship offer from Michigan State University and Tom Izzo.
*Midland High School was the lone team to finish within single digits of Arthur Hill this season when it dropped a 59-51 decision to the Lumberjacks on January 8. Senior forward Tyler DeJong, along with Alec Johnson, have led the way for the Chemics, who won nine of their first 12 games. The only losses came against Saginaw High and Arthur Hill.
*While Saginaw High lost round one to the Lumberjacks, don’t count out the Trojans in the next two rounds. Veterans Keyon Addison, Julian Henderson, and Markell Bradshaw have given Saginaw solid play, but the emergence of freshman Algevon Eichelberger could make things more interesting in matchups to come. The 6’6″ Eichelberger had his coming out party against Flint Northwestern, when he just missed a triple double. He scored seven points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and blocked nine shots. Eichelberger has posted double digits in rebounding in six of eight games this season and also recorded seven blocked shots against Mt. Pleasant. Add in improved play from 6’7″ junior Joseph Powell, and the next two meetings between Saginaw and Arthur Hill could be very interesting.
*Like the trading deadline in Major League Baseball, the start of the second semester is starting to become very important to high school basketball in Michigan. This season, more than ever, the impact of mid-season transfers will be felt.
At Lansing Sexton, the addition of 6’1″ senior sharpshooter Jeremy Williamson adds another explosive option to the Big Reds’ deep stable of talent. Williamson comes to Sexton from Jackson High School.
At Lansing Eastern, the Quakers are adding 6’7″ junior Dre Dentmond to the lineup. Dentmond suited up for Lansing Catholic last season and is an explosive athlete who will give Eastern a nice complement up front to the outside skills of Brian Morton.
The biggest benefactor from transfers is Mt. Pleasant. The Oilers are suddenly awash in depth and skill with the arrival of juniors Jaleel Hogan, T.J. Johnson, and Anton Cotton from Buena Vista. The trio became eligible for the Oilers’ game against St. Johns. Hogan, a 6’6″ forward, recorded a double-double in his debut with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Johnson is a versatile swing player at guard and forward, while Cotton is a 5’9″ point guard.