Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
It’s called March Madness for a reason, and for followers of the Okemos boys basketball team, March was full of thrills as the Chieftains marched to the Class A state quarterfinals before their season came to an end.
Okemos finished the season with a 17-9 overall record after it dropped a 55-53 decision to Rockford in the Class A quarterfinals at Lansing Eastern. Senior guard Chris Harrison-Docks, playing in his final game for the Chieftains before suiting up for Butler next season, did all he could to extend Okemos’ season, pouring in 26 points, including five three-pointers. Taylor Moten added 13 points for the Chieftains, who led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter and 31-23 at halftime before Rockford roared back with a big third quarter.
Rockford took the lead in the third quarter and was up by eight points in the fourth quarter before Okemos rallied late, only to fall two points short.
“We made an improbable run,” Okemos coach Dan Stolz said. “It’s tough when you are a couple of points away from being in the Breslin and being in the final four, and yet we had an outstanding season.”
Okemos reached the state quarterfinals thanks to a pair of exciting overtime victories in the district and regional title games.
In the Class A regional final at Portage, the Chieftains defeated Ottawa Hills 55-54 in overtime. Harrison-Docks scored 24 points, including going 11 of 12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, while Moten scored 20 points and added 20 rebounds.
Harrison-Docks put on a show in the regional semifinal when he pumped in 30 points in a 62-50 win against Niles. He was sizzling in the third quarter when he scored 16 of his 30 points, and he finished the game with six three-pointers.
“When Chris gets it going you just leave him alone,” Stolz said. “He has the ability to blow open games sometimes.”
Moten added 16 points and 19 rebounds in the win.
The big highlight of the post-season may have occurred in the district title game, when Okemos defeated Lansing Eastern 71-62 in overtime. The win gave Okemos its first district title since 2009 and avenged a loss to Eastern in last year’s district final.
Harrison-Docks hit a three pointer with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. He led Okemos with 33 points and five assists, Moton added 10 points and eight rebounds, and Denny Hodge added nine points.