As if three elite match ups in one day were not enough, Muskegon Basketball Classic fans got a little extra for their money in Saturday night’s final game.
Muskegon needed overtime – and a huge game from 6-9 junior and Michigan State commitment Deyonta Davis – to knock off highly-touted Chicago Curie 73-66 in front of 2,200 fans in crammed Redmond-Potter Gymnasium on the campus of Muskegon High School.
Davis scored 24 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked five shots as the Big Reds rallied from six points down with less than 2 minutes remaining in regulation and then outscored the visiting Condors 14-7 in the 4-minute overtime session.
Muskegon guard Deshaun Thrower, who has committed to Division I Stony Brook in New York, had a great floor game with 17 points, seven assists and three steals. Joeviair Kennedy (14 points) and William Roberson (11 points) also reached double figures for the Big Reds.
The thrilling game helped ease the disappointment from the highly-touted matchup of big men that never happened. Cliff Alexander, the No. 4-rated senior high school player in the country, watched the game in a grey sweat suit on the bench, serving a one-game suspension after being ejected from a game last month.
Joshua Stamps, a 6-5 junior, led Curie with 25 points, while his sophomore brother Joseph Stamps added 15 points. Marcus Gatlin was the other Condor in double figures with 11 points.
In the middle game, Marian Catholic’s Tyler Ulis, a 5-10 point guard who has committed to John Calipari at Kentucky, used his incredible speed to break down the defense repeatedly, finishing with 30 points and 10 assists, leading Marian Catholic of Chicago Heights, Ill., to a 74-60 victory over Detroit Country Day. Country Day was led by 22 points from Xavier recruit Edmond Sumner, a 6-4 guard.
In the opener, Detroit Consortium Prep rolled to a 70-35 victory over defending Michigan Class A semifinalist Grand Rapids Christian. Josh Jackson, a 6-7 wingman who is rated the No. 2 sophomore player in the country, scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Cougars.
(article complements of Tom Kendra)