By BUTCH HARMON
The storybook season came to an end for the Pewamo-Westphalia boys basketball team, but not until it reached the Class C state final, and then it took the premier sophomore in the nation to do in the Pirates.
Detroit Consortium, led by super-sophomore Josh Jackson, defeated Pewamo-Westphalia 61-44 to win the Class C title. Jackson, listed by most recruiting publications as the No. 1 sophomore in the country, showed why that is, as he poured in 22 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, added three assists, and blocked two shots.
Pewamo-Westphalia, however, gave Consortium all it could handle. Trailing 21-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Pirates battled back to cut the margin to 27-25 at halftime. Consortium took control of the game in the third quarter and led 48-37 going into the fourth quarter.
Senior Lane Simon led the way for Pewamo-Westphalia with 23 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Nick Spitzley added 10 points and three assists for the Pirates, who finished the season with a 23-3 record.
CLASS A
Muskegon won its first basketball state title since 1937 by defeating Bloomfields Hills, 91-67. In doing so, it became one of four teams in Class A history to finish with a 28-0 season record.
Mr. Basketball, Deshaun Thrower, scored 21 points for the Big Reds. Junior center Deyonta Davis began his campaign for the 2015 Mr. Basketball award by scoring 26 points. He shot 12 of 14 and added 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
CLASS B
Before this year, Milan’s last state basketball title had come in 1948, when it won the Class C title. This year, it captured the Class B state title when it defeated Benton Harbor, 78-59.
Milan’s junior tandem of point guard Latin Davis and center Nick Perkins dominated the game. Davis was a perfect seven of seven from three-point range and finished the game with 34 points. Perkins added 24 points and 10 rebounds.
CLASS D
Southfield Christian defeated Lenawee Christian 63-61 to win the Class D state title for the third consecutive season.
Lenawee Christian took the game down to the buzzer, but a last-second three-point shot came up short. Junior guard Bakari Evelyn led Southfield Christian with 28 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals.