If you woke up Sunday morning and saw that Saginaw Arthur Hill lost to Detroit Western, 69-57, it wasn’t a misprint. One of the top teams in Michigan did indeed lose its second outing of the season.
Arthur Hill lost to Western, which outscored the Lumberjacks, 15-3, in overtime. Eric Davis, last year’s Class A Player of the Year and University of Texas commit, scored 26 points for Arthur Hill in the loss.
The loss came on the heels of an opening night blowout victory over Bay Central the night before.
Good teams fight through adversity. Loaded with talent, on paper, Arthur Hill is as good as any team in the state. Now we will see how good this team really is, as it prepares for its real test in a long and grueling stretch of the young season. How Arthur Hill responds to a tough loss is the true test of character.
The Lumberjacks have a busy week, with conference games against Mount Pleasant, a Class A semifinalist a year ago, and Bay City Western, before the top game in the state, a matchup against Muskegon. The game against Muskegon is Dec. 20 at West Bloomfield High School, and it features the top two candidates for Mr. Basketball, Arthur Hill’s Eric Davis and Muskegon’s Deyonta Davis.
Wins or losses matter to a team’s character, and Arthur Hill will show the rest of the basketball community that talent and the will to win will take a team a long way through adversity. This team is still young, despite boosting two of the top players in Michigan, Eric Davis and sophomore Brian “Tugs” Bowen.
Bowen is poised for a big season. The 6-foot-7-inch swingman was an honorable mention freshman all-American last season. He has earned the interest of the biggest college programs in the country as a five-star prospect and No. 6 overall prospect for the Class of 2017, according to ESPN.
Add in another college prospect in De’Quevion Johnson, and Arthur Hill isn’t just highly skilled, it is also extremely deep.
Four of Arthur Hill’s starters are at least 6-feet-4-inches tall, and five reserves top 6 feet, with Jimmy Bell’s 6-foot-9-inch frame leading the way. Throw in the quickness of guard Nate Moore, and you have all of the ingredients of a championship-caliber team.
Even though Arthur Hill lost to Detroit Western, remember that its state championship team of 2006 lost six games before running the table to win the state title. Remember that how a team fights through adversity can be the difference between wins and losses, and expect Arthur Hill to have its game face on, ready to prove that one game doesn’t make or break an entire season.
Contenders for the Class A state championship are found in the Saginaw Valley League North every year, and this year Saginaw Arthur Hill fits the description.
But don’t tell Saginaw High that.
Saginaw graduated or transferred a ton of experience, but the Trojans return Ronquavious Southward and a wealth of length and athleticism coming up from an undefeated junior varsity team. The Trojans, as usual, will be a tough out for any team in the SVL.
Miss Basketball Watch
Reese’s Reyna Frost combined for 40 points in the Rockets’ basketball wins over Ubly and Marlette. She posted a triple double against Ubly with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 steals. She added 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks, and six assists in the win over Marlette. Frost, a Central Michigan University commit, is showing why she should be a leading Miss Basketball candidate early on this season.
Nouvel Falls
In one of the most exciting finishes so far during the young season, Frankenmuth’s Madison Walter hit a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining to beat defending state champion Nouvel Catholic Central in a girls’ basketball game, 49-47.