BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
HOLLY — Once upon a time Holly was considered a state powerhouse in the sport of boys basketball.
That, of course, came in the 1920s and 1930s, the infant days of the Michigan High School Athletic Association and even before the sate’s governing body took over the reigns of prep sports in the state.
Today, Holly is not considered a state powerhouse, although its reputation is vastly growing as a quality opponent. That wasn’t the case a decade ago when Lance Baylis took over the struggling Bronchos program.
Holly won just one game in 2005-06, going a dismal 1-20 while finishing dead last in the Flint Metro League.
“It was rough that first year. I knew if I would just be patient and start to do things the right way, it would eventually turn around,” recalled Baylis.
The second season Holly finished 10-11, the largest single-season turnaround in nearly 50 years of Holly basketball.
Now Baylis, in his 11th season the helm, is the second-winningest boys basketball coach in school history with 147 victories and he should pass Joe Blakely for the top spot later this season if the Bronchos continue to excel.
Holly is currently 7-2 overall and in second place in the FML, engaging in a tight race with Flushing, Flushing and Ortonville Brandon for the league title.
The Bronchos are the two-time defending league champions and have won three titles under Baylis. Holly has also recorded eight straight seasons where they have finished in the top three in the conference standings.
“We have been consistent,” reminded Baylis. “Nobody wins it every year. But we pride ourselves that we put ourselves into contention every year.”
Last season Holly captured its first district championship as a Class A school and first district overall since 1981 when it was still in Class B enrollment-wise. The Bronchos advanced all the way to the regional finals (Sweet 16) before falling to Walled Lake Central (76-73).
That tournament run was without its No. 2 and No. 3 scorer in Kyle Woodruff and Josh Simms, who both sat out with season-ending injuries.
Woodruff, a 6-foot-3 sharpshooter and college prospect, is back averaging over 20 points an outing. He’s teamed up with 6-1 senior lefty Ian Hodges, who is in his second season as a starter after moving over from Flint Carman-Ainsworth, to form a dynamite scoring duo. Hodges is averaging around 22 points a game.
Adam Tooley, a gritty 5-10 senior, is a three-sport athlete and a quality defender and three-point shooter. Paris Partee, a wide-bodied, 6-3 junior center, 6-0 senior point guard Steve Redmond, 5-10 senior guard Blake Staffne, 6-2 junior forward Trevor Bland and 6-3 junior forward Connor Spencer are also main contributors.
“I think our starting lineup is as good as it has been since I have been coaching Holly,” smiled Baylis. “We don’t have the depth we’ve had the past few years, but we’re getting better. We’re trying to develop some other players.”
Staying the course after some early struggles has truly turned the tables for Holly. More like a continental shift. Holly recently had a 22-game league win streak snapped. But the sure thought of that accomplishment considering the team’s standing a decade ago is impressive.
“Our goal is to be as competitive as we can be each year,” said Baylis. “I believe we’ve been able to accomplish that. Last year we were (22-3) and made a nice run. We’ve finished above five-hundred eight straight seasons and we should be there again this season. We were 19-3 in 2008-09 and finished 18-5 the year after that. We’ve been able to maintain a level of competitiveness that this program hasn’t seen in decades. We’ve been averaging 17 wins a season over the past seven seasons.”