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All Basketball - Boys Stories
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The Trenton basketball team caught some people by surprise last year when the Trojans narrowly missed out on a Downriver League title.
That may be ready to pull the same trick again this year.
The Trojans went 2-0 on the road last week and have won six straight games after defeating Lincoln Park and Woodhaven.
On Jan. 8, Trenton traveled to Lincoln Park and defeated the reigning league champion 67-43.
Trenton ran out to a 17-8 lead after one quarter, but the Rails battled back to make it 28-23 at the half.
Rather than play second fiddle to the Railsplitters once again, the Trojans took matters, and the game, into their own hands in the third quarter and outscored Lincoln Park 28-13 to pull away in the victory.
“They were clicking and we weren’t,” Lincoln Park Coach Todd Tobin said. “It was just one of those quarters and it brought the lead to 20 going into the fourth and that was pretty much all she wrote.”
The Trojans opened the quarter with two consecutive threes and knocked down six triples in the quarter.
Jason Zahran had a big day for Trenton with 29 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals.
Dan Hall was effective in the post with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Tywan Cage led the Rails with 11.
On Friday, the Trojans defeated Woodhaven on the road 59-41.
A strong first half propelled Trenton to 3-0 in DRL play as the Trojans led 36-18 at the break.
Dan Mercure had 17 points, five rebounds, four steals and four assists in the victory.
Hall added 15 points and Zahran had 10 points, nine boards, six assists and three steals in the win.
Trenton (6-1, 3-0 DRL) hosted Truman on Tuesday and will travel to Roosevelt on Thursday.
Bears suffer first loss
After opening the season 6-0, the Roosevelt Bears suffered their first loss on Thursday in a 49-44 overtime loss to Melvindale.
The Cardinals sat at 1-7 entering the game, but you wouldn’t be able to tell with the effort shown on Thursday.
“We worked extremely hard on that Wednesday practice,” Melvindale Coach Ryan Vranesich said. “I’ve never had a team play as hard as they did on Thursday night.”
Melvindale held a 21-18 lead at the half and the score remained close throughout the second half, ending with a 39-39 tie at the end of regulation.
In the extra period, Melvindale continued to work and held off the talented Bears for the five-point victory.
“We came out and played very selfish and very undisciplined,” Roosevelt Coach Dave Cramton said. “They thought they were just going to walk into their gym and walk through them and that wasn’t the case.”
“Give Melvindale all the credit. They just wanted to win worse than we did.”
KleSean Clark led the Cards with 12 points. DaiZoun Oliver stayed busy with nine points and 21 rebounds and drew the daunting task of guarding Devan Stewart the entire game. Matt Schrzan added eight points and 11 rebounds.
“They’re a really good team and their top eight is very impressive,” Vranesich said. “This was the best leadership you could have for a team that was 1-7 going into that game.”
Stewart led the Bears with 23 points and Damon Singleton added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
“As coaches, we saw it coming and sometimes you need that in order for kids to get the message,” Cramton said. “Hopefully, we learn something from it.”
On Tuesday, the Bears defeated Allen Park 58-40.
Roosevelt wasted little time building a lead as the Bears led 19-4 after one quarter and 30-10 at the half.
“We put some pressure on them about four minutes into the game and that’s where we got the 15-point separation,” Cramton said. “It was a good defensive effort.”
Jacob Lavis led the Bears with 12 points and Donnie Corley added eight.
“They just outmuscled us all over the floor,” Allen Park Coach Jim Victor said. “We just didn’t play a very good game at all.”
Tyler Warga led Allen Park with 11 points.
Roosevelt hosted Anderson on Tuesday and will remain home against Trenton on Thursday.
That same night, Melvindale fell to Kennedy 43-33.
KleSean Clark led the Cards with 16 points in the loss.
“It was tied in the fourth, but they just kind of pulled away from us,” Vranesich said.
The Cardinals hosted Woodhaven on Tuesday and will travel to Lincoln Park on Thursday.
Anderson splits
Anderson went 1-1 last week with a victory over Woodhaven and a loss to Lincoln Park.
On Tuesday, the Titans came out on top in a back-and-forth battle with the Warriors 54-45.
Woodhaven held a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Anderson roared back to take the lead and pull away in the final minutes for their second league victory of the season.
“We’ve been doing that all year long,” Anderson Coach Dave Pratt said. “It’s just the type of kids we have.”
“They’re all competitive and they’re a great group to coach. You know you’re going to get their best effort every time they step out on the court.”
Connor Phee had 22 points, 15 boards and five blocks. Shane Freitag added nine points in the win.
Donnie Stoddard had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors while Brandon Imperati knocked down four triples and had 14 points.
On Thursday, the Titans fell to Lincoln Park 71-59.
The Rails took an 18-10 lead after one quarter and held the lead near 10 points for most of the game.
“I think we played with a lot more emotion and it’s good when you’re struggling to go on the road like that,” Lincoln Park Coach Todd Tobin said. “They had a good student section and it kind of got our guys going a little bit.”
Tywan Cage led the Rails with 23 points while Lucas Espitia added 21 and Dawone Gray had 10.
“Lincoln Park did a very nice job of coming out and pressuring us,” Pratt said. “It kind of took us out of any kind of rhythm and we played their game.”
Phee and Dejon Matthews each had 16 in the loss.
The Titans took on Roosevelt on Tuesday and will host Allen Park on Thursday.
On Saturday, the Railsplitters traveled to Concordia College and lost to Inkster 43-36.
Lincoln Park trailed 14-13 in the second quarter before Inkster ended the half with an 8-0 run to build a lead it would not relinquish.
The Rails got to within one possession for much of the fourth quarter, but shooting woes plagued the defending DRL champs all game long.
“We shot 13-for-63,” Tobin said. “A lot of the shots were contested and we’re not the best shooting team, but we’re not 13-for-63.”
Will Deparo scored all 13 of his points in the second half and Lucas Espitia added nine.
Lincoln Park (3-5, 1-2 DRL) traveled to Carlson on Tuesday and will host Melvindale on Thursday.
Carlson drops two
Carlson fell to 0-3 in Downriver League play last week with losses to Truman and Allen Park.
On Tuesday, the Marauders fell to Truman 66-48.
Carlson fell behind early, trailing 14-1 at one point and the first quarter concluded with the Cougars holding a 24-7 lead.
Truman’s Aaron Foster-Smith had another strong outing with 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Robert Whitehorn had nine points and Devin Goodwell added eight.
Kaylyn Erwin led Carlson with 12 points and Daton Aaron added 11.
On Thursday, the Marauders were without Aaron, who was injured during the Truman game, and fell to Allen Park 71-55.
The Jags knocked down 11 three-pointers en route to their second league win of the season.
“They shot the ball real well and we didn’t play well,” Carlson Coach Rob Raymond said.
Trevor Simms had the hot hand on this night and knocked down eight three-pointers for a 31-point, eight-rebound performance.
“The win was huge for us because people are going to beat up on each other in this league,” Allen Park Coach Jim Victor said. “We need to take it one game at a time and a lot of teams may take us for granted.”
Tyler Warga had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Richard Gamble added 12 points to go along with a strong defense effort.
Evan Wallace led the Marauders with 14 points.
Carlson hosted Lincoln Park on Tuesday and will travel to Kennedy on Thursday.
BOYS' BASKETBALL: Trenton is on the move again PHOTO
Last year's surprise team enjoying a six-game winning streak
Larnell Tidwell and the Carlson Marauders dropped two games last week and fell to 0-3 in Downriver League play. The team lost to both Truman and Allen Park
Damon Singleton and the Roosevelt Bears suffered their first loss last week after opening the season 6-0. The loss came at the hands of Melvindale, who was 1-7 at the time.
That may be ready to pull the same trick again this year.
The Trojans went 2-0 on the road last week and have won six straight games after defeating Lincoln Park and Woodhaven.
On Jan. 8, Trenton traveled to Lincoln Park and defeated the reigning league champion 67-43.
Trenton ran out to a 17-8 lead after one quarter, but the Rails battled back to make it 28-23 at the half.
Rather than play second fiddle to the Railsplitters once again, the Trojans took matters, and the game, into their own hands in the third quarter and outscored Lincoln Park 28-13 to pull away in the victory.
“They were clicking and we weren’t,” Lincoln Park Coach Todd Tobin said. “It was just one of those quarters and it brought the lead to 20 going into the fourth and that was pretty much all she wrote.”
The Trojans opened the quarter with two consecutive threes and knocked down six triples in the quarter.
Jason Zahran had a big day for Trenton with 29 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals.
Dan Hall was effective in the post with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Tywan Cage led the Rails with 11.
On Friday, the Trojans defeated Woodhaven on the road 59-41.
A strong first half propelled Trenton to 3-0 in DRL play as the Trojans led 36-18 at the break.
Dan Mercure had 17 points, five rebounds, four steals and four assists in the victory.
Hall added 15 points and Zahran had 10 points, nine boards, six assists and three steals in the win.
Trenton (6-1, 3-0 DRL) hosted Truman on Tuesday and will travel to Roosevelt on Thursday.
Bears suffer first loss
After opening the season 6-0, the Roosevelt Bears suffered their first loss on Thursday in a 49-44 overtime loss to Melvindale.
The Cardinals sat at 1-7 entering the game, but you wouldn’t be able to tell with the effort shown on Thursday.
“We worked extremely hard on that Wednesday practice,” Melvindale Coach Ryan Vranesich said. “I’ve never had a team play as hard as they did on Thursday night.”
Melvindale held a 21-18 lead at the half and the score remained close throughout the second half, ending with a 39-39 tie at the end of regulation.
In the extra period, Melvindale continued to work and held off the talented Bears for the five-point victory.
“We came out and played very selfish and very undisciplined,” Roosevelt Coach Dave Cramton said. “They thought they were just going to walk into their gym and walk through them and that wasn’t the case.”
“Give Melvindale all the credit. They just wanted to win worse than we did.”
KleSean Clark led the Cards with 12 points. DaiZoun Oliver stayed busy with nine points and 21 rebounds and drew the daunting task of guarding Devan Stewart the entire game. Matt Schrzan added eight points and 11 rebounds.
“They’re a really good team and their top eight is very impressive,” Vranesich said. “This was the best leadership you could have for a team that was 1-7 going into that game.”
Stewart led the Bears with 23 points and Damon Singleton added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
“As coaches, we saw it coming and sometimes you need that in order for kids to get the message,” Cramton said. “Hopefully, we learn something from it.”
On Tuesday, the Bears defeated Allen Park 58-40.
Roosevelt wasted little time building a lead as the Bears led 19-4 after one quarter and 30-10 at the half.
“We put some pressure on them about four minutes into the game and that’s where we got the 15-point separation,” Cramton said. “It was a good defensive effort.”
Jacob Lavis led the Bears with 12 points and Donnie Corley added eight.
“They just outmuscled us all over the floor,” Allen Park Coach Jim Victor said. “We just didn’t play a very good game at all.”
Tyler Warga led Allen Park with 11 points.
Roosevelt hosted Anderson on Tuesday and will remain home against Trenton on Thursday.
That same night, Melvindale fell to Kennedy 43-33.
KleSean Clark led the Cards with 16 points in the loss.
“It was tied in the fourth, but they just kind of pulled away from us,” Vranesich said.
The Cardinals hosted Woodhaven on Tuesday and will travel to Lincoln Park on Thursday.
Anderson splits
Anderson went 1-1 last week with a victory over Woodhaven and a loss to Lincoln Park.
On Tuesday, the Titans came out on top in a back-and-forth battle with the Warriors 54-45.
Woodhaven held a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Anderson roared back to take the lead and pull away in the final minutes for their second league victory of the season.
“We’ve been doing that all year long,” Anderson Coach Dave Pratt said. “It’s just the type of kids we have.”
“They’re all competitive and they’re a great group to coach. You know you’re going to get their best effort every time they step out on the court.”
Connor Phee had 22 points, 15 boards and five blocks. Shane Freitag added nine points in the win.
Donnie Stoddard had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors while Brandon Imperati knocked down four triples and had 14 points.
On Thursday, the Titans fell to Lincoln Park 71-59.
The Rails took an 18-10 lead after one quarter and held the lead near 10 points for most of the game.
“I think we played with a lot more emotion and it’s good when you’re struggling to go on the road like that,” Lincoln Park Coach Todd Tobin said. “They had a good student section and it kind of got our guys going a little bit.”
Tywan Cage led the Rails with 23 points while Lucas Espitia added 21 and Dawone Gray had 10.
“Lincoln Park did a very nice job of coming out and pressuring us,” Pratt said. “It kind of took us out of any kind of rhythm and we played their game.”
Phee and Dejon Matthews each had 16 in the loss.
The Titans took on Roosevelt on Tuesday and will host Allen Park on Thursday.
On Saturday, the Railsplitters traveled to Concordia College and lost to Inkster 43-36.
Lincoln Park trailed 14-13 in the second quarter before Inkster ended the half with an 8-0 run to build a lead it would not relinquish.
The Rails got to within one possession for much of the fourth quarter, but shooting woes plagued the defending DRL champs all game long.
“We shot 13-for-63,” Tobin said. “A lot of the shots were contested and we’re not the best shooting team, but we’re not 13-for-63.”
Will Deparo scored all 13 of his points in the second half and Lucas Espitia added nine.
Lincoln Park (3-5, 1-2 DRL) traveled to Carlson on Tuesday and will host Melvindale on Thursday.
Carlson drops two
Carlson fell to 0-3 in Downriver League play last week with losses to Truman and Allen Park.
On Tuesday, the Marauders fell to Truman 66-48.
Carlson fell behind early, trailing 14-1 at one point and the first quarter concluded with the Cougars holding a 24-7 lead.
Truman’s Aaron Foster-Smith had another strong outing with 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Robert Whitehorn had nine points and Devin Goodwell added eight.
Kaylyn Erwin led Carlson with 12 points and Daton Aaron added 11.
On Thursday, the Marauders were without Aaron, who was injured during the Truman game, and fell to Allen Park 71-55.
The Jags knocked down 11 three-pointers en route to their second league win of the season.
“They shot the ball real well and we didn’t play well,” Carlson Coach Rob Raymond said.
Trevor Simms had the hot hand on this night and knocked down eight three-pointers for a 31-point, eight-rebound performance.
“The win was huge for us because people are going to beat up on each other in this league,” Allen Park Coach Jim Victor said. “We need to take it one game at a time and a lot of teams may take us for granted.”
Tyler Warga had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Richard Gamble added 12 points to go along with a strong defense effort.
Evan Wallace led the Marauders with 14 points.
Carlson hosted Lincoln Park on Tuesday and will travel to Kennedy on Thursday.
Last Updated: 1/15/2013 4:19:13 PM EST