Prep notebook: Experienced Ann Arbor Huron boys basketball rides defense to 8-0 start
Mar. 7—Ann Arbor Huron finally played Ypsilanti Lincoln on Saturday, but it was far from the highly anticipated Division 1 district championship game which was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic last March.
It was back in early March of last year when Huron's Mike Robinson put on an outstanding defensive performance to slow down 6-foot-9 Emoni Bates, limiting him to 29 points on 8-of-27 shooting, 3-of-11 3-pointers in a 64-54 win over defending state champion Lincoln before nearly 5,000 fans at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center.
There would be no must-see game this time around. Huron returned four of five starters from last year's team while Lincoln was on the other side of the spectrum.
That's what happens when Bates jumps to a prep school (Ypsilanti Prep Academy), as did guard Simon Wheeler (Bella Vista Prep in Arizona), along with the Henderson brothers — Keon and Ashton — transferring to Oak Park and 6-6 DeCorion Temple transferring back to Orchard Lake St. Mary's, where he had played his freshman year.
Huron hasn't missed a beat after coming off a 10-day quarantine because of COVID-19 protocols, going 5-0 since its return Feb. 26, giving up an average of 33 points during that span.
Huron — 8-0 and ranked No. 2 in The News Super 20 — defeated Lincoln 70-36, using a 37-0 run for the victory.
Lincoln does have a quality backcourt in 6-3 sophomore Braelon Green and senior Gabe Damey, but Green was on his own with Damey forced to miss the game.
Green made things interesting, knocking down three 3-pointers, along with a three-point play during a stretch in the second quarter to pull Lincoln within 26-22 before Huron closed out the first half with a 4-0 run, then had a 30-0 third quarter, followed by the first three points of the fourth to open up a 41-point (63-22) cushion.
Huron has the firepower to make things happen in a hurry, showing size across the board in 6-2 point guard Devin Womack, 6-4 guard Tyson Edmondson, William & Mary-bound 6-6 Julian Lewis and 6-7 Kingsley Perkins.
It was Womack who showed he could make the long-range shot in the pivotal third quarter, making four 3-pointers in a five-minute stretch, finishing with 23 points. Lewis scored 14, Edmondson, eight, including two 3-pointers and Perkins 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
Waleed Samaha guided Huron to the Class A state championship game in 2010, a loss to Kalamazoo Central, and returned to Huron a few years ago after serving under John Beilein's staff as Michigan's director of basketball operations.
Huron's 30-0 third quarter was a first for Samaha.
"We've had some good quarters before, but nothing like that," he said. "We know it's a different game if Gabe (Damey) is there, but without Gabe there, it was basically focusing on one guard and one interior guy for them.
"I love our kids, I love our attention to detail, especially defensively. Kingsley's timing of not just shot blocking, but he disrupts shots, he disrupts everything in the paint for us. We're so good on the perimeter guarding the ball, so whatever comes in the lane he does a great job of disrupting."
Samaha loves his backcourt.
"I think what helps us is that we have any one of three guys who can run point, so whoever we outlet the ball to is our point guard and the other guys run their lanes," Samaha said. "We have three guys that are really capable point guards and that helps a lot."
U-D Jesuit looking forward to return
Multiple teams across the state have played double-digit games this season while U-D Jesuit has played less than a handful.
U-D Jesuit coach Pat Donnelly is looking forward to watching his team get back into action after getting off a 14-day quarantine on Saturday.
"We came off quarantine yesterday (Saturday)," Donnelly said. "All quarantines are 10-14 days, depending on the county health department. (Brother) Rice is on 10-day now. (Warren) De La Salle was just on one as well. It's not ideal. We've missed six games due to quarantine. We will see how we react to it."
U-D Jesuit — ranked No. 4 — is 4-0 with its latest win coming against No. 6 Detroit King, 58-52 on Feb. 18.
Donnelly said U-D Jesuit plans to play three games this week, then three more during the Catholic League playoffs starting March 15 to give it a total of 10, or half the normal season's schedule, before the state tournament gets underway.
U-D Jesuit will host Detroit Catholic Central on Monday, stay at home and play No. 13 De La Salle on Thursday before playing at No. 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary's on Saturday night.
St. Mary's tops De La Salle
St. Mary's coach Todd Covert knows he has a team capable of making a run at the Division 1 state championship and has put together a challenging schedule to prepare for the journey.
St. Mary's already has earned wins over No. 6 Detroit King, No. 7 Hamtramck, No. 11 Grand Blanc and No. 13 De La Salle, with games set for Monday at home against No. 10 Ferndale and then the Saturday night game with U-D Jesuit.
After earning seven straight wins at home. St. Mary's went on the road Saturday and defeated De La Salle, 44-30.
St. Mary's has learned how to win close games too, needing a 3-pointer by junior point guard Kareem Rozier as time expired to defeat Brother Rice 49-46 on Feb. 27, then having Rozier make a free throw to close out a win over King on Wednesday after King had pulled within three in the final seconds.
And, on that De La Salle game?
"For our first road game it was a crazy one with De La Salle having its whole student section there," Rozier said. "We weren't expecting that, but the crazy thing was how Coach (Covert) said they'd have that student section, so he called it out, said it would happen and it did."
Rozier is happy with St. Mary's tough schedule.
"I'd rather be battle tested early, so we know what to do in the state tournament, so we're happy Coach Covert gave us a tough schedule, facing all these top 10 teams," Rozier said. "It's going to be a fun game against Ferndale, playing against some of my friends I grew up playing with and against."
Rozier will be facing a teammate from his first two years at St. Mary's in Jason Drake. Drake transferred to Ferndale in January.
This week's top games — Ferndale at Orchard Lake St. Mary's, Monday, 7 — Romulus Summit Academy at Detroit Edison, Monday, 7 — Harper Woods Chandler Park at West Bloomfield, Monday, 7 (girls) — Detroit Edison at West Bloomfield, Tuesday, 7 (girls) — Warren DeLaSalle at U-D Jesuit, Thursday, 7 — Ypsilanti Arbor Prep at Detroit Edison, Thursday, 7 (girls) — U-D Jesuit at Orchard Lake St. Mary's, Saturday, 7
