Throwdown in Motown recap

The High dominates class B champs, Pershing impresses

By Josh Glitz

22 December 2007

greatlakeshoops.com

W. Bloomfield-- The playbill for the final two games of this year's Throwdown in Motown was enough to get even the most casual fan excited. While the matchups did not deliver the close games that many expected, they did present a stage for two teams to make a case for supremacy on the state level.

Strong showings by both Detroit Pershing and Saginaw High against quality opponents should solidify their stance at the top of the class A rankings.

Relatively weak showings by both Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Detroit Country Day will leave their fans scratching theirs heads and make pollsters think twice about how good they really are.

Detroit Pershing 74, OLSM 60

The score does not indicate the true nature of this game, as Pershing dominated from start to finish. Pershing struggled from the floor for stretches and allowed OLSM to hang around, but finished the game with a strong statement. I am no PSL expert, but Pershing has to be regarded as the top team in the PSL this year.

Game Notes

--OLSM is in trouble unless David Curletti and Chris Clarke learn to play down low. It was not until the 4th quarter than either made an attempt to post up the smaller players that were guarding them. Both are between 6’6’’ and 6’8’’ and Pershing had no one to counter that size. Curletti and Clark preferred to stay around the perimeter, handling the ball. The only problem is that neither is a good ball handler or passer. This lead to many turnovers and fast break points for Pershing. These two need to learn to play down low if OLSM is going to have success at the level they are accustomed to this year. I still do not understand why these two get such publicity; they do not live up to the hype at all. The pair combined for 10 points and 10 rebounds, which is simply pathetic.

--Sophomore guard Gary Hunter is a blur. His speed is reminiscent of the recently departed Kalin Lucas. If he can gain some polish to his offensive game he will be dangerous in a few years.

--Jake Shockey is the kind of player I love to watch. While he does not possess great talent, he works hard and never gives up. Shockey turned in a great blue collar effort tonight with eight points and eight rebounds.

--Dion Sims is the best player I have seen in the state this year, without question, and I have seen all the top players. He is the most capable of simply dominating a game, which he did tonight in a losing effort. He is an absolute man-child. His game has no weaknesses. At 6’6’’ he is capable of playing 1-5 at the high school level and he has the skill to play the 1-3 positions at the division one level, though he is best suited to play the 2-3. He has a good jumper, can take his man to the rim, fights hard for boards and finishes strong in traffic. Defensively he limited super sophomore Keith Appling, shutting him down for most of the game. Sims finished the game with 28 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. If you haven’t seen him play, make sure you do.

--Detroit Pershing’s starting five is possibly the best in the state. Seniors Demetrius Ward, Lugene Davis, and Dontae Molden supply talent and experience. Junior Dion Dismuke is a great floor general, and we've all heard about sophomore Keith Appling. After the five and junior Derrick Nix, who is not all that good, there is a big drop. In the long run depth may prove a problem for this team.

--Demetrius Ward deserves more consideration when we discuss the top guards in the state. He is strong and a great finisher around the rim. He also does a good job on the glass. While Keith Appling may be the top player on the team, Ward is the engine for this team. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.

--Dontae Molden was shooting the ball well tonight. He was able to find the open spots on the floor and knock down shot after shot. He finished with 22 points to lead the Doughboys.

--Appling struggled tonight. At a slender 6’2’’ he needs to add strength to his game. OLSM put Dion Sims on him for most of the game and Appling struggled with a bigger, stronger, and not much slower person guarding him. He was able to finish in transition and flashed his ability at times, but Sims did a great job placing the shackles on him for most of the game. Appling finished with 11 points on the night.

--Detroit Pershing is a team that we will be hearing from come tournament time. They have a great backcourt and a roster that gets after it. They also have multiple scoring options which make them hard to lock up on any given night. While I have yet to see Detroit Finney or Saginaw Arthur Hill this year, I have to add Pershing to the top three with Saginaw High and Flint Carman Ainsworth. I will not be surprised to see them emerge from Detroit and earn a spot at the Breslin.

Saginaw High 76, Detroit Country Day 50

After the first quarter this game looked like it might be close as Saginaw held a 9-8 lead. After the first quarter, the Trojans simply suffocated the Yellow Jackets with their pressure and dominated the game. By the end of the third quarter the score was 61-24. Subs played most of the fourth as the High made one heck of a statement to all that were watching.

Game Notes

--DCD is better than they played tonight. They were never able to adjust to the pressure that Saginaw was applying. Coach Keener is a good coach and I doubt we will see them struggle like this again. They also seemed to play uninspired ball for most the night, something you cannot get away with against a team like Saginaw. With all the talent on this roster they will have a good shot at defending their state title this year, but they need to get their act together.

Not a single Yellow Jacket scored in double digits...yikes.

--Darnell Brown and Dale Brundridge struggled mightily tonight. I don’t know what the problem was, but I have never seen them play so poorly.

--Dashonte Riley is a great prospect. At 6’11’’ he is both coordinated and athletic. He does not have meat on his bones, however, which will need to change. His low post game is still rough around the edges, but this will improve with time. He had two sick dunks during the game which flashed his great potential. He is a legit high major prospect with his size, athleticism and skill, though he needs to play with more energy.

--Saginaw High has a great chance at defending its title this year. While they are not as deep as they were last year, they still get after it on defense and they have four major options on offense. Draymond Green is the frontrunner for Mr. Basketball, and for good reason. Daniel West is a great point guard whose jump shot is vastly improved from the beginning of last year. Courtney Washington and Mike Green are both good shooters who play hard.

--Daniel West had a great game tonight. He was the consummate floor general and was always looking to press the tempo. He also showed improved decisionmaking, which was the biggest knock on him last year. He finished with 13 points and eight assists.

--Courtney Washington showed why Coach Dawkins has so much confidence in him. Last year he earned time with his tenacious defense. This year he has added a consistent jumper to his arsenal. He is a good distributor and point man on the press. Tonight he also showed the ability to finish at the rim when he got there. Washington finished with 13 points tonight.

--The star of the game for Saginaw tonight was none other than Draymond Green. Day-Day turned his typical dominant performance. He was able to attack Riley in the post and do a good job replacing Josh Southern at the rear of the press. Day Day will be one of the top finishers in Mr. Basketball voting this year and has appeared to lose some weight to start preparing for Michigan State. He finished with 23 points and eight rebounds.

--As of right now, Saginaw is the best team I have seen. They are not as talented or deep as Carman-Ainsworth, but they are not far off and they have better coaching. Coach Dawkins always gets the most out of his players and puts them in position to succeed both individually and as a team.  Carman does not utilize talent as well as the Trojans.