Bloomfield Hills

Boys basketball squads find success in postseason

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Deb Jacques Bloomfield Hills Lahser guard Armand Cartwright goes to the hoop in a Class A district game. The Knights won their second straight district after beating Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 55-52 March 8 at Bloomfield Hills Andover. Photo by Deb Jacques Bloomfield Hills Lahser guard Armand Cartwright goes to the hoop in a Class A district game. The Knights won their second straight district after beating Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 55-52 March 8 at Bloomfield Hills Andover.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Local boys basketball teams found plenty of success in the district level of the postseason.

In Class A, Bloomfield Hills Lahser won its second straight district title, beating Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 55-52 March 8 at Bloomfield Hills Andover.

After trailing by as many as 15 points, the Knights stormed back in the second half, punctuated by Yante Maten’s 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to secure the victory.

It was Maten’s first career triple.

“From my angle, it looked like there was one second left on the clock, but it must have been seven,” Maten said. “Way to make it count, I guess.”

Coach Duane Graves was proud of his squad, which is playing its final season as Lahser. Next year, the school is merging with Andover.

“This means a lot with it being the last year of Lahser. It’s one of those moments we can go, ‘These boys worked so hard.’ They’ve wanted this since day one,” he said.

The Knights played Troy Athens after press time in a regional semifinal. The winner takes on either Romeo High or Rochester High in the final at 6 p.m. March 13 at West Bloomfield High.

Also in Class A, Birmingham Groves gave its home fans a thrill. The Falcons won their first district since 2005, beating Southfield High 55-51 March 8 at home.

Southfield had won three straight districts going into the contest.

In its semifinal, Groves beat Southfield-Lathrup 59-56 March 6 at home. 

The Falcons took on Detroit U-D Jesuit in their regional semifinal after press time. The winner meets either Redford Thurston or Detroit Pershing at 7 p.m. March 13 at Southfield.

In Class B, Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day kept its district-title streak alive.

The Yellowjackets won their ninth in a row and 11th in the last 12 years. 

Country Day beat Clawson High 90-56 March 8 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep for the title. In its three district games, the Yellowjackets won by an average of 37 points.

Country Day took on Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy in its regional semifinal after press time. The winner meets either Detroit Douglass or Ferndale University at 7 p.m. March 13 at Country Day.

The Yellowjackets have also won nine straight regional titles.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062. Follow Christian on Twitter.