Detroit U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston.

EAST LANSING – Everything seems to be magnified in the recruiting world, especially when it comes to a high-profile recruit, and even moreso when a decision is near.

All those things are true in the case of Josh Jackson, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the class of 2016 by some analysts. The Detroiter and senior at Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., is down to Michigan State, Kansas and Arizona, with a decision possible around the McDonald’s All-America game next week in Chicago.

And various recruiting services have been suggesting since Thursday that MSU may not be in a position of strength with Jackson. That’s all hearsay until he decides, but MSU 2016 signee Cassius Winston was asked about Jackson today after leading U-D Jesuit to a Class A semifinals win over Macomb Dakota.

“I really don’t know,” Winston said of Jackson’s decision. “Wherever he goes, best of luck for him. We’ve talked a couple times, but I couldn’t tell you where he’s going.”

• Winston shows shades of Denzel Valentine

Was Winston suggesting MSU has lost ground with Jackson? Is he just focused on winning a state title and not into answering questions about Jackson?

It’s worth noting what Jackson told the Free Press in December about Winston and MSU signee Miles Bridges and their efforts to persuade him to join them.

“It’s pretty much every time I see him,” Jackson said of Bridges. “Him, Cassius, Nick Ward, Josh Langford — I’m pretty much friends with all those guys and they pretty much attack me all the time trying to get me to commit.”

Bridges and Langford will be with Jackson in Chicago as McDonald’s All-Americans. The game is at 9 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN) at United Center.

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe.

Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!

Many Spartans honored on academic All-Big Ten teams
Full list: Michigan State recruits (with highlights)

U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston makes a lay-up against Macomb Dakota during an MHSAA boys basketball Class A semifinal Friday, March 25, 2016, in East Lansing. U-D won, 72-51.

EAST LANSING — Tom Izzo sat underneath the basket and Denzel Valentine was a few feet to Izzo’s left, in the stands at the Breslin Center, watching something very familiar.

There were nine other players on the court, but one seemed to be seeing things unfolding earlier than everyone else. And, no doubt, earlier than most of the thousands who attended today’s Class A state semifinal between U-D Jesuit and Macomb Dakota.

Anyone who sat in Breslin four years ago and watched Valentine lead Lansing Sexton to a second straight Class B state title must have had flashbacks while watching U-D Jesuit senior point guard Cassius Winston today. Winston, one of four signees for the highest-ranked class of Izzo’s tenure, possesses an innate feel for the game, similar to Valentine.

And there are other similarities. Like Valentine four years ago, Winston has some work to do on his jump-shot form — and MSU can only hope he makes improvements approaching Valentine’s over four years with the Spartans.

Like Valentine, Winston is not an overwhelming athlete, not blazing quick. Like Valentine, Winston will need to work hard on his body once he gets to MSU.

Also like Valentine, Izzo said, Winston is “the straw that stirs the drink … he can make other people around him better.”

That was quite evident in U-D Jesuit’s 72-51 rout to advance to Saturday’s state title game. Winston had 27 points and 12 assists, scoring 23 of those points in the second half when his team needed him to attack with more frequency.

• Winston unsure if Josh Jackson will join him at MSU

“I just kind of take what they give me,” said Winston, who should split duties at the point next year with MSU junior Tum Tum Nairn. “I was told to be more aggressive. When I’m aggressive it creates for other people. So I got to the basket a little bit more, finished around the basket a little bit more.”

And that’s one thing Winston does well already. He has advanced body control and can finish with both hands. When he turned the corner and attacked, he consistently made the right decision in terms of pass or shoot.

U-D Jesuit took control early, but Macomb Dakota made a run early in the second half and got the lead down to 33-23. That’s when Winston took over the game.

He made slick pass to Ikechukwu Eke for a lay-up, plus the foul, and quickly gathered his teammates together and told them to calm down. He snagged a defensive rebound on the next possession, then put a spin on his defender and got inside for a lay-up.

Then it was another stop, another Winston drive, another lay-up, this time with the left hand. Then a lob to Gregory Eboigbodin for a lay-up — and just like that, the lead was back up to 43-24 and Dakota was calling time-out.

Winston had rough moments as well, turning the ball over six times.

“Way too many for my position,” he said.

That’s also not unlike Valentine — who has 5 inches on the 6-foot Winston — at this stage of development. One of those turnovers was an instance of exceptional vision from Winston, anticipating Eke breaking free in transition and sending a laser of a bounce pass toward him.

The ball didn’t bounce quite high enough for Eke to grab it, and it went out of bounds near Izzo — who no doubt noticed the feel for the game required to see that pass.

Winston noticed Izzo, Valentine, Nairn and others in the crowd watching him.

“I love that support, that’s a really big reason why I committed,” Winston said. “Michigan State is just such a huge family. They come out and support, they show love, even the dudes who are in the NBA or retired from the NBA, they come out and show love and support.”

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe.

Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!

Class A: U-D Jesuit too much for Dakota, 72-51
Top SF Josh Jackson not worried that 2 of his final 3 schools lost NCAA openers

Lansing Everett’s head coach Desmond Ferguson talks with Victor Edwards, during the MHSAA boys basketball Class A semifinals against North Farmington at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. on Friday, March 25, 2016.

EAST LANSING – Although North Farmington was making its first trip to the final four, one of its players had been here before.

Billy Thomas scored 22 points in a 2014 semifinal when he suited up for the team the Raiders will face in today’s championship — U-D Jesuit. But Thomas left the Cubs after his sophomore year, attended Genesis Academy in Virginia for a semester, and soon came home to North Farmington, where he lives, getting immediate eligibility.

Also, Thomas’ father Ron had guardianship of UD-J’s Ike Eke and Gregory Eboigbodin when they first came to this country from Nigeria as ninth graders. But in August 2014, Oakland County Family Court Judge Linda Hallmark stripped Thomas’ father of legal guardianship, issued a restraining order against him and fined him $15,000. Eke and Eboigbodin returned to U-D Jesuit soon after.

What are Billy Thomas’ thoughts on today’s impending championship matchup? “I expected it,” he said simply.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS: One big reason — make that two big reasons — that U-D Jesuit was a notch above Macomb Dakota was the play of Eboigbodin and Eke. The Cubs had a 39-24 edge in rebounds, paced by Eboigbodin’s 18 and Eke’s 8. And with the duo’s height (6-feet-9 each), great length and leaping ability, they altered many shots throughout the game.

“Obviously their length makes a difference, but we missed shots we normally make, so I credit their defense and their length,” Macomb Dakota coach Paul Tocco said.

Dakota’s 6-8 sophomore center, Thomas Kithier, found himself in over his head trying to match up against both.

“Playing against two big guys like that, if I get past one, I know there’s going to be another one waiting there,” he said. “Plus, their whole team is defensively sound.”

A GOOD FRIDAY FOR CUBS: For the third year in a row, U-D Jesuit played in the final four, but this is the first time the Cubs have been able to advance into the championship game, perhaps because the novelty has worn off.

“Two years ago, there was some awe when we walked on to the court,” Jesuit coach Pat Donnelly said. “Last year there was more disappointment after losing that semifinal game because we felt like we weren’t in awe anymore. Coming in the third time we shouldn’t be in awe. We thought our opponents would be a little in awe of the environment and we could play to that a little bit.”

Tocco felt otherwise.

“We treated it like a business-type trip; we weren’t just happy to be here,” he said. “We just got outplayed tonight and those things happen. I’m very proud of their efforts and how they treated this weekend. They’re great kids and they deserve this type of spotlight.”

LATIN LESSON: The jerseys of both U-D Jesuit and Class C semifinalist Detroit Loyola were adorned with a cross and “AMDG” on the back below the neckline. Those letters stand for “ad majorem Dei gloriam,” translated to “For the greater Glory of God.”

That’s the motto of the Jesuits, an order of the Catholic Church, founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th Century. Loyola’s uniforms, by the way, also sported a Detroit’s “Old English D” and the Bulldog logo — but nary a mention of the school name.

GLASS SLIPPERS: Lansing Everett has flown under the radar lately but reached the Class A semifinals the past two seasons. And that wasn’t a surprise to Desmond Ferguson, who noticed talent early in his two senior captains, LeAndre Wright and Jamyrin Jackson.

“Everett basketball was 10-72 in the previous four years before I got the job,” Ferguson said. “When I became head coach these guys were freshmen, and I knew ahead of time that they would be good when they became seniors. To get to the Breslin two years in a row, that don’t happen often, but these guys definitely left their mark on the program.”

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball semifinals

Detroit Henry Ford coach Ken Flowers tells his players to think during their 70-48 semifinal win over Williamston.

EAST LANSING – Ken Flowers and his point guard are making history.

Detroit Henry Ford, a Class B finalist a year ago, wasn’t expected to make a return appearance to the Breslin this year, let alone be playing for the championship tonight after blitzing Williamston, 70-48, on Friday.

“This is the first time Henry Ford has made back-to-back semifinals,” said Flowers. “We made our first championship game a year ago, so we are making history. This is great for the school and the community. This is a blessing for us”

Superb point guard James Towns was back this year, but gone was outstanding scorer Joshua Davis, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the 85-68 championship game loss to Wyoming Godwin Heights last season.

Towns, the only Trojan with any experience from last year’s squad, had 15 points and six assists in the title game. That season followed two .500 years under Flowers.

“Nobody expected us to be here,” said Towns, who finished with 17 points, three assists and three steals in Friday’s victory. “We have good chemistry. We aren’t big, but we play together.”

Towns averages 23 points, 5.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. The only other Trojan starter to average double figures is senior Jeremy Crawley at 10.7 per game with a high of 30, one less than Towns’ season high.

Two players that have emerged this season are sophomore guard Deonta Ulmer and senior forward Kavon Bey.

“Ulmer has the green light,” said Flowers. “He’s a young guy, but I think he’s one of the best shooters in the state in my opinion. Because he’s so young he’s going to get better and better every year. Bey has been playing well the last half of the season and right now all the guys are playing well.

Bey, who watched the state championship game from the bench last year, scored 21 and pulled down eight rebounds against Williamston.

Flowers runs a three-guard offense and Bey is the teams’ best inside player.

“A lot of people don’t know about him, but he’s a good player and he grabs every rebound,” said Towns.

“We put in the work in the summer time and came back strong,” said Towns. “We just had to come out here and prove it. Everybody underestimated us.”

On Ulmer and Bey, Towns said: “People don’t know their names but they are the heart of the team. Ulmer can hit threes and Bey is tough under the basket. Colleges aren’t looking at him, but he comes out and plays hard every night.”

HOT HANDS: Williamston and Henry Ford combined for seven triples in the first quarter. Riley Lewis had three for the Hornets and Towns and Crawley had two each for the Trojans.

Lewis scored all 11 points for the Hornets in the first quarter and took all their shots. Williamston had 23 points at halftime with Lewis scoring 21 of them. He finished with 32.

FOOTBALL RECRUIT: Big Rapids sophomore Braeden Childress is on the basketball team, but the 6-foot-3 sophomore is already being recruited as a tight end/defensive end by Mid-American Conference schools. He comes off the bench for the Cardinals.

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball semifinals

Preps!

EAST LANSING – Stevensville Lakeshore’s semifinal against Big Rapids was a study in contrasts Friday night at the Breslin Center.

Lakeshore was tough inside with Max Gaishin, a 6-foot-7 post player, along with 6-6 Colin Brushwyler and 6-11 center Braden Burke.

Conversely, the Cardinals relied on the three point shooting of Kenny Davis (15 points), Demetri Martin and Braeden Childress.

In the end Stevensville Lakeshore (20-7) eked out a 61-60 victory. The Lancers will face Detroit Henry Ford for the Class B title tonight.

“I thought it was a crazy game because in all the film we watched on them we never saw them make that many threes,” said Lakeshore coach Sean Schroeder. “They shot the heck out of it. They made a ton of shots. It’s a testimony to my team. We seem to find a way to win.”

Burke made two free throws with 51.1 seconds left to give the Lancers a 57-56 lead.

Big Rapids point guard Jeffrey Davenport then let a ball roll out of bounds with 37 seconds left. Gibson Archer turned the miscue into a basket with 32.4 left, putting Lakeshore up three.

Martin (22 points) made two free throws to trim the deficit to one. Gaishin made two free throws to make it 61-58, and a Davenport’s lay-up ended it with the Cardinals down one.

“Missed free throws and we turned the ball over twice,” said Big Rapids coach Kent Ingles. “We kind of lost our composure and they made plays. … This group of kids come to play. At one point it could’ve gone either way.”

Burke led a balanced Lakeshore scoring attack with 16 points. Archer and Gaishin (10 rebounds) each scored 15.

“I get inside and I get buckets,” said Burke.

Big Rapids made nine field goals in the first half in building a 30-29 halftime lead. Six of the field goals were triples, and the Cardinals hit 11 in the game. Meanwhile, the Lancers big three of Gaishin, Burke and Brushwyler combined for 19 points in the first half.

The trend continued in the second half as a Davis triple gave the Cardinals a 35-33 lead. Burke and Gaishin continued their inside assault before a triple from teammate Logan Steffes gave the Lancers a 41-39 lead.

Big Rapids countered with a three from Christian Hector and the see-saw battle went in favor of the Cardinals, 42-41.

Davis, listed at 6-1, then goaded Burke into his third foul, but the center stayed in the game.

Undeterred, the Lancers got the deficit down to 56-53 on a three by Archer.

Steffes turned a turnover into a fast-break basket with 1:35 left to make it 56-55.

“It’s a point in the game where you have to be looking for any opportunity,” said Steffes, who scored 11 points. “We knew we needed every bucket we could get. I was just scoping out everything trying to make a play.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball semifinals

Detroit U-D Jesuit’s Gregory Eboigbodin dunks the ball against Macomb Dakota during the MHSAA boys basketball Class A semifinals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. on Friday, March 25, 2016. Eboigbodin scored 13 points in the 72-51 win.

EAST LANSING – It is not often that Cassius Winston is upstaged by anyone on a basketball court, much less by someone from his own team.

But that is precisely what happened when U-D Jesuit made its third straight Class A semifinal appearance Friday, and the happiest guy in the Breslin Center was … Winston.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous,” said Winston, the state’s newly-crowned Mr. Basketball. “I definitely wasn’t playing well out there. This year we just have a talented team. It’s a talented group of kids that we can get it done from the inside, we can get it done from the outside; we have kids who can knock down shots.”

And the Cubs have 6-foot-9 Gregory Eboigbodin, who can rebound like no one else.

Eboigbodin hit all six of the shots he took for 13 points and yanked down a career-high 18 rebounds to lead U-D Jesuit to a surprisingly easy 72-51 victory over Macomb Dakota in a battle of unbeatens.

The win means the Cubs can claim the school’s first Class A state championship today when they meet North Farmington at noon.

No. 1 ranked U-D Jesuit (27-0) had a 39-24 edge on the boards — and it was Eboigbodin, who grew up in Nigeria, who looked nothing like the player who was held to three points and eight rebounds in last year’s semifinal loss to Detroit Western.

“Last year I was really scared because I never played such a crowd like that before,” he said. “This year I tried to get up my confidence and my teammates they advised me every year to kick it up.”

Winston, who still managed to score a game-high 27 points with 12 assists, was elated with Eboigbodin’s performance.

“That’s what we tell him every day — 15 and 15,” Winston said. “If he gets 15 points and 15 rebounds, we win every game.”

The Cubs won this one in several areas, most notably with a terrific defensive effort led by Matt Schearer, who had the difficult assignment of guarding 5-10 junior Jermaine Jackson, Dakota’s best player.

Jackson hit his first two shots — both three-point bombs — but then missed 12 consecutive shots and finished 4 of 21 for 12 points.

“I just tried to use my length and my athleticism to make life difficult for him,” said Schearer, 6-3. “I tried to make it difficult for him to catch it every time, keep a hand up because he’s a great shooter, and overall just effort to try to limit his touches and play the defense I can.”

Dakota (26-1) trailed, 17-9, after one quarter and 30-15 at halftime — and all of the Dakota players had difficulty making shots.

This was the deepest Dakota has ever advanced in the state tournament and the Cougars played a lot like U-D Jesuit did in its first trip to the semifinals two seasons ago.

“It’s probably the hypest game I ever played in,” said Jackson. “Cassius is a great player. Mr. Basketball coming in, that’s a tough task. He led his team tonight and he just came out with the win.”

U-D Jesuit never came close to losing control of the game in the second half, proving once again that this is a much different team than the ones which lost in the last two semifinals.

“This year it’s not just me doing everything,” Winston said. “As you can see today, it was a bad outing, but I had strong supporting cast that helped me out and got us to the victory.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball semifinals

North Farmington’s Billy Thomas has a fast break against Lansing Everett’s Victor Edwards and Diego Robinson, during the MHSAA boys basketball Class A semifinals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. on Friday, March 25, 2016.

EAST LANSING – The magic ran out for Lansing Everett.

The high school which produced Earvin Johnson put together an amazing postseason run after finishing the regular season 10-10, yet its Cinderella story ended at the hands of North Farmington Friday afternoon.

The Raiders reached their first state final with a 60-48 victory in a Class A semifinal at the Breslin Center. They never trailed, and distanced themselves from the Vikings with a 14-0 run to start the second half.

Billy Thomas put the hurt on the Vikings by scoring 26 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

“I think we started off slow in the first half; it was a low-scoring game, 20-17, and we just had to pick it up offensively, because that’s our main thing, really,” he said.

Thomas was 4-of-8 beyond the arc, and his long bombs came at crucial times. He hit one early as the Raiders charged out to a 6-0 lead, and he added two more to start the third-quarter run.

“That hurt,” said Everett coach Desmond Ferguson. “We always talk about the first four minutes coming out of halftime, trying to get an advantage, and they hit two threes and a got a lay-up for a quick eight points, and it was tough to battle back from that.”

Fortunately for the Vikings, Jamyrin Jackson thawed out after a cold first half, scoring all but three of his game-high 27 after the break.

“When I started hitting my shots, I knew that we could battle back,” he said, “but coming into the game, I knew if we got down, it was going to be a tough ride, because it’s the Breslin and everybody there wants to win the state championship.”

The run enabled North Farmington (24-2) to stretch its lead to 34-17 lead three minutes into the second half. Everett (16-11) eventually climbed to within eight, 45-37, on a Jackson triple with five minutes left in the game, but that was as close as they could get.

While Jackson was lighting it up, North Farmington prevented any other Everett player from scoring in the second half, until LeAndre Wright scooped the ball in with 5:29 to play in the fourth. The Vikings didn’t get a single offensive rebound during that stretch.

“Third quarter I thought we really guarded well,” North Farmington coach Todd Negoshian said. “That was a key for us; at halftime that’s what we kept talking about. We had to keep getting stops defensively; one-and-done, and things would be better for us.”

Things were better for North Farmington at both ends of the court. The Raiders (24-2) shot just 27.8% from the floor in the first half, but 65% after halftime. Amauri Hardy added 15 for the Raiders, as Friday’s starting unit of Thomas, Hardy, Jacob Joubert, Deon Jenkins and Alex Darden combined for all 60 points.

“I thought we really shared the ball in the third quarter,” Negoshian said. “We kept it as simple as we could; the first open man threw it ahead, we passed up a good shot and kicked it one more time for a great shot for a teammate. It showed how unselfish we are as a group, and just how much we want to win.”

It’s the biggest victory ever for North Farmington, which has 11 seniors on its 12-man roster.

“I think it’s a great win for our program and our school,” Negoshian said. “To have seniors that have put in the time and the effort that they have, really speaks volumes to where we’re at. We’re just privileged to be here, and we’re happy to live to see the final day of the season.”

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball semifinals

Williamston’s Riley Lewis looks to make a shot against Detroit Henry Ford’s Kavon Bey during the MHSAA boys basketball Class B semifinals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. on Friday, March 25, 2016.

EAST LANSING – Detroit Henry Ford’s hopes and dreams for the basketball season were nearly lost a couple of weeks before the season began when big man Antwan Johnson and his family moved out of state.

It took the Trojans months to recover, but now they are a single victory away from winning the school’s first state championship.

Henry Ford countered the one-man assault of Williamston’s scoring machine Riley Lewis Friday and used a balanced attack to record a one-sided 70-48 victory in a Class B semifinal.

The win moves Henry Ford into Saturday night’s 6:30 state championship game at the Breslin Center.

Playoff run has been rosy for Flowers, Henry Ford

Lewis, who finished the tournament with an astounding 190 points in six games, lit up Henry Ford (19-6) with 32 points.

“We watched a lot of film on these guys the last couple of days,” said Henry Ford coach Ken Flowers. “And it still didn’t matter because Riley Lewis kicked our butts all day himself. We tried to take him away and he had a real great game.”

But the Trojans were able to counter with a balanced attack led by 6-foot-4 senior Kavon Bey, who scored a career-high 21 points and pulled eight rebounds.

If you don’t remember Bey from last year’s Henry Ford team lost in the finals, well, there is a reason.

“I really didn’t play that much last year,” he said. “I sat and watched.”

He sat, watched and learned.

Bey was relentless on the boards, grabbing five offensive rebounds, one more than Williamston (21-4).

“I wrote ‘(Bey) attacks the glass’ 10 times a day and we knew he was a problem,” said Williamston assistant coach Tom Lewis. “We needed him to not be so aggressive and maybe get a foul or two early and take his teeth away a little bit. But he played great. He had a lot of energy tonight.”

Bey hit 10 of 12 shots, including a three-pointer, and Williamston couldn’t stop him.

“I just came out and tried to play for my team and play my role today — come out and rebound,” he said. “Yeah, I’m kind of surprised. A little bit. We just wanted to come out and play hard and get back to the states. We’ve been thinking about since the season started. We want to get back and play in the Bres.”

A player you might remember is guard James Towns. The senior guard hit his first two shots, both three-pointers, and Henry Ford was off and running to an 18-11 lead after a quarter.

For the game Towns hit 6 of 8 shots for 17 points and helped the Trojans build a 43-23 halftime lead.

“James is the backbone of the team,” Flowers said. “He came out passionate, trying to will his team on his back and let everyone know that he was here. He’s consistent all year with what he’s been doing.”

The loss ends Williamston’s Cinderella-like run to the semifinals after head coach Jason Bauer was diagnosed with two brain tumors and underwent successful surgery.

Bauer was on the bench Friday, but couldn’t actually coach. Still, his presence was a welcome sign to his players.

“It’s definitely been magical for everyone involved,” Riley Lewis said. “We showed that we could play together and we played for something. To put it in perspective, yeah, we lost but our coach still has to fight his battles and those don’t stop here so at the end of the day it’s just a game of basketball.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball semifinals

Son of Swami

The boys basketball season has one more day left and it should be a doozy.

The Son of Swami isn’t sure which storyline to follow:

North Farmington’s Billy Thomas facing his former teammates at U-D Jesuit in the Class A final, Flint Beecher going its fourth title in five seasons, North Farmington’s Jacob Joubert — son of Detroit Southwestern Mr. Basketball Antoine Joubert — attempting to win a state title that eluded his father, Powers North Central trying to look like the most powerful team in the universe, or U-D Jesuit and current Hal Schram Mr. Basketball winner Cassius Winston shooting for the school’s first state title.

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball semifinals

Class A

U-D Jesuit (27-0) vs. North Farmington (24-2), noon. After the way U-D Jesuit celebrated brilliant senior Matt Burr’s 18th birthday Friday, can the Cubs possibly play any better against North Farmington? Frankly, yes! North Farmington has to play a perfect game to deny the Cubbies the title. DUD-Jesuit 71, North of Harrison 64.

Class B

Detroit Henry Ford (19-6) vs. Stevensville Lakeshore (20-7), 6:30. Henry Ford is going to have to deal with the overwhelming size advantage Lakeshore will have, and that will be a problem. But will Lakeshore be able to deal with the relentless pressure James Towns and his buddies can apply? Henry Ford Hospital 66, Steven’s Villa by the Lake Shore 64.

Class C

Grandville Calvin Christian (21-4) vs. Flint Beecher (24-2), 4:30. SOS was impressed with Calvin Christian’s Tony DeWitte, who had a 31-point Steph Curry-like performance in the semifinals. Beecher had an unBeecher-like performance in its semifinal, needing an off-balance three-point shot at the buzzer to pull out the victory. Beechnut 66, Calvin & Hobbs 61.

Class D

Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (22-4) vs. Powers North Central (27-0), 10 a.m. Lakes is a fun team to watch with Andre Kline and the Senerius brothers — Devin and Clay — running-and-gunning up and down the court. But who is more fun to watch than Jason Whitens and Powers North Central? It looks like a repeat for the Jets. Powerhouse North Central 72, Waterford Our Gal 66.

Class A: U-D Jesuit too much for Dakota, 72-51
Class B: Henry Ford’s balance bests Williamston

North Farmington’s Jacob Joubert looks to pass the ball Saturday. His father, Antoine Joubert, also played in the state finals.

North Farmington guard Jacob Joubert now shares another bond with his father, Antoine, as both played in state championship games.

“I told him just go out and have fun — this is something you’re going to remember forever. Go out and enjoy yourself and compete the best you can. There’s no other experience like that and I’m so proud of my son,” said Antoine, who now coaches at Oakland Community College.

The elder Joubert definitely left his mark in the finals. In 1983, he scored 47 points, which was the single-game record for 26 years before Detroit Pershing’s Keith Appling topped that by two.

“He really wanted me to win the game,” Jacob said. “He scored a lot and he wasn’t telling me to score as much as he did; he said it’s more important that I get the win.”

However, neither Joubert was able to accomplish that.

Antoine’s Detroit Southwestern squad lost back-to-back games against Flint Central, a team that was regarded as highly as U-D Jesuit was this year.

Jacob had eight points, six assists and five rebounds in the 69-49 loss Saturday to the Cubs.

MR. BASKETBALL IS GOING TO PROM: Cassius Winston, who had already won the Mr. Basketball award on Monday, got two more prizes on Saturday.

Behind Winston’s 31 points, U-D Jesuit won its first state basketball championship, which the MSU signee described as the culmination of four years of hard work.

Between the third and fourth quarters, when Winston formally accepted the Mr. Basketball trophy at center court, he slipped on a white T-shirt that read “Prom Arin” over his jersey. His prom-posal was directed toward Arin Bell, a student at Farmington Hills Mercy, and it worked, even though she was back at home watching on TV.

“I knew before that I wasn’t going to get a no,” Winston said.

SENIOR CITIZENS: One ingredient in North Farmington’s success this year was its chemistry. Of 12 players on the Raiders’ roster, 11 were seniors, and most had been playing together since grade school.

“We’ve known each other for so long. We really were a family, and it’s sad to end this way because we’d all do anything for each other. That’s what helped get us here,” center Alex Darden said.

Coach Todd Negoshian added, “We have seniors that are die-hards toward the game of basketball and love to compete, and when you have kids that are like that, they don’t want something to end, they don’t want to lose. Whether it was losing, the season ending or whatever, they didn’t want to stop being with each other.”

THIS IS OUR HOUSE: Throughout the weekend, many teams explained that it took time to get used to the big-stage atmosphere inside the Breslin Center.

Not so much for U-D Jesuit, which played several home games this winter in the 8,295-seat Calihan Hall on the University of Detroit-Mercy campus.

Senior Matt Schearer explained the Cubs moved down the block since construction of a new science wing eliminated much of the parking around the high school gym.

“We have a great, great fan base and a lot of people come to our games,” he said. “I thought (playing at Calihan) gave us a real edge. We were used to the bigger-sized court, the bigger fan base, the greater crowds, everything. Sure, we love playing at home, but going to Calihan seven or eight times, that really gave us a boost and confidence in our game.”

ALL THEY DO IS WIN: What’s the best won-lost record in a single season? That’s 28-0, based on 20 regular-season games, three district games (not everyone is scheduled for three) followed by a run to the state championship. Previously, 13 teams went 28-0, and that list grew Saturday with Powers North Central and U-D Jesuit both winning.

North Central, which hasn’t lost since the 2013-14 quarterfinals, now has a 55-game win streak, which puts it in a three-way tie for most wins in two seasons, along with Flint Northwestern (1984-85) and Flint Beecher (2012-13).

The most wins in a row is 65, set by Chassell in 1956-58.

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball finals

Flint Beecher’s Jordan Roland lies on the floor after being fouled hard by Grandville Calvin Christian during the Class C state title game.

EAST LANSING – Tony DeWitte was so impressive with 31 points in Grandville Calvin Christian’s semifinal victory that he drew special attention in the Class C championship game against Flint Beecher.

That attention took the form of junior Jordan Roland.

Other than in the Grandville huddle, Roland followed DeWitte everywhere he went on the floor Saturday at the Breslin Center.

Roland took a hard foul with 6:43 left in the game and spent 30 seconds on the floor regrouping. He eventually went to the locker room.

He re-entered the game with 3:39 to play and hit a huge triple with 2:09 left to give Beecher a 58-55 lead.

DeWitte was “held” to 15 points while Roland finished with 12.

“We pride ourselves on defense,’’ said Roland after the 63-61 victory.

Said Beecher coach Mike Williams: “I think he had 25 points or so at halftime the other day. I got tape on him from three other games so I knew not just Roland but the whole team had to make sure we knew where he was.’’

Class C: Beecher wins fourth title in five years

REF TAKES HIMSELF OUT: Ollie Sandifer Jr. pulled up lame and couldn’t finish the game.

Sandifer, from Muskegon, was officiating the Class C title game when he started laboring in the second quarter.

Suffering from a knee injury, Sandifer was replaced at halftime by alternate Chandler Terry, officiating his first championship game.

FLINT WATER CRISIS: Beecher coach Mike Williams still feels betrayed. He was born and raised in Flint and has family members who live inside the city, although he doesn’t anymore.

The city’s water crisis has hit 40 to 50% of his Flint Beecher team.

“I work at a different high school and I’m the phys ed teacher,” he said. “I have to be careful because we don’t know the kids’ personal situation at home and how they are affected. I have to keep a lot of drinking water around for the kids. You don’t want to pry into people’s personal lives, but you know it’s affecting them. About half of my team lives in the affected area; not the immediate area.”

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball finals

COPING ON THE RUN: Just before the start of the season Detroit Henry Ford coach Ken Flowers received devastating news. Antwan Johnson, who had worked with the team all summer and fall, was leaving.

“His family moved to Cincinnati,” said Flowers. “We didn’t know what to do. He was going to be a key part of our team and all of a sudden he was gone.”

The Trojans, coming off a championship game appearance, lost their first two games: a 67-49 blowout at the hands of Class A finalist North Farmington and 70-61 to Detroit Edison.

Another spot in the Class B final seemed more like a dream than a chance of becoming a reality in December.

But led by James Towns, the Trojans regrouped, leading to their first state title in a 61-47 victory over Stevensville Lakeshore.

“We picked it up and started rolling,” said Flowers. “We did some different things in practice to help guys get acclimated to his loss. Now they’ve been playing well.”

Preps!

EAST LANSING – It’s nothing in the water. It’s not the fresh air up there. It’s just “it,” and Powers North Central has it.

“We grew up together and we have chemistry,” guard Dawson Bilski said. “Every day we’d be in the gym together, the weight room together. It doesn’t matter where we’re at, we’re always together and have that chemistry, so with that, we have ‘it.’”

The 28-0 Jets also have a second consecutive state Class D championship, turning back Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes 59-48 this morning at the Breslin Center. Furthermore, the Jets also have a 55-game winning streak, which puts them within 10 wins of the state record.

“We don’t like talking about our expectations or what we want; these are kind of just do-it kind of kids,” Powers North Central coach Adam Mercier said. “I try to explain to people all the time what makes these kids special, and I finally came across it in December, and you know what? We just have ‘it.’ To be a coach of kids that want ‘it’ a lot more than others in the past, it’s humbling as a coach, and these kids are going to work their buns off to get ready for next year.”

Despite a tip-off that equated to 9 a.m. local time in the central Upper Peninsula community, the Jets came out focused and were flying by the middle of the first quarter. That’s when they went on a 14-2 run, spurred by Troy Ekberg’s three consecutive baskets, to erase the Lakers’ quick 5-0 lead on two baskets by Devin Senerius.

• High school boys basketball finals coverage

North Central had a 27-19 edge by halftime, and an 11-0 run midway through the third gave the Jets a 40-22 cushion.

But Our Lady of the Lakes (22-5) called timeout to regroup, switched up its defense, caused turnovers and whittled the deficit back to four points, 49-45, with three-and-a-half minutes to play.

“We got down, we made another run, but we rebounded, we got them rattled,” Lakers coach Paul Robak said. “At that point, it was only four points, but I thought, man, if this thing goes in, we’re going to see if they can handle it. To their credit, they rebounded, their coach settled them down and they finished out the game.”

The Lakers might have cut the gap to two but, after missing both free throws, North Central had a five-point possession on its next trip up the court. Morgan Cox scored on a put-back and was fouled and, although he missed the and-one, the Jets grabbed the rebound underneath and kicked it out to an open Marcus Krachinski, who drained a three from the right baseline. That made the score 54-45.

“At the end of the day, they were better than us today,” Robak said. “We did some of the things that I thought were going to be key. We had to rebound; we out-rebounded them today, we had to control turnovers, we wanted to have 12 or less, we had 12. You look at some of those things and you think we’re pretty darn good.”

However, the Lakers were hindered by making just two of 17 three-point attempts.

“We didn’t stretch the floor enough,” Robak said. “If a couple more of those go down, which we’ve been doing all year, the game is drastically different.”

Jason Whitens led North Central with 16 points, and the Jets got 15 from Bilski and 11 from Ekberg.

Andrew Kline scored 22 for Our Lady of the Lakes, and Senerius added 17.

Flint Beecher’s Levane Blake battles for a rebound during the Class C state championship game Saturday with Grandville Calvin Christian’s Blake Verbeek. Blake hit a free throw and made a key block in the final minute, while Verbeek scored a game-high 22 points.

EAST LANSING – Flint Beecher junior Levane Blake was in the middle of a tough situation.

Beecher led by two points in the waning seconds Saturday at the Breslin Center when Grandville Calvin Christian missed a short jump shot, but Nate Knee grabbed the offensive rebound and went up for an even shorter second shot.

Blake, 6-feet-7, knew he had no alternative.

“I just knew I had to get the block for us to win,” Blake said. “But I was scared when I went up and blocked it. I thought the ref was going to call a foul, but I just knew I had to go for it.”

Blake wasn’t afraid of committing a foul. He was concerned about the appearance of committing a foul when he swatted the ball away.

“No, I didn’t foul him,” Blake insisted. “They were calling fouls all game. I just went for it — all ball.”

And all championship.

Beecher captured its fourth Class C state championship in five years, defeating a stubborn Calvin Christian team, 63-61.

It was a dramatically different kind of game than No. 1 Beecher (25-2) had played in other championship games.

“We prepared all year long for a game like this,” said Beecher coach Mike Williams. “I always preach to our kids that championship basketball is played in the half court. Last year when we got down here we were able to press and speed the tempo up and win with a different style.”

This was a half-court battle, although the teams did run when the opportunity presented itself.

Beecher led, 54-47, midway through the fourth quarter when Calvin Christian (21-5) got back in the game on a triple by Ben Miedema and two free throws by Tony DeWitte.

Jake Arnoys’ three-point shot gave Christian the lead with 1:14 left, but Malik Ellison (21 points) penetrated and fed Blake for a basket with 55 seconds left.

In the final minute, the Squires missed the front end of a one-and one and Blake, who had taken a tough fall earlier in the quarter, added a one of two free throws with 15 seconds remaining for the two-point margin.

“I wasn’t nervous,” he said. “My wrist was messed up and it hurt when I was shooting.”

Calvin Christian had two good looks at the basket on its final possession, but neither fell.

“We had some chances down the stretch to tie it up,” said Christian coach Ryan Stevens. “There were a couple of shots there at the end. We got a shot off and we told our guys we had to go get the rebound if we miss. Nate Knee actually got a shot off, too. So they played awesome and I’m proud of them.”

DeWitte was held to 15 points after scoring 31 points in the semifinals.

The job of defending to DeWitte went to junior Jordan Roland, who hounded DeWitte everywhere on the court.

“At practice drilled it into our heads about (DeWitte) and how he could shoot, so we were going to have to close and it wasn’t going to be a walk through,” Roland said. “We had to come out and fight and get the job done.”

Calvin Christian sophomore Blake Verbeek, 6-9, hit 5 of 6 three-point shots and had a game-high 22 points. The Squires also did a solid job defending Beecher’s Aquavius Burks, limiting him to 15 points.

“Every possession we had to battle,” said Stevens. “I thought we did a great job not giving up second shots. We played great ‘D” all game. We made their shots tough shots.”

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball finals

Stevensville Lakeshore’s Max Gaishin and Calvin Bushwyler double team Detroit Henry Ford’s Jeremy Crawley who secures this rebound during the MHSAA boys basketball Class B championship at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. on Saturday, March 26, 2016.

EAST LANSING – Henry Ford had been here a year ago, but was facing a tall order in the Class B championship Saturday at the Breslin Center.

The Stevensville Lakeshore front line of 6-foot-11 Braden Burke and 6-7 Max Gishin, plus 6-6 Colin Brushwyler off the bench, had Henry Ford coach Ken Flowers up late Friday night plotting a strategy.

His guards had to control the game.

Flowers’ plan took a beating in the second half due to foul troubles and the Lancers’ size, but the Trojans regrouped to win the school’s first state title with a gritty 61-47 victory.

“I’m kind of emotional right now and I hope I don’t tear up,” said Flowers. “I really don’t know what to say right now. I was joking with the kids yesterday saying I didn’t want to be like the Buffalo Bills; get here four times and don’t win one. My guys made sure we brought it back to Seven Mile and Evergreen. I’m happy for the guys, the program and the community.”

Jeremy Crawley led Henry Ford with 18 points, senior point guard James Towns chipped in 15 and Alston Hunter had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

“We were at the bottom of Class B,” said Towns. “Nobody had us winning.”

Burke led Lakeshore with 19.

The game plan got tight in the third quarter when Devontaye Webb picked up his fourth foul with 3:17 left and had to sit with Lakeshore charging back, 34-24.

The fouls started piling up when Kavon Bey (eight points, five rebounds) picked up two fouls in eight seconds and had to leave with the lead down to 34-28.

Henry Ford struggled to score as the Lancers outscored the Trojans, 15-7, in the third quarter.

But just when the waters appeared murky, the Trojans got a triple from sophomore Deonta Ulmer and another from Crawley to extend the lead to 42-30 with 5:45 left.

“Lakeshore came out and had a great run in the third quarter,” said Flowers. “Those two threes were huge.”

Henry Ford pushed the lead to 48-33 on two free throws by Towns.

“That was a huge part of the game,” said Lakeshore coach Sean Schroeder. “I think that was a loose ball situation. We didn’t come up with it and they hit a three. We didn’t respond and they came down and hit another three. If we cut it to four it gets more interesting.”

Despite the size disparity, the Trojans out-rebounded Lakeshore, 30-19, and outscored the Lancers, 23-6, at the free throw line.

“They knew how to be tough and relentless,” said Flowers. “We’ve been undersized all year.”

Facing a significant height disadvantage, the Trojans guards needed to control the tempo and spread the floor to eliminate weak-side help.

It worked great in the first half as Henry Ford built a 27-13 halftime lead.

“It was another game,” said Hunter. “We had to play defense. We knew we had to get stops.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell at pafarrell@freepress.com Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball finals

Detroit U-D Jesuit manager Alford Harris is embraced by Matt Schearer after defeating North Farmington 69-49, during the MHSAA boys basketball Class A finals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Saturday, March 26, 2016.

EAST LANSING – Cassius Winston’s bucket list is now complete.

Four-time Catholic League champion.

Michigan’s Mr. Basketball.

Class A state championship.

After two years of final four frustration, the U-D Jesuit senior guard brought his young crew along sure-handedly in a 69-49 win over North Farmington Saturday at the Breslin Center.

He finished his prep career with 31 points on 14 of 16 shooting from the field. He also recorded nine assists, nine turnovers, four rebounds and two steals in leading the Cubs to a 28-0 record and the first state title for a Class A Detroit Catholic League team since 1976 when Detroit Catholic Central beat Saginaw.

“Eight years ago I said in my interview that this program had the potential to win a state championship,” said U-D coach Pat Donnelly. “We put in a lot of hard work in the gym and in the weight room. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by these guys and the guys in the locker room.”

• High school boys basketball finals coverage

Winston went in the stands and celebrated with his fans before the awards ceremony.

“Everything you want in a team we had,” said Winston said. “I don’t think Matt Schearer took a shot today and he didn’t care. Scott Nelson came off the bench and had 13 points. Last year we didn’t have the shooters we have now and teams were able to focus on me. This year Greg (Eboigbodin) and (Ikechukwu) Eke averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds a game. This is what Coach D and I have been working towards for four years.

“I knew I had to be ready from the start. I kept making shots and my teammates kept setting screens and looking for me.”

Between the third and the fourth quarters with his team ahead, 55-40, Winston was honored as the state’s Mr. Basketball, posing with his dad, Reginald, and the trophy.

North Farmington’s Billy Thomas, Winston’s former backcourt teammate at U-D, did his part to keep the Raiders in the game, scoring a team-high 23 points.

“Billy is a very talented scorer,” said Donnelly. “The key was to make him work to catch the ball and score. I thought Elijah (Collins) and the rest of the guys did a great job.”

Winston said all year that he couldn’t do it on his own — and he didn’t have to. Eke and Eboigbodin, who helped make the Cubs one of the best defensive teams in the state, combined for 18 points and 21 rebounds while Nelson scored 13 off the bench.

“The development of Eke the last couple of years has been remarkable,” said Donnelly. “His footwork and strength and post-up game.”

Eke’s big moment was a volley spike-type blocked shot on Jacob Joubert in the fourth quarter.

Thomas and Winston had their moment when Thomas was knocked to the ground by Eke in the fourth quarter and they chatted after the Cub helped him up.

Said Thomas: “I didn’t take it as a challenge. It was another game. I’ve been here before. I just wanted to win the game.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston drives the lane against North Farmington’s Amauri Hardy on Saturday. This year’s Mr. Basketball winner turned in one of the greatest individual performances in state final history — 31 points, 14 for 16 shooting, nine assists — in the 69-49 win.

EAST LANSING – Cassius Winston put it out there for the world to see. Twice.

After winning the Hall Schram Mr. Basketball award Monday, Winston said he wouldn’t consider his high school career successful unless he won a state championship, a pledge he reiterated after the semifinals.

It was as if the 6-foot senior guard was daring himself to win a state championship — or else — because there was no way he could possibly take back what he had said about success and the state title.

Winston won’t need to worry about that after turning in one of the most memorable performances in championship game history Saturday, scoring 31 points with nine assists in giving U-D Jesuit its first state title in a 69-49 rout of North Farmington.

More than 20 high school players have scored more points in a championship game than Winston, but none was more efficient.

Winston nailed an amazing 14 of 16 shots on the Breslin Center court, which will be his home court in a few months.

“The past couple of times it didn’t look too good on this floor,” he said. “But today I got it going.”

This was Winston’s third trip to Class A’s final four, but the two previous trips ended with semifinal losses. That is why Winston made it his mission to work with his teammates to bring their game up to his level — and it worked marvelously.

Winston wanted to be sure teams could not solely focus on him. Saturday, he was able to find the creases in the defense and exploited them with breathtaking drives to the basket.

“They definitely spaced it out a little bit more,” Winston said. “There were a lot of open lanes. Again, that’s a credit to our team. Last year we didn’t have as many dudes that could score the basketball, so everyone would be waiting in the paint for me.”

Winston didn’t know he was going to wind up with 31 points, but he knew he was going to play well.

“I was just out there kind of playing basketball and it just happened that way,” he said. “A lot of my shots were going to the basket, a lot of open lay-ups, so it was kind of pretty easy.”

He is the kind of player who can make a game look easy. Although he does have to twist his body when he takes the ball to the basket against the big guys in the paint, Winston doesn’t do anything looking for style points.

If a comparison is needed, think of the way B.J. Armstrong played for Birmingham Brother Rice in the mid-1980s before he went off to Iowa and then the Chicago Bulls. There were no frills to Armstrong’s game, just tremendous basic fundamentals.

That is Winston’s game, too, and he is mature beyond his years. He has a perspective most high school students can’t match, which is why he put the pressure on himself to win a state title.

“Almost every goal I set I’ve accomplished,” he said. “This, right here, I’ve had a successful high school career with a state championship.”

Winston didn’t back away from his proclamation that his high school career would have come up short had the Cubs lost Saturday.

“I believe that in order for you to say that you were one of the best high school players or whatever …” he said. “I may not be one of the best, but to say you had a complete successful high school career you have to win championships.”

Not only did Winston have a complete successful career, he is one of the best high school players. Ever.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1

Listen live: Michigan boys basketball finals

Detroit Henry Ford’s James Towns scores two against Williamston’s Kurtis Kodet while Joey Elenbaas looks on during the Class B semifinals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

The play of these five high school boys basketball players last weekend earned them a spot on the Free Press’ All-Tournament Team:

Cassius Winston (captain), U-D Jesuit: The newly-crowned Hal Schram Mr. Basketball, who has signed with Michigan State, followed a 27-point, 12-assist semifinal game by hitting 14 of 16 shots for 31 points and adding nine assists as the Cubs won the first Class A state title in school history.

McCabe: U-D’s Winston superb in title quest

Aquavius Burks, Flint Beecher: The 6-foot-4 senior helped capture his third Class C state championship by hitting seven of eight shots for 22 points in the semifinal and six of 10 shots for 15 points in the final as Beecher won its fourth title in five years.

Class C: Beecher wins fourth title in five years

Jason Whitens, Powers North Central: After scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds and five assists in the semifinal, the 6-5 junior guard scored 16 points with seven rebounds and two assists to help the Jets win their second consecutive Class D title.

‘It’ factor leads Powers North Central to Class D championship

James Towns, Detroit Henry Ford: The 5-10 senior guard scored 17 points in the semifinal and followed with 15 points in the final to enable Henry Ford to win its first state championship, 61-47, over Stevensville Lakeshore in the Class B final.

Class B: Detroit Henry Ford captures first state title

Malik Ellison, Flint Beecher: After the 5-8 junior guard hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to win the semifinal game, he scored 21 points in a 63-61 win over Grandville Calvin Christian as Beecher won its fourth Class C title in five years.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Top basketball recruit and Michigan State target Josh Jackson told Rivals.com in a Sunday evening interview that he knows his college choice, but he also said he probably won’t announce it this week.

Josh Jackson watches the Michigan State -Ohio State game on March 5 at the Breslin Center.

“It’s probably gonna be later on,” Jackson told the recruiting site during an interview from Chicago, where he is taking part in McDonald’s All-American Game festivities this week.

On mobile? Tap here for interview.

And it was supposed to happen Thursday, Jackson said – which coincides with heavy rumors on recruiting sites that night that he was about to announce. But he said there were some “family members and close friends” who couldn’t be with him, so he held off.

Those rumors also had Jackson picking Kansas that night, over finalists MSU and Arizona. But Jackson isn’t tipping his hand right now.

He told Rivals.com that, of the three head coaches, he probably has the closest relationship with Arizona’s Sean Miller. He said he was impressed on his official visit to Kansas.

“It was the loudest gym I’ve ever been in, in my entire life,” he said of Allen Fieldhouse. “And I was just the whole time thinking, ‘Man, I’d hate to be the opposing team right now, but I would love to be playing for Kansas right now.’ Just one major thing is their fans, their fans are amazing, probably the best fans in college basketball. And the coach, coach (Bill) Self, he’s a great coach. He coaches players really hard, pushes them, makes them better.”

And MSU? Jackson – a 6-foot-7 wing ranked the No. 1 prospect in the nation by some services – wasn’t asked by Rivals.com specifically about the Spartans. But when asked which other McDonald’s All-Americans are recruiting him hardest to join them, he was quick to answer.

Cassius Winston unsure if top recruit Josh Jackson will join MSU

“Definitely Miles,” Jackson said of MSU signee Miles Bridges. “By far. By far. Daily, constant.”

Bridges, of Flint and now Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, has long been friends with Jackson, who is from Detroit and is now a senior at Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif.

Jackson and MSU signee Joshua Langford will play for the West team during Wednesday’s McDonald’s All-American Game (9 p.m., ESPN), and Bridges will be on the East team.

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!

Flint Beecher’s Levane Blake challenges Grandville Calvin Christian’s Blake Verbeek for a rebound.

The final shot of the Class C boys basketball state championship game had been taken, and Flint Beecher’s 6-foot-7 junior Levane Blake soared into the air and registered his third blocked shot of the game, securing the title for Beecher.

A second later the buzzer sounded, and Blake and his teammates hugged and jumped around the Breslin Center court after winning their fourth title in five seasons.

The Buccaneers accepted their championship medals and posed for pictures. A few minutes later, Blake joined coach Mike Williams and some of his teammates in addressing the media, and Blake explained how he was able to block the shot but was worried a whistle-happy ref might call a foul.

From there it was onto a bus and the joyous ride home as championship medals hung around the players’ necks and the trophy made its way around the bus.

I would guess there are thousands of school kids across the state who would have given their eye teeth to trade places with Blake on Saturday, at least until the bus arrived back at Beecher and Blake got home.

You see, Blake lives with his grandparents in the city of Flint, and he hasn’t been able to drink the water at home for months.

“We just use bottled water,” Blake said. “We get so many bottles of water, and that’s just how we have to live.”

The Flint water crisis is ground zero for Blake and many of his teammates.

Beecher High School is located in Mt. Morris Township and does not get its water from the city of Flint, so at least Blake and teammates who do live in Flint can drink out of a school water fountain without worrying about their safety.

But their safety is on their minds when they are at home.

“You have to boil your water,” Blake said. “It’s real tough, real tough. But you’ve got to do it just to stay healthy.”

Blake improved a lot over the course of the season and several college coaches are recruiting him. He already has a Division I scholarship offer from Kent State.

The irony of playing in the beautiful Breslin Center and then going to a home in which he cannot drink the water was not lost on Blake.

And then there are schools willing to pay his way through college, yet he can’t get a drink of water at home.

Blake laughed when asked what he would like to say to state and local officials, elected and unelected, who allowed a third-world problem to his hometown.

“They need to do something about the water real quick,” he said. “It’s tearing people down. Our city’s already messed up, and this is going to tear it down worse.”

Basketball doesn’t seem very important with what is going on in Flint, yet junior Malik Ellison, who lives in the township and can drink the water in his home, said basketball is supremely important to the players who live in Flint.

“It helps us on the court because they get away from everything and all this Flint crisis stuff,” Ellison said. “They just come to the court and they do what they love. It’s different there.”

The Jets streak on

The season ended for Powers North Central the exact same way the previous season ended, with a Class D state championship.

This time, however, it was no laugher. North Central was in a serious battle after Andrew Kline led Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes on a furious comeback to get within four points midway through the fourth quarter.

“Well, they moved the ball really well and they were playing harder than us, to be honest,” North Central junior all-stater Jason Whitens said. “We kind of got lazy, and they came out and wanted to hit us in the mouth. We took their shot, and we’ve been taking shots all year. We just had to take it in and battle back.”

The Jets did just that to record their 55th consecutive victory, tying Saginaw Buena Vista for the fourth-longest streak in state history.

“It’s awesome to finally reach the end of a season and know that you’re the best team in Class D,” Whitens said. “And just with the group of guys that I have, it means even more that the seniors can go out on a high note like last year. That’s my family and it couldn’t mean any more.”

It could mean more come game No. 11 of next season. If the Jets win their first 10 games, they will tie the state record of 65 straight wins, set by Chassell in parts of the 1956-58 seasons.

Although the record is not paramount in his thoughts, finishing next season the way the two most recent seasons ended is.

“Hopefully the same way, right?” Whitens said. “We’re going to work hard, and we’re going to come back better. Every year we’re going to come back better, and I can promise you that. We’re going to work hard to achieve another goal. That’s what we’re focused on.”

Though he will be devoting much of his free time to basketball, Whitens also is on the baseball team. But according to North Central’s basketball coach, Whitens, a rightfielder, is not one of the school’s best baseball players.

“I’m not awful,” Whitens countered. “OK, I’m a good fielder. I just can’t hit the ball, man. I’m more of a golfer. I can golf. But baseball, that ball is coming fast. And then all of sudden a curveball, and you’re reaching for it.

“I wish Coach would get me pitching. I’ve got an arm, I think. I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to him.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

High school boys basketball state finals all-tournament team

Detroit U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston scores 31 points against North Farmington during the MHSAA boys basketball Class A finals March 26, 2016 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Between the third and fourth quarters of Saturday’s Class A boys basketball state championship game, U-D Jesuit’s Cassius Winston was presented with the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award.

Before the ceremony, Winston slipped a T-shirt on over his jersey and the T-shirt said: “Arin, prom?” It was Winston’s way of asking Arin Bell to the U-D Jesuit prom.

Bell is a senior at Farmington Hills Mercy who stayed at home to help care for her grandfather, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery.

But she was watching the game on TV and saw Winston and the T-shirt.

“I started crying, I was a little embarrassed,” she said Sunday. “On Friday he told me he was going to ask me if he won the game. I was like, ‘Oh, don’t do it, Cassius,’ but he did it anyway.”

About as public of a promposal as you can get. Cassius Winston ftw. @cassiuswinston @UDJBasketball @udjesuitsports https://t.co/Q50XxuDTEx

—
Jared Purcell (@JaredPurcellDET) March 26, 2016

Bell knew the invitation was coming, but she was startled by the timing.

“I thought it was going to happen after the game,” she said. “I didn’t know he was going to do it that publicly. It was really nice.”

A friend of Bell’s in the U-D student section called her and asked if she saw the invitation.

“I told him I saw it,” she said, “and I told him to tell him yes for me.”

Bell is trying to decide among Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State, but said she is leaning toward MSU, where Winston will be a freshman in the fall.

She is also leaning toward asking Winston to attend the Mercy prom, but her invitation likely won’t be on televised.

“I’m going to make a sign,” she said.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

McCabe: U-D’s Winston superb in title quest
Cassius Winston (MSU) shows shades of Denzel Valentine at Breslin
Cassius Winston unsure if top recruit Josh Jackson will join MSU