Quarterfinal Roundup: Notes and Top Performers
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The semifinals at The Breslin Center for this weekend are officially set as 16 teams punched their tickets after earning a win in the state quarterfinals last night. I was at Calvin University and saw South Christian handle Unity Christian…
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Continue ReadingThe semifinals at The Breslin Center for this weekend are officially set as 16 teams punched their tickets after earning a win in the state quarterfinals last night. I was at Calvin University and saw South Christian handle Unity Christian without much resistance. I’ll get into my thoughts on that game and get into who stood out across the state.
South Christian 61, Unity Christian 38
Despite losing their most talented prospect to a freak injury during the regional finals that left sophomore Carson Vis Carson Vis 6'3" | PG Grand Rapids South Christian | 2025 State MI with two broken wrists, South Christian marches past Unity Christian to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2005. It was the Sailor’s three-headed monster of Jacob DeHaan Jacob DeHaan 6'2" | CG Grand Rapids South Christian | 2023 State MI , Jake Vermaas Jake Vermaas 6'2" | SG South Christian | 2024 State MI , and Sam Mendendorp Sam Mendendorp 6'3" | SF Grand Rapids South Christian | 2023 MI who had a performance that will live on in South Christian Basketball lore as the trio combined for 57 of the Sailor’s 61 points.
Jacob DeHaan Jacob DeHaan 6'2" | CG Grand Rapids South Christian | 2023 State MI was seemingly unstoppable all night, scoring a game-high 27 points on 9-of-13 field goal attempts. Jake also dished out two assists, grabbed three boards, and made 6-of-7 free throws. I thought Jake was assertive from the jump and knew he had to have a big night in order for South to advance. His dribble drive wasn’t contained by Unity all night, and his perimeter jumper was dialed in as he knocked down 3-of-5 from deep.
Jake Vermaas Jake Vermaas 6'2" | SG South Christian | 2024 State MI made his presence felt in just about every facet of the game for South Christian. The junior guard scored 14 points, grabbed six boards, dished out 5 assists, and had 2 steals. I thought in this situation with Vis out, Jake did a phenomenal job of letting the game come to him and he chose his spots and executed seamlessly.
Sam Mendendorp Sam Mendendorp 6'3" | SF Grand Rapids South Christian | 2023 MI had arguably the best performance of his career, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards. Sam knocked down 7-of-9 shots with the majority of those shots coming in the paint. It was clear that Mendendorp wasn’t going to be the aggressor from about 8 feet in, and no one on Unity provided enough resistance to slow him down. I was most impressed with Mendendorp’s defense on Unity big Jake Chapman Jake Chapman 6'6" | C Unity Christian | 2025 State MI . Chapman was held to 2 points on 1-of-7 shooting and only grabbed 3 rebounds. It was Mendendorp’s length that forced Unity into tough shots near the rim all night.
Colin Nieuwenhuis did everything he could to keep Unity in the game. He scored 18 points and knocked down 2-of-4 from three. Colin has a smooth jumper and a great handle to pair. He’ll be one of the senior guards to keep an eye on next year.
Quarterfinal Top Performances
Darius Acuff, Cass Tech ’25
Darius scored 30 points in Cass Tech’s 55-49 win over Ann Arbor Huron.
Grady Eklund Grady Eklund 6'3" | PG Pewamo-Westphalia | 2026 State MI , Pewamo Westphalia ’26
Grady scored 30 points in Pewamo’s loss to Niles Brandywine.
Trey McKenney Trey McKenney 6'4" | CG Orchard Lake St. Mary's | 2025 State #27 Nation MI , Orchard Lake St. Mary’s ’25
Trey scored 28 points in OLSM’s 55-44 win over De La Salle.
James Wright James Wright 6'3" | PF Summit Academy | 2023 State MI , Romulus Summitt Academy ’23
James scored 25 points in Summitt Academy’s 68-62 win over Chelsea.
Cameron Reed Cameron Reed 6'0" | PG Ferndale | 2023 State MI , Ferndale ’23
Cameron scored 20 points in Ferndale’s 71-66 win over Goodrich.
Nylen Goins, Niles Brandywine ’26
Nylen scored 19 points in Nyles Brandywine’s 71-62 win over Pewamo Westphalia.
Robert Lee Robert Lee 6'2" | SG Flint Beecher | 2023 State MI Jr., Flint Beecher 23″
Robert Lee Robert Lee 6'2" | SG Flint Beecher | 2023 State MI scored 19 points in Beecher’s 55-49 win over Detroit Loyola.
Tae Boyd Tae Boyd 6'3" | SF Grand Blanc | 2023 State MI , Grand Blanc ’23
Tae scored 18 points in Grand Blanc’s 64-44 win over Rochester Adams.
Roy Fogg, Tri-Unity Christian ’23
Roy scored 16 points in Tri-Unity’s 54-41 win over Kalamazoo Phoenix.
Jordan Briggs Jordan Briggs 6'0" | PG Muskegon | 2023 State MI , Muskegon ’23
Jordan scored 13 points in Muskegon’s 59-43 win over East Lansing.
Anthony Sydnor III Anthony Sydnor III 6'3" | PG Muskegon | 2023 State MI , Muskegon ’23
Anthony scored 13 points in Muskegon’s win.
Final Four Matchups
DIVISION 1 – March 24
Detroit Cass Tech vs Grand Blanc – Noon
Orchard Lake St Mary’s vs Muskegon – 2 pm
DIVISION 2 – March 24
Saginaw vs Ferndale – 5:30 pm
GR South Christian vs Romulus Summit Academy North – 7:30 pm
DIVISION 3 – March 23
Flint Beecher vs Ecorse – Noon
Traverse City St Francis vs Niles Brandywine – 2 pm
DIVISION 4 – March 23
Munising vs Marine City Cardinal Mooney – 5:30 pm
Frankfort vs Wyoming Tri-unity Christian – 7:30 pm