Class D Final: Recap and Top Performers
Saturday, March 24th marks the end of the boys basketball season. The Class D state championship was the first of four on the day, featuring a matchup between a loaded Southfield Christian team and one of the premiere teams of Northern Michigan in Buckley. Southfield was the favored team in this matchup, given their lethal 1-2 punch of Harlond Beverly and Bryce Washington. Throw in a quality third option like Caleb Hunter, who holds a D1 offer for himself it’s hard not to pick the Eagles to take home the Class D championship.
The safe bet turned into the smart bet, as Southfield started red hot behind Beverly’s 14 point first quarter, which was ignited by an alley-oop dunk just a couple possessions into the game. Beverly, along with the rest of Southfield, played suffocating pressure defense that often times resulted in easy, fastbreak opportunities. They led 21-10 at half, and rode that momentum through the second quarter. Buckley showed fight in the second period behind senior Joey Weber, who managed 14 points by the half.
Buckley rode momentum created by a strong second quarter into the third, cutting what was a 22-point deficit to single digits. Senior Austin Harris was able to get himself going offensively to fuel the run, however, Southfield clung to a 49-42 lead heading into the final period.
The 4th quarter was all Southfield, as Harlond Beverly continued to operate at a high level. Also, sophomore Dajion Humphrey had a nice second half, netting 9 points to not only help whether Buckley’s surge, as well as help open the game up for good in the final period.
Southfield Christian would go on to win the Class D state championship 64-54. Harlond Beverly led with a team-high 23 points. Caleb Hunter added 13 points and Bryce Washington had 12 points. For Buckley, Joey Weber had a game-high 26 points.