Bonus Bytes - Part II

I wanna start off by acknowledging a mistake in my post season awards. Somehow county scoring machine and Novi's Mr. Do-Everything Chris Bellamy's name was accidentally omitted from the selection list.  The fact of the matter is Bellamy was the captain of my first team all-county team and how it got reported otherwise is my bad all the way. Any followers of this blog know how much I love Chris B's game, having profiled him in a blog entry just a few months back, and Chris B himself must know Burney meant him no disrespect. Anyway, props to Chris for such great senior seasons on both the football field and the bball hardwood and for completing a varsity career that certainly qualifies as legendary in the annals of Wildcats prep history.

One more note about a former blog entry - last time i ranted about how I would welcome back the oakland county high school 3-point shootout and slam dunk contest, an event that used to be an exciting and fulfilling way to send off the just-concluded hoops season. Well, I forgot to give my prediction for what might have happened if there had been a 3-point shoot out and slam dunk contest after the '09 season.  Here goes: I would say the dunk contest would have come down to Madison Heights Madison's under-rated and highflying Ryan Aaron and Birmingham Detroit Country Day's human pogo stick, "Boom Boom" Benny Fowler. Both Aaron and Fowler, a MSU football recruit at wide receiver, are aerial craftsman and I'm certain they would have eac h put on one heckuva show.  My pick though would be Fowler, who I'm sure would have easily wowed the crowd with his catalogue of rim-rattling slams and trademark showmanship.

In terms of a 3-point contest, I see it developing into an old fashioned "shootout at the OK Corral" between Clarkston sniper Brandon Pokley and Country Day's marksman Jordan Dumars, two of the best outside gunners this county has seen in quite some time. If both brought their "a" games, I would go with Pokely, who's chances are helped by the grit and mental toughness he has displayed over his 4 year varsity career, which gives me the hunch he would go bananas with the "money balls" and eek a close one past Jordan D.

Speaking of Wolves Nation, props to Clarkston's girls soccer team and head coach Sarah Wasilk - wife of Clarkston hoops great and current girls bball coach Timmy Wasilk - for getting the proverbial monkey of their backs on Tuesday night with the team's first victory of the season, a 1-0 defeat of a previously-unbeaten Birmingham Seaholm squad. The Lady Wolves played hard and fast in treacherous and rainy conditions, sealing the triumph when senior forward Alex Rodabauch converted a spirited-mix in the box into the winning goal late in the first half. Goalkeeper Demarre Wells picked up the first shutout of her career. Chances to improve vastly on last year's dismal one win total, appear high. Way to go Blue and Gold!    

Love the baseball talent in the county this year - Conway, Tinke, Waszak, Theodore, Hall, Samuel. There's just so much of it and its all so versatile. Can't wait until June and thick of the conference races. Watch out for the Burney's Bytes diamond preview coming in just a few short days (by the end of the weekend)

---

Why pay full price? Check out this month's deals on the new AOL Shopping.