Here are a few things that all you OC hoop heads should know about the pair of non-area opponents – Ann Arbor Huron and Muskegon Heights – waiting for local squads, Southfield and Birmingham Detroit Country Day, in the MHSAA Final Four this Friday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Ann Arbor Huron (set to face Southfield at 1:00 in a Class A semi-final)
· Took out North Farmington handily in the regional semi-final at Hartland.
· Runs same defensive sets as head coach Tom Negoshian and the North Farmington Raiders – Negoshian taught Huron head coach Waleed Samaha how to install and teach the defense at Samaha's request back in 2007.
· Samaha and the River Rats overcame a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter to eventually go on to defeat Maurice "Pookie" Jones (USC) and Saginaw Arthur Hill 63-53 in the quarterfinals.
· Huron is 22-4 and led by guard A.J. Mathew, who scored 17 points in the Elite Eight, Kyle Baker, who grabbed the game-securing rebound and subsequent game-clinching free throws, and Dante Williams, who netted 14 points in the historic River Rats victory.
Muskegon Heights (set to face DCD at 6:00 in a Class B semi-final)
· Picked up an exhilarating OT win in the quarters again Petoskey on Deontea Hudson's buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
· Muskegon Heights is 21-4 and coached by Keith Guy.
· The Tigers beat fellow Class B Final Four participant Lansing Sexton earlier in the season.
· Julian Plummer, the Tigers best player and a recent 1st team all-state selection, suffered a sprained ankle in the regionals and was limited to just 8 points in the Elite Eight.
· Besides Plummer, a big fella with style and grace, Muskegon Heights gets big time contributions from Hudson and Jamil Thornton.
· The last time Muskegon Heights won a state championship was in 1979 and the last time the Tigers were in the Final Four was 2005.
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