By Ron Rop
LocalSportsJournal.com

EAST LANSING — The Muskegon Big Reds were not going down without a fight on Saturday in the Division 1 state championship game against Detroit Cass Tech.

The Big Reds battled for 32 minutes, most of which were played while facing a deficit, before falling 78-63 at The Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University. The game was witnessed by a crowd of 5,599.

Muskegon’s Jordan Briggs creates space against Kenneth Robertson. Photo/Joe Washington

Cass Tech (27-1), a traditional state power in football, earned its first basketball state title in its first appearance in the state finals since a runner-up finish in 1974.

For the Big Reds (26-2) it was the culmination of another successful season that included an undefeated league season in the OK-Green along with district and regional titles. It was Muskegon’s first trip to the finals since winning the state title 9 years ago.

“It was two teams battling tonight and, unfortunately, we did not come out on top,” Muskegon coach Keith Guy said. “Congratulations to Cass Tech. They played a great game.”

On Saturday, the Big Reds started with a mid-range jumper from David Day III and added a two-handed slam dunk from Terrance Davis and took a 4-2 lead. But then Cass Tech, which plays in-your-face defense for the length of the court, started to pull away. A 12-0 run that lasted until the final minute of the opening quarter pushed the lead to 14-4. Muskegon did score the last seven points of the quarter on a hard-driving layup by Anthony Sydnor III, two free throws from David Day III and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Justin Watson.

The Big Reds were within three points despite the fact they made just 4-of-17 shots in the opening quarter.

“I feel like we usually have a good start, but today we were playing from behind,” said Sydnor. “We just kept pushing and pushing, but Cass Tech is a good team and they just put us away.”

Terrance Davis gets fouled on the shot for Muskegon. Photo/Joe Washington

Muskegon pulled even closer before the second quarter on the Technicians’ second of three technical fouls called in the game. That made it 14-13.

After Watson canned a 3-pointer to tie the game at 16-all, the teams exchanged baskets. But in the final minutes of the second quarter, Cass Tech went on a 12-4 run that sent the teams off the court at halftime with the Technicians leading 41-31. Day sparked Muskegon with 12 first-half points.

When play resumed after half, the Big Reds began to battle back and began cutting into the deficit. Briggs hit a pair of 3-pointers and Day hit one and Muskegon was within 45-41.

With all the momentum squarely on their side, Muskegon completed the comeback when Sydnor scored on a burst to the basket for the layup and Watson bagged a 3-pointer from deep in the right corner. With 1:48 remaining in the third quarter, the comeback was complete and Muskegon led, 47-46.

“We were down 10 going into the third quarter so I just needed a few shots to go down and give us some momentum,” Briggs said. “I knocked a few down so that got us going good.

“We never lost hope,” Briggs said. “We were going, but we let it slip away.”

Anthony Sydnor III defends Cass Tech’s No. 5 Darius Acuff. Photo/Joe Washington

Tech scored the last four points of the period and led 50-47 heading to the fourth. Muskegon had a 16-9 scoring advantage in the third period.

The Technicians went on another run to start the fourth quarter. The Big Reds couldn’t hit a shot, and instead, committed a handful of turnovers. That helped Cass Tech go on a 9-1 run to grow their lead to double digits at 59-48.

“Our shots weren’t falling like they usually do,” Day said. “But we just wanted to keep playing hard and show that we had fight in us. I think we showed that and I’m very proud of my guys for not giving up.”

The closest Muskegon could come down the stretch was eight points with 2 minutes remaining. The Technicians hit their final nine free throws to earn the double-digit victory.

Senior Travon Cooper led Cass Tech with 19 points and eight rebounds. Darius Acuff also hit for 19 points. Kenneth Robertson also reached double figures with 15 points and six rebounds.

“We established that (winning a state title) as a goal,” said Cass Tech coach Steve Hall, who is coaching his alma mater. “It looks good on paper, but to carry it out and pursue it, It’s unbelievable what we’ve been able to do.

Terrance Davis goes slams home two points for Muskegon. Photo/Joe Washington

“I’ve got a special group of guys,” Hall said. “We’re special and now we have something we can stamp and maybe others can see how special it is.”

Muskegon’s trio of senior guards once again carried the load by scoring 47 of their 63 points. Briggs led the charge with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Day had 15 points and Sydnor had 13. Watson chipped in six rebounds.  

“I was going to be sad either way (win or lose),” said Guy, referring to the last game coaching his seniors. “It’s sad because I’ve been with them for a long time and they do things the right way. I’m hurting for them because they worked so hard and, this is life, and we’ll get over it. I could not ask for a better group of seniors.”

For the game, Muskegon made 11 shots from beyond on the 3-point line on 31 attempts.

The game was spiced with 49 fouls and a combined 60 free-throw attempts. The Big Reds made 18-of-27 free throws while the Technicians made 23-of-33 from the charity stripe.

“There was no flow to the game, but in these games, there is going to be adversity and the team that handles it the best normally wins the game,” Guy said. “I guess they must have handled it better.”