Basketball Scouting Reports: Can Lakeview boys clinch first division title since 2011?
BATTLE CREEK - Scouting reports for all the key prep basketball games in the Battle Creek readership area:
Boys
Battle Creek Central (1-17)
Next: vs. Harper Creek (Late Wednesday); at Lakeview, Friday; at Coldwater, Monday (District opener)
Scouting Report: Battle Creek Central hasn't had the season it probably wanted, with a young roster and the lack of varsity experience coming into this year, but the Bearcats can make up for all of that in one game. BCC will make the short trip to city rival Lakeview on Friday and can play spoiler as the Spartans need a win to clinch a Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East Division title. If the Bearcats win on Friday, nobody will remember their current record. BCC struggled against the Lakeview defensive pressure in the first meeting between the two teams in January in a 75-28 loss. Regardless of the outcome on Friday, BCC gets to start fresh on Monday with the start of district play with a game at Coldwater.
Lakeview (14-7)
Next: vs. Battle Creek Central, Friday; Districts at Gull Lake, Wednesday
Scouting Report: Lakeview, in a tie for first place in the division, can clinch the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East Division title with a win at home on senior night on Friday against city rival Battle Creek Central. First-place Kalamazoo Central is already done with division play and sits at 6-2 in the East. Lakeview, at 5-2, needs a win over the Bearcats to match the Maroon Giants. The Spartans are on pace to win their first division or league title since 2011. Lakeview has defeated Battle Creek Central four straight times in the rivalry. The Spartans have won two straight games after a 55-47 victory on the road over Otsego on Tuesday.
Harper Creek (8-12)
Next: at Battle Creek Central (Late Wednesday); vs. Parma Western, Friday; vs. Sturgis, Monday (District opener)
Scouting Report: Parma Western is hoping to finish the Interstate 8 Conference schedule undefeated. Harper Creek can play spoiler as the final league game for both is at Harper Creek on Friday. The Beavers lost to Parma Western 57-49 in mid-January. Parma Western is the only I-8 team in the conference with a winning record overall at 16-5. Harper Creek will open district play at home against Sturgis on Monday. The Beavers beat Sturgis, 61-36, for it's most one-sided victory of the season.
Pennfield (7-13)
Next: at Plainwell (Late Wednesday); vs. Jackson Northwest, Friday; vs. Constantine, Monday (District opener)
Scouting Report: Pennfield is coming off a 51-38 loss to 8-12 Hastings on Tuesday. The Panthers will finish its league schedule with a home game against Jackson Northwest (10-11) on Friday. Northwest, second in the I-8, beat Pennfield in the first meeting, 56-53. Pennfield will open district play against a struggling Constantine team that is 4-17, after suffering through a 12-game losing streak at midseason.
St. Philip (13-7)
Next: vs. Burr Oak (Late Thursday); Districts at Climax-Scotts, Wednesday
Scouting Report: With four straight wins, heading into action against 12-8 Burr Oak on Thursday, St. Philip has already clinched a winning season for the first time since 2020. Now, the Tigers can set their sites on winning their first district title since 2014. St. Philip has a bye in the first round of the Division 4 district. The Tigers have already beaten everyone in its district at least once this year. St. Philip earned a regular season sweep over Climax-Scotts with a win on Tuesday. The Tigers could see C-S for a third time in the district semifinal on the Panthers home floor.
Calhoun Christian (11-10)
Next: vs. Bellevue (Late Thursday); vs. Climax-Scotts, Monday (District opener)
Scouting Report: As Calhoun Christian enjoyed double-digit wins on the season for the third year in a row, the Cougars get set for district play. Calhoun Christian will see Climax-Scotts in the first round. Climax-Scotts has struggled this year at 5-16, but a high point was a 57-44 overtime win over Calhoun Christian in December. Calhoun Christian beat Battle Creek Academy on Tuesday for the second time this season.
Battle Creek Academy (15-6)
Next: vs. Jackson Christian (Late Thursday); vs. Marshall Academy, Wednesday (District semifinal)
Scouting Report: Battle Creek Academy won the Crossroads Athletic Conference Tournament with a 51-41 victory over Will Carleton Academy in the championship game with Nathan Thomson leading the way with 18 points. The win gave BCA both the regular season and the tournament title. BCA will try to use that momentum, heading into MHSAA district tournament play for the just the second time ever, after becoming eligible last year. BCA will see Marshall Academy in the semifinals. BCA has beaten Marshall Academy three times this season already.
MORE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS:
2023-24 Boys Basketball: City/Area High School Schedules
MHSAA boys basketball tournament draw has been released. Who is your team playing?
Girls
Battle Creek Central (10-6)
Next: at Lakeview, Friday; vs. Holland West Ottawa, Tuesday
Scouting Report: After opening the season 8-1, BCC has lost four of its last six games heading into rivalry matchup at Lakeview on Friday. The Bearcats beat Lakeview 43-27 in January to get to that 8-1 mark. Struggling to score, BCC hasn't reached beyond 40 points in any of the last six games.
Lakeview (6-13)
Next: vs. Battle Creek Central, Friday; Parma Western, Tuesday
Scouting Report: Lakeview is now 6-5 in its last 11 games and seems to have turned things around since the Spartans' 0-8 start. Forced to play younger players due to injuries and graduation losses, Lakeview has started to hit its stride. The Spartans will get to see how far they've come with a rematch against rival Battle Creek Central on Friday. Lakeview lost to BCC, 43-27, in January.
Harper Creek (8-11)
Next: vs. Parma Western, Friday; vs. St. Joseph, Tuesday
Scouting Report: Heading into Tuesday's 56-28 loss to defending league champ Coldwater, Harper Creek had won three straight. The Beavers will get a chance to regain that momentum, with an eye towards districts, with two home games to end the regular season, starting with a Parma Western team that will finish in the top half of the I-8 and beat Harper Creek, 61-31, in January.
Pennfield (5-14)
Next: vs. Jackson Northwest, Friday; vs. Sturgis, Tuesday
Scouting Report: Pennfield earned its first league win of the season on Tuesday against Hastings (3-15). The Panthers will end league play against Jackson Northwest (16-3) on Friday, as the Mounties have already clinched the conference crown.
St. Philip (8-10)
Next: at Burr Oak, Friday; at St. Joseph Our Lady, Tuesday
Scouting Report: St. Philip played Climax-Scotts for the second time in eight days, thanks to a weather postponement. The Tigers are 2-2 in the last four times out, with both of those losses coming to Climax-Scotts. Next for St. Philip is a date on the road with Burr Oak, which lost to the Tigers, 45-32, earlier in the season.
Calhoun Christian (13-6)
Next: at Maple Valley (Late Thursday); vs. Bellevue, Tuesday
Scouting Report: Calhoun Christian faced Battle Creek Academy for the second time on Tuesday and swept the season series, holding BCA to just 20 points in the 32-20 victory. The Cougars have four of the last five times out, falling only to Union City on the road.
Battle Creek Academy (10-8)
Next: vs. Will Carleton (Late Thursday); CAC Conference Tourney, Saturday
Scouting Report: Battle Creek Academy, which finished second in the regular season in the Crossroads Athletic Conference, will play in the CAC Conference Tournament this week, with the final round on Saturday.
Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Scouting Reports: Lakeview vs. BCC highlights week in basketball
