Boys Basketball: Teams take aim at Flat Rock at Huron League tips off
Are the champs ready?
We will find out this week.
Flat Rock has won back-to-back Huron League boys basketball championships and three of the last four.
“Honestly, one of our goals this year is to get a three-peat,” said Flat Rock coach Rick Smith.
That process begins this week with the start of the league season Friday night.
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Flat Rock opens by hosting Jefferson.
Other league games that night are Grosse Ile at St. Mary Catholic Central, Riverview at Airport and Milan at New Boston Huron.
“We feel confident,” Smith said. “Geez, we have three four-year varsity players and two who are going into their third year. I feel experience is a huge advantage.”
Smith is confident, but not cocky.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that they are still high school kids,” he said. “We can come into a game and not shoot it well. Nothing is given.”
And Smith knows the Huron League teams will be ready when they take on the Rams.
“Our league is a well-coached,” he said. “All the coaches in our league do a good job of getting their teams prepared.”
Smith pointed to SMCC, Airport and Riverview as contenders for the league championship.
“We have a target on our backs,” he said. “We’re the hunted instead of the hunter.”
SMCC coach Randy Windham says the road to the league title starts in Flat Rock.
“It’s kind of Flat Rock, then everybody else,” he said. “Graham (Junge) really separates them. … He’s one guy I would pay to watch.”
Windham will get to watch Junge play for free twice when Flat Rock plays his team.
“We match up decently with them, but that doesn’t mean it will end up in a victory,” Windham said. “I really do like our team. We can play a couple different ways. We are pretty strong inside and we have really good guard play.
“I don’t know how many victories we will end up with, but we should give teams trouble.”
SMCC, which has been off since opening the season with a victory over Livonia Clarenceville on Nov. 28, tunes up for the start of league play by traveling to Plymouth Christian Tuesday.
The week of hoops tips off tonight with Whiteford at Ottawa Hills in Ohio.
Other games on scheduled for Tuesday are Gibraltar Carlson at Trenton, Ypsilanti Lincoln at Monroe, Bedford at Ann Arbor Pioneer, Blissfield at Dundee, Ida at Hillsdale, Jefferson at Sand Creek, Milan at Britton Deerfield, New Boston Huron at Wyandotte Roosevelt and Whitmore Lake at Summerfield.
Old rivals Dundee and Ida will meet at Ida Thursday.
There also will be a pair of Tri-County Conference games that night: Erie Mason at Summerfield and Lenawee Christian at Whiteford.
Also on the Friday slate are Saline at Monroe, Ann Arbor Huron at Bedford and State Line Christian at Faith Clinton.
Airport visits Erie Mason Saturday.
RECORDS
Dundee 5-0
Ida 3-0
Whiteford 3-0
SMCC 1-0
Flat Rock 3-1
Summerfield 3-1
Milan 2-2
Jefferson 1-1
Airport 1-2
New Boston Huron 1-2
State Line 2-6
Gibraltar Carlson 1-4
Monroe 0-2
Bedford 0-2
Erie Mason 0-3
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Boys Basketball: What's ahead for Region teams this week?
