Enquirer Crystal Ball predictions: City teams will win district titles. But which ones?
BATTLE CREEK - It could be a big postseason in city boys basketball during this year's version of March Magic (in February). In fact, this Enquirer hoop prognosticator is predicting more than one district championship for our Battle Creek city teams.
Want to know who will take home district titles in boys basketball, but don’t want to wait around until next week to find out? Then you’ve come to the right place.
With the Michigan High School Athletic Association district tournaments beginning Monday, the Enquirer is here to tell readers which teams will win the key area tournaments before the ball is ever tipped. We will break down each district and then give our fearless predictions for you to follow (or argue with) by using our Enquirer Crystal Basketball.
Most district games will start Monday, with semifinals and championship games throughout the week and ending Friday. District tournament play for girls basketball will begin the following week on March 4.
MORE: MHSAA Boys Basketball District Pairings
Division 1
A lot of familiar faces in this one.
Local teams Harper Creek, Lakeview, Coldwater and Battle Creek Central will all be in a Division 1 district hosted by Gull Lake, which will also include Sturgis. Most of the teams in this district have seen each other once, if not twice, during the season.
The top seed in this one is Lakeview, but the Spartans haven't won a district title since 1993. Can Lakeview make history this year?
Longtime basketball fans will remember that the local Division 1 district often included teams from Kalamazoo or Portage, or sometimes Lansing, and all the firepower that came with those squads. In recent seasons, this district stayed more local and went south for some clubs as well. That leaves it wide open for a city or area team to capture some hardware.
Prediction: Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East Division foes Lakeview (14-7) and Gull Lake (7-13) are the two top seeds in this district, have earned byes, and are on opposite sides of the bracket. City rivals Harper Creek and Battle Creek Central are also on opposite sides of the bracket and wouldn't meet until at least the finals, meaning there is a good chance a city team will be playing for a championship in this one by Friday.
BCC has suffered through a tough season at 1-18, but could salvage the year somewhat with an upset win over 6-16 Coldwater. In the other side, Harper Creek (9-12) earned its most one-sided win of the season when it saw Sturgis earlier in the year and the Beavers should roll again.
According to the Enquirer Crystal Ball, all of that could set up a rematch between Lakeview and Harper Creek, as well as Gull Lake vs. BCC in the semifinals. The winners in those meetings earlier in the year should prevail once again, creating a Lakeview vs. Gull Lake district final. It could also mean the first district title for Lakeview since 1993 if the Spartans can knock off the Blue Devils for a third time this season.
District Final: Lakeview 64, Gull Lake 58
MORE: Lakeview tops Norrix in battle of first-place teams, can clinch division title next week
Division 2
Local teams Pennfield and Marshall will have to travel a bit to play in this Division 2 district at Vicksburg. Host Vicksburg, at just 10-11, is the top seed in this bracket that is open to whatever team gets hot at the right time.
Prediction: Marshall (8-13), which won a district title last year, is looking to turn things around at the right time after losing six of its last seven games.
In the early rounds, the Crystal Ball says Pennfield (7-13) will keep its season going for another day with a win over Constantine (4-17) in the first round, setting up a rematch with Marshall. The Panthers upset a banged-up Marshall late in the year, and the Redhawks can't seem to shake their late-season struggles. So could Pennfield get them for a second time?
Despite a sub-.500 record, Pennfield could be poised for a magical postseason run putting the Panthers in the championship final against host Vicksburg. The teams met in December with Pennfield losing to Vicksburg by one, 54-53.
This time?
District Final: Pennfield 54, Vicksburg 53
MORE: Basketball Roundup: St. Philip edges Climax-Scotts; Lakeview, Harper Creek boys win
Division 4
There is an eclectic group of charter schools, private schools and public schools in the local Division 4 district, including St. Philip, Battle Creek Academy, Calhoun Christian and Climax-Scotts. Originally scheduled to be hosted by Battle Creek Academy, this district has been moved to Climax-Scotts High School with big crowds expected for the local-heavy tourney. The key here is that this district does not include Bellevue for the first time in years and is wide open as the Broncos have traditionally dominated the postseason with 10 district titles in the last 11 years.
Prediction: St. Philip (13-7) is the top seed and gets a bye into the second round. The tourney will begin on the Climax-Scotts home floor with the Panthers getting a rematch with Calhoun Christian. At just 5-16, one of the signature wins on the season for Climax-Scotts was an overtime decision over Calhoun Christian (11-10). A similar result puts Climax-Scotts into the semifinal finals against St. Philip, with the two teams possibly meeting for a third time in 14 days. After losing big the first time, Climax-Scotts made it real close in the second meeting in a 48-45 loss. Traditionally, it is very tough to beat a team three times in a season, much less, two weeks, but the Tigers will get it done.
In the other side of the bracket, Battle Creek Academy (15-6) will be facing Marshall Academy (7-10) for the fourth time this year. It is just the second year BCA has been eligible for the MHSAA districts and it could mean a spot in championship final. The Crystal Ball sees this tourney following the form of the regular season that saw St. Philip beat every team in this district at least once this year.
District Final: St. Philip 66, Battle Creek Academy 40
Other Area District Finals Predictions
Division 2 at Charlotte: Sexton 72, Olivet 70
Division 3 at Bronson: Centreville 66, Bronson 62
Division 3 at Schoolcraft: Schoolcraft 72, Kalamazoo Hackett 50
Division 4 at Athens: Colon 56, Howardsville Christian 55
Division 4 at Bellevue: Bellevue 72, Fowler 71 (OT)
Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Enquirer picks winners for boys basketball district tournaments
