Midterms: Bank Hoops Top 25 Teams

If you want to win games, get a point guard like these guys, Beecher’s Keyon Menifield and Grand Blanc’s RJ Taylor.

1. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 6-0 (No. 1 last week): The Eaglets’ held three straight quality opponents to fewer than 50 points, winning a classic Catholic League war from Brother Rice 49-46, beating Detroit Henry Ford 62-49 and also then No. 8 Hamtramck 53-43. St. Mary’s will play its first road game of the season until March 10.

2. Grand Blanc 6-1 (2): Bobcats trounced Bay City Western 91-37. Two of the state’s top forwards square off then GB and junior Ty Rodgers go to River Rouge with senior Legend Geeter on Friday.

3. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 9-0 (3): If it weren’t for GR South Christian, the Cougars wouldn’t have been strenuously tested, but thanks to the Sailors they have now twice, most recently escaping on the road 49-46.

4. Ann Arbor Huron 5-0 (4): Pioneer was the fourth-straight opponent that Huron has held to 31 or fewer points.

5. Detroit U-D Jesuit 3-0 (5): What would’ve been an entertaining week, against De La Salle and Brother Rice, was canceled.

6. Detroit King 5-1 (6): Already deep, and now the Crusaders have one of the state’s top available seniors, 6-5 Omar Zeigler, back in the lineup.

7. Warren De La Salle 5-0 (7): They’ll be tested Wednesday at No. 1 St. Mary’s.

8. River Rouge 6-1 (10): The Panthers bounced back from their first loss with three-straight wins.

9. Zeeland East 8-0 (12): Senior-dominated Chix beat Muskegon 58-52. The rematch is March 19 at Muskegon.

10. Flint Beecher 3-1 (13): Showed championship chops coming from down 12 in the fourth quarter to win in double overtime, with senior guard Keyon Menifield scoring 27 including the game-winner on a goaltend call.

Class of 2021 Minicamp April 3 Mt. Pleasant

11. Ferndale 6-1 (14): Beat then No. 18 Clarkston and then No. 17 North Farmington. It’s choose your poison with the Eagles who have one of the top junior backcourts in the Midwest.

12. Detroit Edison 7-0 (15): This highly recruitable roster has only let one team within 10 points.

13. Forest Hills Northern 5-1 (22): FHN has now won six in a row, including a 20-point defeat of then No 9 Grand Rapids Christian.

14. North Farmington  5-1 (17): Took their first loss of the year by five to then No. 14 Ferndale.

15. Benton Harbor 7-1 (20): This isn’t a vintage powerhouse Tigers team, but at the end of the day they win, like 53-49 over Coloma and 60-59 against Gull Lake.

16. East Lansing 5-0 (23): What would’ve been two stiff tests last week, against Okemos and Williamston, were canceled.

17. Saginaw Arthur Hill  7-0 (24): The Lumberjacks play at No. 15 Benton Harbor on Friday.

18. Chandler Park Adademy (NR): They gave Summit Academy its first loss of the season Monday, then face another undefeated squad, at Detroit Edison on Wednesday. CPA has one of the to guards in the 2021 class, Jayland Randall, and one of the best in the 2022 class, Tamario Adley.

19. Rochester Stoney Creek 6-1 (NR): Stoney Creek avenged its only loss of the year by beating then No. 16 Troy on Sunday, 65-47. Four-year starting point guard Trevor Smith is the Cougars’ ace in the hole.

20. Flint Carman-Ainsworth  5-1 (NR): Jayden Nunn matriculated to prep school before Iowa State, but the Cavs have a strong 2022 class with point guard Mehki Ellison and explosive 6-4 Isaiah Jones. Only loss was in double OT to No. 10, rival Beecher.

21. Grand Rapids South Christian 7-2 (NR): The Sailors’ only losses are to No. 3 GR Catholic Central.

22. Grand Haven 6-1 (25): The Bucs took their first loss to a fast-improving Grandville team last week 69-67 in OT.

23. Rockford  8-1 (NR): The Rams sit atop a dog-eat-dog OK-Red tied with Grand Haven.

24. Hamtramck  6-2 (8): Took a pair of losses to a loaded St. Mary’s squad and a well-coached U. Prep team.

25. Detroit Douglass 7-2 (19): .The Hurricanes’ only losses are to ranked teams, Ferndale and Detroit King.