Soph Guards Face Biggest Moments

Warren De La Salle sophomore Phoenix Glassnor.

The chances of five Division 1 quarterfinalist teams lay in the hands of mere 10th-grade point guards.

• Darius Acuff  6-2  So  Detroit Cass Tech
• Sharod Barnes  6-2  So  Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
• Phoenix Glassnor  6-0  So  Warren De La Salle
• Macari Moore  6-3  So  Ann Arbor Huron
• BJ Windham  6-0  So  East Lansing

But as shown by Grand Blanc’s RJ Taylor, now a senior in this same field, just two years ago as a sophomore himself on a state championship team, that’s just a minor detail if you can play, and these guys can.

Four of them should go head-to-head at times, as Cass Tech plays Ann Arbor Huron then Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces defending state champion Warren De La Salle in the Calihan Hall quarterfinals.

Darius Acuff is Cass Tech’s leading scorer already for a second season. His size and physicality are an advantage against many guards. Not Macari Moore, who combines various favored traits in that he’s burly at 6-3 with a D1 wingspan. That reach makes a threat on top of Huron’s zone. Macari averaged 10 points per game as a freshman now is Huron’s leading scorer as a sophomore, with a high of 29 against Benton Harbor. He strikes with aggressive spins and finishes, and a good shot coming off screen. And he can get creative and clutch, like his game-winning drive against Saline. Moore is also a true point guard who handles pressure strength and vision, runs offense with pace, turns the corner off the pick-and-roll, keeps teammates involved and does a good job setting up, and playing off, Huron’s  gifted 6-4 senior slasher Braylon Dickerson.

Phoenix Glassnor was unfazed as a freshman as De La Salle’s state championship freshman. With much more volume as a sophomore he’s continued to shine, and is coming off a 30-point masterpiece in the regional final. Grosse Pointe played an inspired game led by senior guard Anthony Benard, but Glassnor seemed to always have an answer. He’s not just a specialist, as can hit from various spots on the court. And the line — Glassnor made 6-of-6 free throws and senior guard Nino Smith 4-4 in the final 1:08 against GR South.

He’ll see a familiar face in fellow Catholic League sophomore Sharod Barnes. While it’s another sophomore, Trey McKenney, who has been playing at a different level, Barnes’ steady defense and expanding offense have been crucial to the Eaglets’ rise.

BJ Windham is one of four key sophomores for an East Lansing team which knocked off veteran Battle Creek Central and Kalamazoo Central teams in the regional. He’s low-flash, efficient; pushes it on the break; skip passes for 3s, post feeds, elbow jumpstops with6 bounce passes and alley-oop lobs in half-court offense. But he hasn’t seen a backcourt anything like Muskegon’s since East Lansing lost at Grand Blanc the first week of January.