It’s win or go home for Boys’ Basketball in the State of Michigan. After beating Romulus in the first round of basketball playoffs on February 26 by a final of 53-43, Belleville turned their attention to Saline. Unlike in football, Saline ended Belleville’s season in their home gym by a final of 54-49.
Putting the Team on Their Backs
Saline’s Jonathan Sanderson and Belleville’s Ja’Len Jenkins put their teams on their backs. Sanderson and Jenkins went back and forth all night, battling against each other. One player would do something on one end of the court, and the other would match that on the other. Neither player wanted to be the reason their team’s season ended, and both left it all on the court. Both players also finished the night with nearly identical stat lines, with Sanderson finishing with 31 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals for the Saline Hornets. On the other hand, Jenkins ended the night with 31 points, eight rebounds, five steals, an assist, and a block. It was truly a battle of the two best players on the teams.
Belleville
Air Balled
A big factor was Belleville missing shots late in the game that allowed Saline to build a lead. Jenkins hit half of the shots he took, but outside of that, the rest of the scorers for Belleville only hit at a 30% rate, and it’s going to be hard to win a game, especially in the playoffs, with four players combining for that 30% mark.
Saline
Cleaning up on the Glass
Saline was able to out-rebound one of the better rebounding teams in the area. Saline finished with a +4 advantage on the boards, partly due to three players. The leading rebounder in the game was Saline’s Lincoln Key, who was able to grab 15 rebounds. Sanderson added seven, and Tommy Carr added five. Between those three players they had 27 of the team’s 32 rebounds. If you win on the glass, there’s a good chance you’ll win.