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BOYS BASKETBALL: PSL flexes muscles, plasters the competition at Roundball Classic
The always hoop-rich Detroit Public School League shined brightly at the 18th annual Motor City Roundball Classic.
A half-dozen prep boys basketball squads from the PSL grabbed wins in the highly-anticipated holiday showcase, held at Birmingham Detroit Country Day for the fourth straight year.
Detroit Cody (4-1) got things off on the right foot in Day 1 of the event, defeating defending Catholic League champion Novi Detroit Catholic Central 56-50. Amani Kyalangalilwa led Cody in the scorebook, notching 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Day 2 saw Detroit Osborn edge Fraser 53-51 and Detroit Cass Tech 65 lambaste Lansing Eastern 65-38.
Osborn (4-2) big fella Rashawn Walker went toe-to-toe with Fraser star center and Division I-recruit Nolan Linville (Navy) and came out on top, earning MVP honors with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Linville was pretty good in his own right, scoring 18 points, with only one miss from the field on the night, and snatching eight boards in the loss.
Cass Tech (5-1) got an outstanding performance from its fearsome frontcourt of junior power forward Charles Key and senior center DeAngelo Steward (University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), with Key shooting 10-for-13 from the field en route to 20 points and 10 rebounds and Steward putting up 17 points and eight boards to lead the Technicians to their second victory in as many days.
The busiest day of this year’s Roundball Classic for the PSL was Day 4, as three different squads took the court and came away with tallies in the win column; Defending league crown-holder Detroit King demolished Davison, 72-31, Detroit Southeastern bested Gary (IN) Westside, 60-54 and in the most hyped game of the entire five-day slate – attracting the largest crowd of the week –, the state’s top team, Detroit Pershing beat Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy 70-60.
King’s win was spearheaded by Dayvon Austin’s 17 points and seven rebounds and D’Marco Redd’s double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Southeastern received 15 points and eight rebounds from Leonard Harper-Barker and 10 points apiece from Daryl Bingham and Kwesi Williams.
Pershing played without standout center Justin Tillman (minor injury) and still beat Chandler Park by double-digits in front of an overflowing grandstand. Senior point guard Khalil Felder (Oakland University) posted a double-double for the Doughboys in the victory, scoring 24 points and collecting 12 rebounds. Defensively, Pershing did an excellent job containing Chandler Park superstar point guard Derrick Walton, Jr. (Michigan), who was limited to 21 points on 7-of-18 shot attempts.
The perennial state juggernaut Doughboys are a perfect 7-0 under first-year head coach Wydell Henry.
