D1 Semifinal Preview: Orchard Lake St. Mary's vs. East Lansing

The Trojans of East Lansing and the Eaglets of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s have already met once this season, at the Gottagetit Hoop Classic, but this time around, the stakes are much higher, with a chance to advance to the State Finals on the line. When the two squads met at East Kentwood High School in January, the Trojans came out on top in a dog fight, 69-68.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Overview

There was one extremely notable irregularity the first time these two teams met – Mr. Basketball winner and University of Michigan signee, Trey McKenney sat in street clothes next to head coach Todd Covert on the St. Mary’s bench, due to a wrist injury suffered the night before in a game against IMG Academy. This time around, the McDonald’s All-American will be out there and surely his presence will be felt. McKenney, who sports #1 for the defending champion St. Mary’s, is an aggressive big-bodied scorer, weighing in at about 225 LBS, who knows how to use his body better than anybody his age in, I’d say, the entire country. Despite being bigger than almost everyone on the court at most times (except for his own teammate Jayden Savoury), he is also extremely effective as a primary guard. McKenney led the Eaglets in scoring in their quarterfinal win over L’Anse Creuse North with 19 points, after scoring 25 and 19 in their regional games.

McKenney isn’t the only D1 signee on this team, though, with guard Sharod Barnes having signed to Western Michigan University. Barnes is one of the best on-ball defenders in the state, but he’s also been providing lots of help on the offensive end of the floor throughout this postseason run. If the Eaglets are going to repeat, they’ll need Barnes to continue to produce on the offensive end and do what he’s now accustomed to defensively.

The final member of Todd Covert’s starting backcourt is undersized senior Isaiah Hines, who goes by the nickname “Zip”. Hines transferred to O-Lake prior to the 2022-23 season, but was forced to sit out sporadically throughout the season, due to MHSAA transfer policies, and last season wasn’t a feature piece. This year, though, Hines has reestablished the name he had made for himself at his old school. In part one of this matchup, he led the Eaglets with 18 points and 6 assists.

Maning the post for Orchard Lake is Michigan State football signee Jayden Savoury, who transferred in the same year as Hines. Standing at 6-5, Savoury has really found his stride at the end of the season, after struggling early on, holding some football weight. A beast on the boards, he had one of his biggest games of the year in the Operation Friendship against his old school Detroit Renaissance, when he scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Beyond the “core four” of St. Mary’s, they also have some solid role/depth guys. Junior Luke Crighton, an Indiana University baseball commit, is the 5th starter. Crighton, at 6-4 and just 175 LBS, does a lot of the little things for this team, always impacting the game even if it doesn’t show in the stat sheet. Off the bench, Mateen Cleaves Jr. is a game-changer, who very well may be the best freshman in the state. He had 8 points in their quarterfinal win. Sophomore guard Peyton Kemp, an internet sensation, began the year as a starter, but has since become a solid bench piece for the Eaglets. If the Eaglets are forced to go deep watch for senior forwards Aiden Hanks and Axel Newell, and potentially sophomore forward Quincy Wright, who was a starter at the beginning of the season, but hasn’t seen the floor as of late.

East Lansing Overview

On a loaded East Lansing squad, Cameron Hutson, a St. Louis signee, is Ray Mitchell’s top guy. Hutson is a 3-level scorer, but compared to the aggression of many 3-level guys, Hutson’s poise and patience is off the charts. He lets the game come to him, not forcing much (especially early in the game), but when he gets going, he’s able to recognize it and take the game over. At 6-5, Hutson also has next-level athleticism and is good every few games for a lob in the halfcourt. He’s been extremely consistent this postseason, finishing with 17 points and 8 rebounds in their quarterfinal win over Huron, after dropping 21 against Kalamazoo Central in the regional final and 18 against Okemos in the regional semifinal.

While Hutson is considered the “leader” of East Lansing’s group, junior guard K.J. Torbert should be considered the most effective, maybe even the most effective in the entire state, as of late. At 6-2, Torbert can really do it all, but he’s most effective, and also most exciting, in transition, where he’s able to collect what seems like north of 3 dunks nightly. In the half-court, he’s very aggressive and can get downhill and finish with contact well. Defensively, Torbert has gone from “showing flashes” to now being tabbed an elite defender. He’s been huge in their playoff run, especially the past two games, scoring 26 in the quarters and 24 in the regional final.

After Hutson and Torbert, it’s hard to tell who the Trojans might start, but whether he starts or not (which he did in the quarters), senior JL Branson will be an impact player. A 6-4 wing, Branson missed the end of the regular season due to undisclosed reasons, but he returned in the playoffs and his return has certainly been felt. He’s one of the most athletic players in the state, making him, in-turn, one of the most exciting players for fans. He had 14 points in their regional final win, the same amount he had the first time they played St. Mary’s.

Coming into the season, the aforementioned trio of Hutson, Torbert, and Branson was touted as the East Lansing big three, but as the season has progressed, sophomore Kingston Thomas has turned it into a “big four”. One of the top sophomores in the entire state, the 6-4 Thomas was the difference-maker in the game at the Gottagetit Hoop Classic. He earned game MVP honors, scoring 17 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. He missed both regional games with an injury, but returned for their quarterfinal game. Despite easing back in by coming off the bench against Huron, he still finished with an impactful 9 points. If East Lansing is going to advance to the state title game, they’ll need serious contributions from Thomas.

Just like the opposing St. Mary’s squad, the Trojans themselves have a good group of role/depth pieces. Expect B.J. Windham, a 6-0 senior, to start at the point guard spot for Ray Mitchell. Windham, who’ll be playing football at Davenport University next year, is a good initiator who also brings experience. Another senior guard, Cameron Essell has started for the Trojans recently, and regardless of if he does on Friday, he’ll be on the court a lot. Committed to play for Albion College next season, Essell seems to thrive in big time games, and this is the biggest he’ll have played in, in his young career. Dequarius Stewart is a high-jumping junior who began the year starting for the Trojans, and now is a strong contributor off the bench. He’s a strong defender, who’s really the only true post on this East Lansing squad, if he even is that.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is simple — this game is set to be an all-timer, get your popcorn ready…