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Detroit Country Day Seniors Edmond Sumner and Maceo Baston help beat NorthPointe Christian 74-59 in battle of East verse West
By: Kyle Mills
Detroit Country Day seniors Edmond Sumner and Maceo Baston both have one goal in mind, win another Class B State Championship. They were not going to let NorthPointe Christian stand in their way of this goal, even though they enjoyed the experience of coming over to the West side of the state. Sumner cited the different style of play and said he had, “never played a team from Grand Rapids before, but it was a great experience”. In a game filled with players who will play at the next level on each team, Sumner and Baston shined the brightest. NorthPointe Christian boasts players like guard Drew Zuidema and big man Zach Baker who will both be playing basketball at Spring Arbor University next year and 7-footer Khadim Dieng who is getting looked at from Western and Eastern Michigan, but is currently ineligible due to transfer rules. Although very good players in their own right, the two Detroit Country Day captains showed that they were the two best players on the floor on Saturday night.
Edmond Sumner is the #1 rated high school basketball player in the state of Michigan according to ESPN.com. The 6 foot 4 inch point guard committed to Xavier earlier this year, citing that they were “the only school that really saw my true potential and gave me a chance”. Other schools such as: Kent State, Toledo, and UMass had all offered Sumner while some Big-Ten schools had started to actively pursue him. Despite being the #1 rated played in the state, Sumner says that he doesn’t let the pressure and expectations bother him saying he, “just tries to get better every day.” Not being offered by larger in-state schools such as Michigan State or the University of Michigan is making Sumner play with a chip on his shoulder this season. Today against NorthPointe Christian, Sumner poured in 14 points, including a smooth dunk in the 4th quarter which essentially nailed the game shut, along with several rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He did all of this while playing at a self-described 70% due to the ankle injury he sustained several days ago against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Sumner’s quickness, speed, ball-handling abilities, and length will be as asset to Xavier next season as he will team up in a loaded backcourt which includes Musketeer star Semaj Christon.
The Yellow Jacket who isn’t receiving enough attention for his play is guard/forward Maceo Baston II. Baston, the son of former University of Michigan standout Maceo Baston, poured in 24 points tonight including 3 from downtown. The pure shooting 6 foot 6 inch Baston is getting looked at from colleges such as: UC Davis, Georgia State, Marist, Florida A&M, and Montana, but surprisingly does not have any offers yet. Coming into this season, Baston knew he needed to improve if Detroit Country Day wanted to have success. “I knew that I would be looked at as a leader both on and off the court coming into this season so I worked very hard in the summer and feel like I have stepped up this year,” he said after Saturday’s game. If Baston keeps playing the way he has been, Sumner won’t be the only DCD player with a college scholarship to play basketball next year.
Both of these young men know that the real season is only just beginning with postseason play on the horizon. Although they were able to upset Class of 2016 recruit Josh Jackson and Consortium this season, Sumner says that most important game of the regular season is their upcoming matchup against state powerhouse Romulus. “They’ve beat us three years in a row, I have to beat them at least once while I’m in high school,” said Sumner. Then it will be onto the playoffs for the Yellow Jackets who look to repeat as Champions again this season.
“We are still the Class B Champs and should not be taken lightly,” said Baston. Detroit Country Day will go as far as their senior leaders will take them, and it looks as though Sumner and Baston are ready to put the team on their backs and make a long playoff run again this season.
You can follow Edmond on Twitter at: @TF_32
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You can follow Maceo on Twitter at: @maceobaston
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You can follow me on Twitter at: @generalmills101
You can contact me by email at: kyle.mills@cornerstone.edu