GRAND RAPIDS, MI - It has been a memorable six days for the East Kentwood boys basketball team.
After defeating Detroit Martin Luther King in front of a packed home crowd at the GottaGetIt Hoop Classic, the Falcons prevailed in a game-of-the-year candidate Tuesday at Rockford.
Those two impressive performances have shaken up the latest MLive/Grand Rapids Pres boys basketball rankings, and they've also made East Kentwood one of the hottest teams in the state.
Follow along to see where the Falcons sit in this week's local hoops rankings, as well as four other area teams trending up.
East Kentwood (9-1)
The Falcons are coming off the aforementioned thrilling win over Rockford, in which they trailed for all of the second half until junior guard CJ Reynolds converted a buzzer-beating layup to escape with a 69-68 victory against the state's No. 2 team. The Falcons resilience was also on display in Saturday's 52-40 victory over Detroit Martin Luther King, as they overcame an early 9-0 deficit by closing out the first half on a 20-1 run.
East Kentwood has three of the area's best guards in Reynolds, RJ Chapman and Jeremiah Cook, and sophomore Ja'Kari Lovelady has provided a big spark off the bench with his defensive tenacity. You'd like to see a little more production from a talented frontcourt that features 6-foot-10 Division-I recruit Andrew Kenyi, but the fact that East Kentwood can win games with its guards when its bigs get in foul trouble bodes well for the rest of the season.
Grandville (9-0)
The Bulldogs are 2-0 since former Godwin Heights star Isaiah Guyton made his Grandville debut, with the most recent win coming by three points against a much-improved West Ottawa squad. At 9-0, Grandville is off to its best start in at least the last 16 years, and the Bulldogs have the kind of size and skill that will give opponents problems, even in a loaded OK Red.
Speaking of which, the conference is probably as deep as it has been in recent memory, with Grand Haven (12-1), East Kentwood (9-1), Hudsonville (10-1) and Rockford (9-2) joining Grandville as teams with at least nine wins. The Bulldogs haven't finished higher than third in the conference title race since 2017-18, but they could be a dark-horse title contender this season. We'll know more after the Bulldogs visit Grand Haven on Friday.
GR Catholic Central (6-4)
The Cougars loaded up the schedule this year and struggled to a 1-3 start, with close losses coming to Rockford, Northview and South Christian, but they appear to be finding their stride in the new year. Saturday's 54-50 win over Pewamo-Westphalia improved their record to 2-3 in games decided by 10 points or fewer, and Tuesday's 57-50 win continued the trend of being able to close out tight games.
Injuries have also played a role in Catholic Central's up-and-down season, with star guard Jordan McCoy missing multiple games, while future Northern Michigan University wing Zay Larthridge will miss the entire year with a torn ACL. But some younger guys have stepped up, including freshman Miles Burgin, who is averaging 13 points per game in his last three.
Unity Christian (8-2)
The Crusaders debuted at No. 2 in the first Division 2 rankings from the Associated Press after picking up perhaps their best win of the season with a 68-58 triumph over Macomb Dakota. Senior guard Brogan Sherd had the hot hand in that game, scoring all 20 of his points in the second half, and he followed it up with 16 points in Tuesday’s 73-52 win over Spring Lake. If he sharpshooting guard can stay hot, Unity Christian has a go-to scorer surrounded by a fantastic floor general in Kyler Berghuis and a dominant big in Owen VanderWaal, plus a slew of role players that can step up in big moments.
Unity Christian is certainly the team to beat in the OK Black, but the Crusaders also have several tough nonconference games remaining, including Wyoming on Friday, and that should shed some insight on their state title potential.
Kenowa Hills (12-0)
The Knights are off to their best start in recent memory, and it's a great story for a program that hasn't won a district title since 2006 or a conference crown since 1994. The fact that they're doing it with eight seniors makes it even more special for this group.
Their most recent victory is Tuesday's 80-38 victory over Lowell, marking the team's ninth win by at least 15 points, but that kind of dominance can be a double-edged sword come tournament time, when teams need experience playing close games into the fourth quarter. Kenowa Hills' next two contests against quality Coopersville and Greenville squads should provide that opportunity and shed some insight into the Knights' tournament potential.
On the bubble:
- Kenowa Hills (12-0)
- West Ottawa (6-5)
- Holland Christian (6-5)
- Forest Hills Northern (6-5)
- Tri-unity Christian (9-1)
This week:
- This week: Defeated Forest Hills Central (38-31), Friday vs. East Grand Rapids
- This week: Defeated Forest Hills Northern (57-50), Friday at Forest Hills Central
- This week: Defeated West Ottawa (62-59), Friday at Grand Haven
- This week: Defeated Spring Lake (73-52), Friday at Wyoming
- This week: Lost to East Kentwood (69-68), Friday at Hudsonville
- This week: Defeated Rockford (69-68), Friday at West Ottawa