Detroit Country Day Heads to Breslin Center with 67-64 Win over Powers Catholic

FERNDALE — There's a reason high school basketball fans circle the Class B quarterfinals every year: Detroit Country Day and Flint Powers Catholic never disappoint.

“I wish somehow the state would set up the brackets so that game could be in the Breslin Center in front of 10,000, 12,000 or 15,000 people,” Country Day coach Kurt Keener said.

Tuesday night's game deserved that kind of spotlight. In front of a packed crowd of more than 1,500 people at Ferndale High School, the basketball powerhouses met for the fourth consecutive year in the round of eight, with the game coming down to the final seconds.

And like last year, the Yellowjackets move on for a semifinals game in East Lansing after topping the Chargers 67-64.

Powers Catholic had possession of the ball for a last shot but couldn’t get a 3-pointer off before time expired. Country Day’s defense wouldn’t allow any of the Chargers' shooters to find an opening in the final 27 seconds.

“I figured they were going to try a 3, and, hopefully, we’d have a hand up in the face,” Keener said. “We played great defense. They finally got Javontae (Hawkins) an open shot, but there was no time left on the clock.”

The defensive stop was the culmination of an intense final four minutes. The lead changed five times in the second half of the fourth quarter, and neither team was able to get more than a 4-point lead.

Country Day was down 61-60 with possession of the ball and only 2:03 left in the game. Out of a timeout, the Yellowjackets ran a play for Amir Williams, running two screens for the senior to get open while Lee Bailey passed him the ball under the basket.

“It’s a set play, we mainly run out of bounds,” Williams said. “Coach told me to go up, and whether I dunk it on the pass or come down with it, to finish strong at the basket. I knew my point guard would throw me a great pass, and he did. It worked out well.”

The 6-foot-10 center scored a layup and was fouled by Powers Catholic junior Danny O’Brien. Williams hit the free throw to put the Yellowjackets up 63-61.

Following a miss by Chargers guard Vince Adams, Adam Zavadil put Country Day ahead 65-61 with a nice move to the basket.

“I saw O’Brien (in front of me)," Zavadil said. “They passed me the ball, and I knew he was slow and he couldn’t catch me. I drove to the basket with my right, went up and scored.”

With a little more than a minute on the clock, Powers Catholic needed a quick score. It ran the ball up the court, and O’Brien made up for his defensive lapse. The junior hit a 3-pointer with only 53 seconds left to put the Chargers back within 1 point. 

This set up the biggest possession of the game. Country Day had the ball up 65-64 and needed to avoid a turnover. When Powers Catholic's Hawkin tried to steal the ball, referees called him on pushing, and Country Day's Zavadil was awarded a free throw with 27.1 seconds on the clock.

“I was a little bit nervous,” Zavadil said. “Everybody told me to calm down, just stay positive. I told myself on the free throw line I could do it.”

The first shot went up and hit the rim three times before dropping in the basket.

“That’s the shooter's touch,” Williams said, smiling. “Adam Zavadil is one of our best free-throw shooters, and we knew putting him on the line, he’s money.”

Zavadil almost couldn’t believe the first one went in. “The first free throw, it was so lucky,” he said, laughing.

He made the second to give Country Day a 67-64 lead that proved to be the difference the Yellowjackets needed. Zavadil finished the game with 12 points and had 8 in the fourth quarter. Williams also had a strong second half, scoring 13 of his 23 after halftime.

It was Williams who kept the Yellowjackets in the game in the third quarter. Detroit Country Day scored only 6 points in the third, with Williams scoring all of them.

Country Day blew its best chance at pulling away when it came out of halftime flat. The Yellowjackets outscored Powers Catholic 16-3 to end the second quarter and had a 42-35 lead after the second.

“We told the kids at halftime, if we can come out and play hard the first few minutes, we could ... make them chase us,” Keener said. “We had opportunities, (but we) just missed shots and didn’t execute. They got in the game, and it was dogfight.”

Catholic Powers' ability to keep the Yellowjackets on their toes isn't surprising to Keener.

“They’re just a tremendous, well-coached team, and their kids just play so hard,” Keener said. “There’s no quit in them. We knew if we want to be champions, nothing was going to be given to us. We knew we had to beat great teams, (and) this was a great team.”

The Yellowjackets now prepare to play Lansing Sexton in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday in East Lansing. Sexton beat Dearborn Divine Child 66-42 on Tuesday night. Country Day beat Sexton last year in the Class B finals in a blowout 71-47.